EVENTS (Past)

A sample below of the many events held by Cumann na bhFhear over the years.

As part of Heritage Week, Cumann na bhFear (Men’s Shed) will be hosting a demonstration of blacksmithing at their premises of Unit 1B in the Sandy Business Park from 6pm to 8pm on Friday (August 25th) and from mid-day on Saturday (August 26th) in front of the Galway City Museum.

There has been an enormous revival over the last few years in the ancient and time honoured profession of blacksmithing, the ability to create objects from wrought or malleable iron by forging the metal using tools to hammer, bend and cut it.

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A Make Your Own Bat Box workshop took place in February 2017 tutored by Peter Finnegan.


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Over the last two years, Cumann na bhFear has organised a number of courses in Beekeeping. The last course was completed in December 2015 with Marty O'Malley  as tutor. Content included information on the life cycle of the bees; the basic stucture of a hive; modern and traditional beehives, swarming and honey harvesting.

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2015

Chris Galvin from the Ballygar Men's Shed recently mentored a very successful Slate workshop in the premises of Cumann na bhFear.

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Christmas 2014

 

Cumann na naFear had a hectic few weeks in the lead up to Christmas.
As well as the usual series of weekly sessions and classes, our Men's Shed exhibited a display of hand-made crafts and traditional produce at the Christmas Craft Fair that was held recently in the Menlo Park Hotel. The selection represented a fitting tribute to the excellent skills possessed by the men and women of this self-help community organisation. Items for sale included treacle, metal wine racks,  tile chess sets, plaster chess pieces, wooden table lamp stands, wooden cups and bowls, wooden pens, bat boxes, Christmas cribs, festive holly logs and garden tools. 

Building Pallet Furniture at Galway's Asylum Seekers' Centre

Lead by mastercraftsman Michael McDonnell and our chairperson Felicity Gillespie, volunteers from the Cumann helped residents of the Eglinton Asylum Seekers Accommodation Centre in Salthill make furniture for their garden from discarded pallets and metal frames. The latter were once part of the seating of Twiggs Nightclub, Galway's first premier nightclub during the 1970s when Salthill was one of Ireland's premier holiday destinations.
Today these metal units are being given a whole new lease of life as outside seating in the community and organic garden for the benefit of the families staying at the Eglinton Asylum Seekers hostel. May they continue to bring pleasure and happiness to those that occupy them. 
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Mayor and Deputy Mayor Visit Cumann na bhFear

Mayor & Deputy Mayor Readying their High Nelly Bikes for the 7 Galway Castles Heritage Cycle Tour!
The Mayor of Galway City Councillor Terry O'Flaherty and Deputy Mayor Councillor Frank Fahy are shown on their recent visit to Cumann na bhFear (Men's Shed) holding High Nelly bikes that will be used on Sunday's "7 Galway Castles Heritage Cycle Tour". 

Seven Galway Castles Looped Heritage Cycle Tour

Discover a magical hidden rural side of Galway city by participating in ‘Slí na gCaisleán’ (‘The Way of the Castles’), a heritage cycle tour through a picturesque rural countryside of botharins, farms, meadows, Burren-like rockscapes, bogs, woodlands, lakes, rivers, turloughs and castles.

Associated also with The Gathering Ireland 2013, this ‘Off the Beaten Track’ Galway Bike Festival event will try to bring participants back in history, to a time when people travelled by bike, by horse and by foot through a pre-modern landscape.

The guided leisurely looped cycle tour takes place at 10am on Sunday next (June 23) from Terryland Castle (Dyke Road) covering a route that encompasses seven castles on the north and eastern side of Galway city and into Galway county castles. The castles are Terryland, Menlo, Cloonacauneen, Killeen, Ballybrit, Castlegar and Ballindooley. 

Members of Cumann na bhFear (aka Men’s Shed), who are organising the event supported by Conservation Volunteers Terryland Forest Park, are lovingly restoring a fleet of High Nelly classic bikes for the tour.  

Participants should bring along their own bicycle, suitable clothing and packed lunch. There will be a stop over at Cloonacauneen Castle where participants can purchase food and beverages. Any children twelve years or under must be accompanied by an adult. All participants must sign a form agreeing to abide by the rules of the tour.

Further information is at http://bit.ly/17W2uW0

 St. Patrick's Day Parade 2013

Photograph shows some of the 'High Nelly' bicycles from Cumann na bhFear passing the review stand during the St. Patrick's Day Parade 2013.  

All of the bikes at the event were lovingly restored by the volunteers of the club. These will be available on loan from this summer to visitors of the Terryland Forest Park where they will be stored on site at a container which is being converted by the Forest Conservation Volunteers into a work and information centre for this revitalised leisure woodland and wildlife sanctuary.

The Terryland Forest Park & environs was well represented at the Parade with, as well as Cumann an bhFear, members of the Ballinfoile Mór Community Organic Garden marched with the Westside Community Garden under the banner of 'Galway's Green & Growing Army' (in photo background).
There was also a great turn out of pupils and teachers (led by their energetic principal Máire Ní Brún) from Scoil Bhríde Menlo (Mionloch) who were dressed up as knights and their followers holding banners and insignia promoting the new "7 Galway Castles Heritage Trail" which it is hoped will become a major pedestrian and cycling Greenway for Galway city and county. Also known as 'Slí na gCaisleán', this looped route starts and finishes at Terryland Castle.

Preparations for participation in the St. Patrick's Day Parade 2012

'High Nelly' Bikes with local Ballinfoile enthusiasts in Terryland Forest Park

A Galway Green Army presence in St. Patrick’s Day Parade!

Workshop and Registration: 7pm Friday (March 15) Cumann na bhFear. All Invited!

Cumann na bhFear, Ballinfoile Mór Community Organic Garden, Westside Community Garden,  Scoil Cholmcille Castlegar, Conservation Volunteers Terryland Forest Park and Scoil Bhride Menlo are working together to use their presence in this month’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade to promote an environmental message that is good for people, for wildlife and for the planet.

Ballinfoile Mór Community Organic Garden at St. Patrick's Parade, Galway City, 2012

Supported by Jen Hesnan and her team of artists, the different groups will have a series of complimentary themes that will emphasise a positive message to the world of a eco-friendly sustainable lifestyle.

Scoil Bhríde Mionloch 'Forest' theme at St. Patrick's Parade, Galway City, 2012

With all of the recent controversy over the questionable contents and false labelling of processed meats and other packaged foodstuffs produced by corporations and sold through supermarket chains, the Ballinfoile  and Westside Community Organic Gardens presence will show how neighbourhoods can grow their own seasonal vegetables and  fruits organically in order not to damage soils, waterways, wildlife and the atmosphere.

The children of Scoil Cholmcille Castlegar will be dressed as exotic colourful scarecrows whilst those of Scoil Bhride Menlo will re-enact the history of  Seven Galway Castles (Slí na Caisleán) that forms an exciting new pedestrian and cycling heritage Greenway for Galway city.

Cumann na bhFear Float at St. Patrick's Parade, Galway City, 2012

The members of Cumann na bhFear (Mens’ Shed) Ballinfoile are repairing a fleet of vintage bicycles known as ‘High Nellys’  that will be available in a few months for visitors to communicate through the Terryland Forest Park and along the aforementioned Slí na Caisleán and other developing Off the Beaten Heritage Cycle trails.

Anyone interested in getting involved in the Parade through any of these eco-community groups should attend a workshop and registration at 7pm on Friday March 15th in Cumann na bhFear premises, Unit 1B Sandy Business Park.

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Ballinfoile Mór Harvest Festival

Community Garden

September 2011 

 National Roller Canary Society

Annual Cup Challenge

November 2011

Ballinfoile Mór Community

Celebration & Recruitment Fair

January 2012

St. Patrick's Day Parade 2012

Galway city 

Blacksmithy Workshop
Saturday March 2, 2013

 A free blacksmith workshop will take place from 10.00am until 4pm on Saturday March 2nd in the Cumann na bhFear premises at Sandy Road Business Park, Galway city.
There has been an enormous revival over the last few years in the ancient and time honoured profession of blacksmithing, the ability to create objects from wrought or malleable iron by forging the metal using tools to hammer, bend and cut it.
At the Saturday workshop, participants will be taught how to produce objects such as pokers, rivets and tongs. 

For a video of a blacksmith's forge in action at Cumann na bhFear, click here. 

Cumann na bhFear, part of the international Men's Shed movement, possess three anvils, which are the distinctive blocks of iron consisting of a smooth flat top upon which the metals being worked on are traditionally hammered, bent and cut into shape. 

There are limited amount of places available and pre-booking is required. So anyone interested, please contact Michael Tiernan at 0879665200