About Shed
Available Activities
Sharing and promotion of repair, craft and DIY skills, development of projects to aid local communities, social activities and gatherings, community education course participation, outdoor and polytunnel gardening and growing, and member-led specialist interests such as model train exhibition and animal care.
About Shed
Ballyleague – Kilgefin Men’s Shed was founded in 2014 and in that year, we raised funds to thatch a derelict pub in Ballyleague Village which became our Shed. The thatching and refurbishment of the old pub brought the Shed onto the national stage in the form of RTÉ’s Nationwide Programme which saw our Shed’s work feature on three occasions.
In 2015 we embarked on a project to build four wooden fishing boats, a feat which showcased the power of men coming together with a common goal in mind. We completed the project in 9 weeks and brought back an age-old tradition which the area had not bore witness to for many decades.
Since then, the scope of our work has spread out into the wider community, taking in the environs of Ballyleague in the Kilgefin Parish area. We have added to our gardening and growing efforts established in Ballyleague by setting up another Polytunnel at nearby Curraghroe. Our Shed takes a keen interest in growing vegetables and pollinator-friendly flowers from seed, a tradition that has seen our connections grow with neighboring communities, in particular with local Tidy Towns groups.
In 2021 we established Roscommon’s very first Repair Café in nearby Cloontuskert, making use of an upcycled portacabin which features a standalone ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ mural designed and completed by artist Friz. This project is testament to our Shed’s commitment to repair and share our skillsets for the betterment of the communities in which we live. In 2022 our Shed ran a series of repair training courses in association with the Galway Roscommon ETB which brought this ethos to the fore of our members’ efforts.
Assisting local community groups in developing projects to create new amenities has become a particular interest of our members. For example, our Shed has helped to develop outdoor libraries, orchards, flowerbed and floral planting schemes, raised beds and growing boxes, outdoor art easels, community composting systems, and pollinator-friendly spaces, to name but a few.
Ballyleague – Kilgefin Men’s Shed looks forward to welcoming new members to our Shed who would be interested in joining our members’ efforts in and dedication to our local area.