DUBLIN GAA legend Barney Rock joined 200 men’s sheds members for the largest such gathering ever held in Dublin.
The event, entitled the Men’s Sheds Dublin Showcase, was organised by the Irish Men’s Sheds Association and took place at the F2 Centre in Rialto on Wednesday, February 6.
The first in a series of such events taking place throughout the country, the Dublin showcase provided sheds from all four local authority areas with an opportunity to show off their wares and projects in front of their peers.
Tables were crammed with artwork and a stunning variety of local craftsmanship, as members from 42 sheds, from Rush to Sandyford, flooded the Rialto venue. Amid the hubbub, connections were made and friendships formed over the course of the three-hour event.
The event began with Dublin GAA legend Barney Rock greeting the members and taking questions from the floor. Rock’s neat line in sporting banter set the tone for a relaxed, enjoyable afternoon which reaffirms the value of men’s sheds to Ireland’s communities.
Barry Sheridan, Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA), reflected on the success of the day’s event.
“The turnout today was just unbelievable,” he said. “You’ve got to remember that, less than a decade ago, no-one in Ireland knew what a men’s shed was. To go from that to a situation where you have over 50 sheds in Dublin alone, and a couple of hundred men showing up on a Wednesday morning for an event like this, just shows the impact sheds have had – not just on individuals, but on their communities too.”
In tandem with the showcase event, a Men’s Health Expo was also held at the venue, under the rubric of the IMSA’s health & wellbeing initiative, Sheds for Life. Representatives from the National Screening Service, Men’s Health Forum in Ireland, the Men’s Development Network, the HSE, Siel Bleu Ireland, Get Ireland Walking, Migraine Ireland and Age Friendly Ireland were on-hand with advice and resources for attendees.
Dublin City Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and charity body The Wheel were also represented.
Events wrapped up with members of the Ballyfermot-based Dublin 10-20 Men’s Shed (‘the Music Shed’) rocking the venue with their rousing men’s sheds anthems.
Last year, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, allocated €500,000 under the Community Enhancement Programme to enable individual Sheds to update their facilities by purchasing equipment or by carrying out minor works.
