About Shed
From humble beginnings Edenderry Men’s Shed in Co. Offaly was established by a group of men in the local area. “We started in 2014, and the first thing we had to do was find a premises. We secured a location in the old Station yard owned by Sean Norman, who is a well known musician,” says Mick Clancy, assistant treasurer and secretary of the shed.
“Sean was very generous and gave us six months rent free to get us started. The local businesses helped us greatly too, as we had to start from scratch to get to where we are today.” Edenderry Men’s Shed now has 18 members. “Our members are mostly retired and wanted somewhere to spend a few hours. We can come and go when we like, there is no clocking in or out.” says Mick. “Our shed is about friendship. The first thing we do in the morning is have a cup of tea and a chat, then we get to work.”
The shedders have become popular within their local community for providing a valuable service to the locals. “We get a lot of work from people in the area. Small jobs that people can’t get done anywhere else, such as furniture repairs. We do the job for them and we receive a donation and that goes towards covering the costs of the shed, such as rent and insurance.” says Mick. The members of Edenderry’s Men’s Shed are a very diverse bunch. “I’m a welder by trade. We have a mixture of tradesmen, but you don’t have to have a trade to join. You can come in and learn, make tea and have a chat. Some of the men would come in three or four times a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays are our main days from 1o am – 4 pm. There is a great spirit in the shed, a great group of men and great craic,” says Mick
New members are always welcome to drop in. Anyone is welcome to come in, have a cup of tea and have a look around, they don’t have to commit. For more information please see contacts listed or you can visit our website www.menssheds.ie and find all contacts in the Shed directory section