New Lad's Shed in Limerick aiming to close a gap

FIRST THERE were Men’s Sheds, then there were Women’s Sheds… and now, in a move unique to Limerick, the first Lads’ Shed in the country has opened.

Each Wednesday night in Garryowen’s St John’s Band Hall beside the cathedral, the Lads’ Shed throws open its doors to men of any age to make new friends, enjoy a coffee, share their own life experiences – and perhaps even enjoy a game of Jenga!

The brainchild of Haven Hub volunteers Jake McPadden and its founder Leona O’Callaghan, the Lads’ Shed aims to show men of all ages there is a wealth of activities they can be involved in to improve both their mental and physical health.

“The activities are catered towards younger people or middle-aged people. While in Men’s Sheds, you’d see a lot of older people in their 60s and 70s, we felt we would make it more inclusive and have casual things people can do,” Jake explained.

Having only opened in recent weeks, the Lads’ Shed is at an early stage, but plenty of activities are planned – starting this Wednesday, when its members will head for the bowling alley!

Jake adds: “When it’s all completely set up, it’d be nice to have one indoor activity like table tennis or board games, and every second week, do a physical exercise like basketball, bowling, random things like this. Some people would have reduced mobility so they mightn’t be able to do the physical activities, whereas other people might only want to do the physical activities. So we are trying to cater for everybody.”

There will also be a mindfulness aspect to some of the nights, said Pat Doran, the Shed facilitator.

“What we are planning in the future is to offer wellness talks, have people come in with tools for their own wellness. One of our members Gary is going to start giving guitar lessons – we want to get into music in a good way, because I feel music is important for mental health,” he added.

It’s widely acknowledged that men are less likely to speak up about any emotional problems they may be facing.
There are high hopes the Lads’ Shed can put in place a structure where men feel comfortable doing just this.

As Jake says: “Men keep to themselves a lot more than women do generally. From my experience, women will have a cup of tea and talk, especially if there is anything around suicidal ideation, depression or something equally as severe. Men don’t open up about that. We want to normalise that, and destigmatise that. That’s why we want to bring the aspect of psycho-education here.

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“Hopefully, once we get it up and going, once a month or every three weeks, as an activity, there could be an informal group facilitation around topics like mindfulness, meditation, building resilience and survival skills. These are all the things we have access to, and people can deliver these courses,” Jake, who volunteers with the Haven Hub, added.
One of the people who has started using the Lads’ Shed is Annacotty man Dave McEvoy, a school special needs assistant by profession.

“I’ve come to meet other people. It’s an outlet on a weekday evening, to learn new skills, to make new connections. It gives me something to look forward to – meeting new people, making new friends. Just social activity and enjoying it,” he smiled.
Another member David Tierney, who lives near the Ennis Road, succinctly describes the shed as: “A place to have fun and get away from it all.”

The Lads’ Shed has gotten on the road thanks in no small part to a donation from Andrew McGinley of As Darragh Did, a charity set up by the Dublin father-of-three in memory of his own son Darragh, aged 7.

It aims to fund local clubs, groups and projects with donations to be used to encourage participation in sports and other activities.

Thanks is also imparted to members of St John’s Brass and Reed Band who allow use of their hall for the Shed, which kicks off each Wednesday at 6pm in the shadow of St John’s Cathedral. Men of all ages are welcome to join in.

For more information, please email LadsShed@havenhub.ie. Alternatively, you can telephone 089-6018183.