Blessington is Wicklow’s longest established Men’s Shed
BLESSINGTON boasts the distinction of having the longest established Men’s Shed in the county of Wicklow, in business since 2012.
It was Ron Curry who spotted the potential for an organisation to raise the morale of menfolk at a time of economic doldrums.
The first sheds were Australian but Ron drew inspiration from what he saw nearer to home, in Tipperary.
The group that he helped to found took preliminary root in an old industrial unit where the overheads threatened to put it out of existence.
They were rescued by an offer from the Blessington Forum of more suitably located accommodation at the old library at the green beside the Baltinglass Road.
The only problem was that the building had been vacant for more than a decade and the neglect showed, with the need for a new roof just part of a programme of renewal.
The new tenants set about the work with a will, resulting in a splendid headquarters capable of hosting an attendance of 60 people at the recent gathering of representatives from all of the county’s sheds.
This smartest of sheds, which has drawn words of praise from Tidy Towns adjudicators, is open four days per week, with the Coimín Centre in town providing an alternative venue for ‘Wise Up Fridays’, with a once a month dance raising funds at a local pub.
In the former library, the workshop is equipped to undertake furniture repairs, wood-turning and the making of bird table as members arrive to work and talk, not only from Blessington but also from as far away as Brittas and Ballymore Eustace.
Nearly all over the age of 65, they include farmers, carpenters, electricians and a doctor, who enjoy a series of health talks and expeditions.