From axe-throwing to ice-skating...Cork club providing social outlet for men

When Ryan Woolston first moved to Cork a few months ago, he knew nobody. Determined to make friends, the 25-year-old Canadian searched for any social groups that might help him settle into Leeside life. This is how he came across an online advert for the Cork Round Table.

“I was really looking for some socialising outside of the house”, says Ryan, who lives in Cork City. “I wanted to make connections... and learn more about the place that I’m now living in. And it just worked out that Round Table was a very open place and I met people through that”.

Cork Round Table is a social club for men between the ages of 18 and 45 who are looking to make new friends and try new things. It hosts a range of activities and events for members, from axe throwing, rock climbing, table quizzes, and more.

“We try to come up with new novel ideas of things to do”, explains Steven O’Neill, Vice-Chair of Cork Round Table.

“The next one we’re doing is ice skating. We’ve done bowling trips, a sauna and sea swim down at Roberts Cove, and we’ve got a lot of informal events that happen as well”.

The Cork branch is a member of Round Table Great Britain and Ireland, which was originally founded in Norwich, UK in 1927. A branch existed in Cork in the nineties, but gradually disbanded as members aged out. The current branch was set up by Chair Brian O’Connor in February of this year and officially rechartered in October.

Steven discovered the group after returning to Cork from abroad.

“I almost felt a bit like a foreigner coming back to my own city in my late 30s”, says the Passage West-based 40-year-old. “I hadn’t lived in Cork for a long time and now I’m back here, and I’m settled. So for me it was like, how do I meet anybody, you know? I wanted to do something a bit different. So [the varied events] were a big draw for me. And seeing that there were other people in my age group, slightly older, slightly younger, some married, some not at all – that was great”.

The Cork Round Table now has a regular group of about 20 men attending events. Members hail from Cork and further afield, including Canada, the UK, Italy and Ivory Coast. They also come from a wide range of professions – accountancy, carpentry, psychiatry and welding, to name but a few. The group is always looking for more members, particularly from the younger cohort. As an incentive to join, the membership fee – usually €10 a month – is waived for young men between 18 and 24. The need for younger members is important for the longevity of the group, as Steven explains:

“If we were all sort of 41 or 42, you’re at the risk where everyone turns 45 and now there’s no-one left. We want to promote having younger people who can run the club further”.

When members do “age out” of the Round Table, other options exist – the “XRT” club, which is for former members who have reached 45. And of course, the hope is that members will have found friends at Round Table that will last a lifetime.

While the main aim of Cork Round Table is for like-minded men to make friends and have fun, it also has a more serious purpose.

“We try to focus on mental health and wellbeing”, says Steven. “The group is very good at checking in if we haven’t seen any members for a while... If someone’s had a break-up or a death in the family, inevitably somebody will be texting saying, ‘can I do anything for you?’ This sort of thing is just inherently there when you come into this group”.

Ryan Woolston, who is still settling into Cork life following his big move across the Atlantic, agrees:

“As someone who came here with no social circle, it was pretty daunting to have all this stuff just in my head and no-one to talk to about it. It was really helpful for me to find a group where there’s such great people I could chat to about what’s going on or how I’m feeling, moving to this new country, and what’s happening in my life”.

Men’s mental health is an especially pertinent issue in November, with International Men’s Day celebrated on November 19. Each year, the global awareness day celebrates the positive contributions that men make to society and highlights their well-being, including initiatives to tackle loneliness and other societal problems affecting them.

Groups like Cork Round Table make a difference not just for the men attending events and forming bonds with others, but for wider society as they take part in charitable endeavours. Fundraising for charity is the next step for the group, as Steven notes:

“We need to figure out, as a group, who we want to support – one or maybe more charities. When we do any large events, where there is excess money, we make sure that a percentage of that goes to charity”.

The next major event for Cork Round Table will be their Rechartership Party in February, where they hope to raise between €500-€1000 for good causes close to members’ hearts.

In the meantime, the Round Table will be focusing on delivering a range of innovative and fun events for men across Cork, as well as recruiting new members to the branch.

What advice would recent member Ryan give to anyone thinking of joining?

“If you come with your best foot forward and a great attitude, and the desire to meet new and friendly people, I think that’s what you’re gonna get. And if that’s what you want – what we all really need – then absolutely, come and join us”.

• For more information on Cork Round Table, find them on Facebook or Instagram @CorkRoundTable