MEN’S SHED HOLDS THE DOOR OPEN
THE men behind the newly formed Dingle Men’s Shed opened the door on what they’ve been doing for the past couple of months and what the group is all about at an open day that involved a lot of tea, mince pies and chat on Saturday.
The idea behind the Men’s Shed movement, which started in Australia and arrived in Ireland in 2011, is to make a space where men do the kind of things men do in a shed. The big difference is that, rather than being solitary, the Men’s Shed is sociable place where the lads can work on projects, share skills and interests, or just hang out.
The project was kick-started at a meeting organised by NEWKD in the spring but, after that, the men themselves ‘ran with the ball’. They faced a major obstacle in locating a suitable premises. Nothing was to be found in Dingle but Fr Jim Sheehy and his family very generously made some outhouses available in Ballintaggart. It was a good start, but it needed work and the group had no money. The Presentation Sisters donated timber and other useful bits and pieces from the old convent, Pádraig Firtéar did likewise with unwanted material from the former CBS, and the work got underway.
Six months later, and by the sweat of their collective brows, the men have turned the outhouse into a shed that’s high grade by any standards. There’s no fixed agenda for what comes next; essentially, the men’s shed is whatever the members want it to be.
In the meantime, men are very welcome to call in and use the shed as a place to work on their hobbies, share skills and socialise. There’s sombody there most days between 11am and 1pm or contact Fr Jim Sheehy on 086 262 5498.