Bringing men ‘shoulder to shoulder’

The door of the shed is open, as is the norm, although the room resembling a workshop is empty when the Celt calls. A large work bench greets you, spanning nearly the length and breadth of the room.

Treasurer of the organisation Michael Gorman descends the stairs, which are fitted with a stair lift, followed closely by secretary Patrick Hyland.

The two Dublin men stand around the table, emphasising it as a focal point of the room.

“Men speak better and talk better shoulder to shoulder,“ Patrick said.

Retiring in 2012, Patrick moved back to Belturbet. He found that once he finished renovating his house he was “at a loose end".

“When you come as an older person into an area, how are you going to make friends?” he asked.

“There is nowhere else other than going to a pub,” he said.

“Here is somewhere we can come, and we have people of all ages,” he said, explaining that they have members in their mid-twenties all the way up to their nineties.

While social inclusion is important to the group, Patrick explained that promoting positive mental health is the main priority.

“Some men don’t talk about it,” he said, adding that “there tends to be a stigma".

“For my own mental health, I get a feel-good factor when I come here.”

“A few of us got together and started all this up.”

Pottering around the shed revealed various hand tools, drills and lathes most of which have been donated or bought through fundraising. The shelves are filled with paint donated by Fleetwood in Virginia, while wooden projects at various stages of progress are evident.

“We are fortunate, but we know there are lots of sheds who are less so and we are happy to help out with other sheds,” he said.

“We have a lot of goodwill and support from businesses and people generally,” said Michael.

Horticulture classes and computer courses take place, as well as wood turning and carving under the instruction of Joey Burns, the creator of the roundabout fiddle, who became a member of the club. Women also get involved in the shed courses as associate members.

“A lot of it is for therapeutic reasons,” Michael said, explaining that people's moods during the courses are more important than what they produce.

The group embark on various projects with no deadlines enforced. They recently created planters for the town and a hotel for bugs at the Slieve Russell Hotel gardens, they have constructed a polytunnel for the local allotments. They are currently renovating two old wagons for the community Pétanque club. They brought the wagons to Loughan House where they are working with the prisoners on the renovation.

“Nobody clocks in and out, you're just going to have to take it when we have it ready,” Michael asserted.

“We won't put pressure on people.”

Upstairs, some members are sitting enjoying a cup of tea and a chat while one member cooks for the rest of the group in a state-of-the-art kitchen fitted by Fitzpatricks Kitchens. Among the ingredients being used are mint, basil, tomatoes and beetroot picked from the garden outside. Michael explains that this is a regular occurrence, where men, many of whom are living alone, are often sent home with a meal to last them for one or two days.

“It’s about being here for each other,” Michael said, adding that the group “make everybody welcome".

They encouraged anyone interested in joining to come along and “have a cup of tea". people can get in contact by contacting by email on mensshedbelturbet@gmail.com, by phone on 0858741277 or through their Facebook page.