Oughterard shed re-launched

A small town off the Owenriff River in Galway, Oughterard has been one of many towns to have a dedicated men’s shed. Though the shed has seen better days, the men have decided to do a re-launch, in a bid to attract more members.

The shed is based beside the Clann Family Resource Centre, with the men receiving some help from the Resource Centre’s Community Development Officer, Helen Tomkins.

Ms. Tomkins says that while the men have been a group for the last nine years or so, they’re looking to up their numbers following the men securing a new premises; “The men have been a group since 2011, but they recently got a new space – an actual physical space, at the side of the Clann Resource Centre. They’ve never really had their own space to work from, so the space is now up and running and we’re hoping that will help increase numbers”.

Pat Lynch, Chair of Oughterard Shed, says that a lot of work went into developing the shed over the years; “It was a whole ordeal, we had to insulate it, plasterboard it, and we’ve put in timber grounds because it was a steel-type shed that we got. We also had to raise the shed because it was too low when you came in from the tarmac, the shed would have been in danger of getting flooded. That was a big undertaking for all the shedders”.

The current group of shedders in Oughterard is varied, with many and all activities welcome, Ms Tomkins adds; “The men have all different interests, one of the men is really into carpentry, another is much more into wind turbines and renewable energy. There’s a photographer as well. It’s very varied in what they’re open to”. Pat agrees with this, saying that the shed want to bring in everyone and anyone, “we want to take in anyone that we can, we’ve varied tastes, whether it’s fixing a bicycle or kettle or whatever”.

With at least one shed being set up every week, visit www.menssheds.ie/setting-up-a-shed  to find out how you can set up a shed in your community today. All sheds are different, some like to do woodwork, whereas others can be more outgoing and like to contribute their time to helping the local community. Whatever you’d like to do, the shed experience will improve your wellbeing by keeping you physically, mentally and socially active.

A varied shed, the Oughterard Men try out pottery making in the Oughterard Youth Café

Shedders try their hand at some wood-turning