Carrigaline enjoys long awaited opening of men's shed

THE Tánaiste and the county mayor were among many well-known figures in attendance at the official opening of Carrigaline Men’s Shed.

The event took place at the premises in Waterpark House, Church Rd, on Saturday and among those on the guest list were County Mayor Frank O’Flynn, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Finance Minister Michael McGrath, and Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, all of whom turned out for the celebration.

They were joined by Fianna Fáil councillor Seamus McGrath.

The chairperson of the Carrigaline Municipal District, councillor Audrey Buckley (Fianna Fáil), Fine Gael councillor Jack White, councillor Ben Dalton O’Sullivan (Independent), and founding member and chairman of Carrigaline Men’s Shed Barry Cogan were also in attendance.

Carrigaline Men’s Shed was first registered in late 2011 before the formation of its committee in February 2012.

Stephen McCarthy of Astra Construction provided the team with a site to use free of charge, where they ran activities up to 2017.

This was before they moved to their new location on the Old Waterpark Rd.

The shed has, over the years, provided locals with the opportunity to socialise and learn new skills through activities such as pool, cooking, and creative writing.

It also has a museum room and garden for members to enjoy. Members are not restricted to the facility itself, with options to join walking groups and avail of bus outings also available.

The committee was founded by Garry Kelly, Pat Dineen, and Barry Cogan and the organisation has been going from strength to strength since its introduction.

Some of its achievements to date include governmental and European recognition of the group’s contribution nationally.

The group also received the European Citizen’s Prize back in 2018 after being nominated by Irish MEPs.

Most recently, it was named one of the 12 Sustainable Development Goals Champions by the Irish Government for 2019/2020.