Downpatrick Men’s Shed wins through to all-Ireland art final

Downpatrick Men’s Shed wins through to all-Ireland art final

22 February 2017

DOWNPATRICK Men’s Shed was a finalist in a recent all-Ireland competition run by Fishermen’s Friend for a special piece of art created for the Shed Series 2017 event.

The event was held last week at the National Maritime Museum in Dun Laoghaire and was run in association with the Irish Men’s Shed Association.

After a nationwide search by Fisherman’s Friend, which asked Men’s Sheds from across Ireland to create a piece of art that best depicts what their community means to them, 21 sheds brought their creations to the National Maritime Museum of Ireland. 

Downpatrick Men’s Shed showcased their piece of work — a beautiful wooden lighthouse — in front of an expert judging panel which included editor of the Irish Farmers’ Journal and Irish Country Living, Mairead Lavery, broadcaster Marcus Connaughton and Fishermen’s Friend area business manager Martin Stimson.

“The quantity and quality of this year’s entries was very impressive and it was great to see such a diverse range of artwork being created by members of the Irish Men’s Shed Association,” said Martin.

“Hailing from across Ireland, we had almost 100 attendees at our final and it is fantastic to see the bond and the strength of friendship that exists between members and sheds.”

This year, Fisherman’s Friend introduced an online people’s choice competition which ran on the company Facebook page and was won by shedders from Ballina.