Joe O'Brien - Green Party Joe O'Brien - Green Party

Minister Joe O’Brien Welcomes Funding from his Department for Fingal Men’s Sheds

3rd November, 2022

Minister Joe O’Brien has today (Thursday 3rd of November) welcomed grants of €2000 from the Department of Rural and Community Development to assist Men’s Sheds with their running costs.

Beneficiaries of the grants in Fingal include:

  • Donabate/ Portrane Men’s Shed
  • Portmarnock & District Men’s Shed
  • Skerries Men’s Sheds
  • Swords Men’s Shed
  • Balbriggan Men’s Shed
  • Rush Men’s Shed
  • Turvey Men’s Shed

The individual grants will be distributed to the Men’s Sheds via its representative body, the Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA).

Welcoming the grants from his Department, Joe O’Brien said:

“Our Men’s Sheds provide an absolutely invaluable service to communities in Fingal. They help tackle isolation and provide a welcoming and comfortable space for men to come together and socialise.

“As we enter the winter period, the supports that our Men’s Sheds provide are even more important. So, I’m delighted that my Department is in a position to support our Men’s Sheds with these grants. This will assist our Men’s Sheds in covering their running costs or to carry out small improvements at their premises.

“Our Men’s Sheds have gone from being a small organisation just a few years ago to a national representative body with over 400 members. Like any voluntary organisation, Men’s Sheds are facing larger bills due to the Cost of Living.

“These grants are part of a broader response my Department is taking to support the community and voluntary sector. I hope this funding will assist them over the winter months and help bring our Men’s Sheds from strength to strength.”

ENDS

 

Notes for the Editor:

  • The Irish Men’s Sheds Association supports Ireland’s network of 400 Men’s Sheds.
  • The Irish Men’s Sheds Association was formed in 2011. However, the Men’s Shed movement originally started in Australia which inspired their Irish counterparts to begin their own movement.
  • The Men’s Sheds movement had its birth in Tipperary where the first Men’s Shed was formed. Following the formation of the first shed in Ireland, the shed movement began to grow rapidly, with there now being over 400 sheds registered with the Irish Men’s Sheds Association and at least 12,000 men visiting a shed every week.
  • Over the past decade, Men’s Sheds have become a vital part of Ireland’s community infrastructure. Sheds offer men an opportunity to meet in a supportive, collaborative space, improve their health and wellbeing, and contribute to their communities.
  • The Association has also received Government and European recognition of their contribution to Ireland. In 2018, the Association received the European Citizen’s Award after being nominated by Irish MEPs.