WATCH: Take a look inside Carrigaline Men’s Shed which officially opens this week

MEN’S Sheds have becoming increasingly popular in Ireland over the last decade, but what is a Men’s Shed?

“A shed really is a place where men meet to socialise, make friends and develop projects of common interest,” said Barry Cogan, Chairman of Carrigaline Men’s Shed. Barry was speaking ahead of the highly anticipated official opening of Carrigaline Men’s Shed, this weekend, which has been in development for more than five years.

Originally involved in the active retired group in Carrigaline, Barry Cogan received a letter from SEACAD (South East Cork Area Development), in which Johnny Evoy, who brought the concept of a Men’s Shed to Ireland, invited a few of the lads to Midleton for a talk. Barry, along with Gary Kelly and Pat Dineen made the short trip down and there, their vision was born.

The concept of a ‘Men’s Shed’ was found in Australia and came to Ireland in 2009. Following the formation of the first shed in Ireland, the shed movement began to grow rapidly, with there now being more than 400 sheds ed with the Irish Men’s Sheds Association and at least 12,000 men visiting a shed every week.

The Association has also received governmental and European recognition of their contribution to Ireland. In 2018, the Association received the European Citizen’s Award after being nominated by Irish MEPs. Most recently, the organisation was named as one of the twelve Sustainable Development Goals Champions by the Irish Government for 2019/2020.

Carrigaline Men’s Shed was first ed in late 2011 with its first committee formed in February 2012. As they didn’t have an official building, Stephen McCarthy of Astra Construction Ltd. kindly gave them a site to use free of charge, where they were located up until 2017 before moving to their new location on the Old Waterpark Road. The committee was founded by three men, Garry Kelly, Pat Dineen and Barry Cogan. 

They met every week, and every week they would invite two or three men each along to try and generate more interest in the local Men’s Shed.

The possibilities are endless in Carrigaline’s Men’s Shed, which will officially open officially this weekend. The new building is fully equipped with a brand new kitchen, games room which has a pool table, woodwork room, museum room and garden.

Over the years, of the Men’s Shed have enjoyed many classes, from cooking to creative writing,

Carrigaline Men’s Shed has become a jack of all trades.

“We are liable to do anything,” said Barry Cogan.

But even if you just want to call in for a cup of tea and a chat, their door is always open.

Carrigaline Men’s Shed even has its own choir which includes 13 men. They sing a mixture of shanties, ballots and folk songs and their current repertoire stands at 70 songs. The choir performs regularly at local nursing homes.

s of the facility are not confined to the indoors. They love to get out and about and enjoy the fresh air too. They regularly partake in walking groups and bus outings, and you can rest assured, the craic is always mighty.

“The Men’s Shed is all about projects,” said Chairman Barry.

One room that is always busy with new projects is the new woodwork shop, which is roughly 900 square feet. Men can enjoy working on their own projects and restoring old farm machinery. They are also happy to help the locality in any way they can.

The new building has been in the works for the last five years. The project, which spanned five phases over five plus years, was overseen by Men’s Shed Member and Treasurer Aidan Winters.

The Shed is run on a voluntary basis, together they utilised their abilities and resources in cooperation with grants, businesses in the Carrigaline community and the surrounding areas they were able to make their dreams of a new building a reality.

They organised numerous fundraisers over a seven-year period to cover the cost of the build.

Carrigaline Men’s Shed showed their creativity when it came to fundraising events. Not only had they the traditional fundraisers which included concerts and table quiz, they organised ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and ‘The Oscars’ in collaboration with The Carrigaline Lions Club and offered their services to local supermarkets in the form of bag-packing, over the years.

When lockdown measures hit during the Covid-19 pandemic it didn’t dampen the Carrigaline Men’s Shed spirits.

“We actually got a lot more work done,” joked Aiden Winters. They continued to meet on Zoom as work on the new building continued.

From the beginning, the local community has played a central role in the day to day running of the Men’s Shed.

The committee thanks the people of Carrigaline for their continuous over the last few years and they hope that the wider community will also benefit from the new shed.

The ‘Shedders’ emphasised the new building is a shared facility for the Carrigaline Community. Situated behind the Lions Club across from the local park, Carrigaline Men’s Shed central location and should be enjoyed by all who live there.

It is also important to note, on behalf of the ‘Shedders’, the new building was designed and built with the environment in mind. The Shed is built next to a pond and greenery, so they are conscious of their new neighbours, the ducks and the wildlife.

Barry Cogan has been chairman of the group since its foundation but is hoping to see “a new generation of ‘Shedders’ .

The majority of its are retired, and the shed is somewhere for each of them to but its committee wants to get rid of the stereotype that you have to be retired to .

The Men’s Shed welcomes every man over the age of eighteen, working or unemployed, single, married or divorced, it doesn’t matter if you were born in the parish or you are a ‘blow in’ - the more the merrier.

Barry encourages younger generations to get involved with Carrigaline Men’s Shed as he believes they will add a new dimension to the group.

For Aidan Winters, Men’s Sheds are about coming together. They offer safe spaces for men to chat, socialise and develop projects out of common interest. He encouraged communities that don’t have an existing Shed “to come together and replicate the success of Carrigaline Men’s Shed”.

Michael Cotter, who considers himself a ‘late comer’ was invited down to the Men’s Shed by Mr. Cogan. Primarily involved in the choir, he likes to help out on the committee where he can.

There are twelve men on the current Men’s Shed Committee: Barry Cogan, Aidan Winters, Micheal Cotter, Rodger Morrissey, Dick Jenkinson, Finbarr Hayes, Pat Byrne, Noel Scanlan, Joe Lynch, Kevin Meaney, Pat Dineen and Martin Parfry.

The official opening of Carrigaline’s Men’s Shed will take place this Saturday July 8 at 12 noon, attended by local ministers, Micheal McGrath, a resident in Carrigaline, Simon Coveney, a former resident of Carrigaline and Tánaiste Micheal Martin.

Carrigalines Men’s Shed is located in Waterpark House, Church Road, Carrigaline Middle, Carrigaline, P43 NY27. They are open Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 4pm.