Shoulder to shoulder, Killucan Men’s Shed goes from strength to strength

No one can accuse the members of Killucan Men’s Shed of being idle.

Last year alone, the members of the Men’s Shed, which is based in the Gate Lodge across the road from the St Camillus Nursing Home, made buddy benches for local schools, beds for refugees, dozens of bird boxes and bird feeding tables, picnic benches, planters, owl nesting boxes, about 60 memory boxes, seats for graves, house signs and memorial plaques.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Gerry Deegan, who took over the role of chairman from founder Joe Bingham last year, says that he his colleagues enjoy working with each other to complete orders.

“They come and they want to work. They really get stuck in. We do a huge range of stuff and we are trying diversify what we do.”

The group officially meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 1pm, but Gerry says that most days a few members can be found at their premises. They like keeping busy, but the cup of tea and chat are key parts of every visit.

“There’s a good bit of banter. We are there most days and the tea is at 11 o’clock. Anyone who doesn’t like the banter, there’s the door (laughs), and you have to be able to give it and take it.”

Gerry is an experienced woodturner and loves passing on tips to his Men’s Shed friends. The group have also recently started repairing old furniture and are really enjoying it.

“One guy brought in an old country kitchen chair a while back. It was completely rotten and broken. Some of the lads were saying ‘throw it in the fire’.

“I said we’d fix it up and we did. We made new spindles on the lathe and put it back together. The people who brought it absolutely loved it and actually brought in a few more. “Modern houses being so warm these days, with their underfloor heating, if you have old chairs especially, because they are moved around a lot compared to tables, they are literally falling apart at the joints.

“We’ve repaired probably in the region of 50 chairs in the last year.”

The Men’s Shed movement started in Australia in the 1990s as a way of giving older men, in particular, a social outlet to improve mental health and wellbeing. Today, there are some 1,800 Men’s Sheds around the world.

Killucan Men’s Shed, which has members from Killucan, Rathwire, Kinnegad, Raharney, The Downs and Mullingar, is open to any man over the age of 18. Gerry stresses that you don’t have to be handy or have an interest in DIY to join.

“We are always looking for new members. I would love someone to come in who likes doing administration (laughs).” Contact them at killucanshed@gmail.com.

Studies have shown that many men feel more comfortable talking when they are working on something shoulder to shoulder with a friend than face to face. Gerry says that Killucan Men’s Shed is a space where members can speak about anything that is on their minds.

“Some people ask why are there no women: it’s because it is a Men’s Shed and will stay a Men’s Shed for that reason. Men will sometimes talk about things here that they wouldn’t be comfortable talking about in front of women. There are guys who talk about their health, and we have leaflets for all different health issues.”

Gerry became a member when he moved from Athboy to The Downs in 2023 and says that it has helped him integrate into his new community.

“My own workshop at home is better than this one, but I’d rather be here for the company. That’s the difference.”