Last year, while traveling in County Cork, Ireland, my husband and I visited a Men’s Shed in Allihies. We expected to see a workshop. What we found was something much bigger: a place where men could build things, contribute to their community, learn new skills and, most importantly, build relationships. Coordinator David Dudley, and member Kieran Gowran sat down to talk with me, and we got a great tour of their Shed, and the projects that they were working on.
David Dudley-Coordinator, Elizabeth Connell and Kieran Gowran, Allihies Men’s Shed
That visit has stayed with us. September is National Senior Center Month, a time to celebrate the role senior centers play in helping older adults remain connected, healthy and engaged with their community.
The National Council on Aging’s 2026 theme, “Happier Birthdays Happen Here,” emphasizes connection, purpose, support and community. Those same words could easily describe what we experienced at the Men’s Shed in Allihies, and others I have had the privilege of visiting.
It wasn’t really about the shed
The Allihies Men’s Shed was the first purpose-built Men’s Shed in Ireland, and its members had an impressive collection of tools and workspace. They were making cutting boards and other projects, but the work isn’t simply a hobby. The men were creating things for their community. That distinction is important, because the purpose isn’t simply to keep men busy, it gives them a reason to show up.
“We don’t talk face-to-face. We talk shoulder-to-shoulder.”
One of the ideas that struck us most was the way conversation happens in a Men’s Shed.
Some men may be uncomfortable sitting in a circle and being asked to talk about their feelings. But put two men next to each other working on a project, and something different can happen.
A conversation starts naturally. Someone mentions a frustration. Another man realizes, “I’m dealing with that, too.” A friendship develops. A problem that felt like an individual burden becomes something shared.
The Australian Men’s Shed Association describes the movement in similar terms: Men’s Sheds provide places for camaraderie, community and health and wellbeing, with activities that can help reduce isolation and build social connection.
The Irish Men’s Sheds Association similarly describes a Shed as a community-based project where men can come together to learn, share skills and develop lasting friendships. Ireland has built a remarkably broad network of more than 450 Sheds connecting more than 12,000 men.
Massachusetts is already moving in this direction
Interestingly, the most recent COA annual report explicitly recognizes a challenge that many communities have observed: that men can be an uncommon sight in some senior centers, even as older men face growing concerns about isolation and maintaining friendships.
The good news is that our amazing 350 Councils on Aging don’t need to start from scratch. Each of you are already determining your own programming according to the needs and resources of your communities.
Some Senior Centers are already running Men’s programs and others are experimenting with specific programs. We’ve seen from the COA Annual report, highlights of the ‘Dull Men’s Club’, woodworking classes, men’s discussion groups, repair clinics, handyperson programs, R.O.M.E.O. (Retired Old Men Eating Out) groups and other activities designed to appeal to men.
I think the Men’s Shed model suggests that we might take that idea one step further. Rather than asking, “What activities can we offer men?”, perhaps we should ask, “What can we build with men?”
That subtle shift changes everything. A Men’s program could involve woodworking, repairing household items, restoring furniture, gardening, building community projects, cooking, mentoring, model building, fixing bicycles, or teaching skills that participants already possess. The project becomes the doorway. Connection is what happens once men walk through it.
Purpose after retirement
Retirement can represent an enormous transition. Someone who spent 30 or 40 years with a job, colleagues, responsibilities and a clear role suddenly has to figure out what comes next.
The Men’s Shed model recognizes that purpose doesn’t have to end when employment ends. At Allihies, the answer wasn’t necessarily another class or lecture. It was having somewhere to go, people to see, skills to use and something meaningful to accomplish.
My husband reflected that a Shed would give him the opportunity to learn something new or contribute skills he already had, but most importantly, he said it could provide him both a sense of purpose and belonging. That is a powerful prescription for healthy aging!
Ireland has even developed Sheds for Life, a 10-week health and wellbeing program designed around the culture of the Sheds themselves. Rather than bringing men into a traditional health-program environment, the program brings health and wellbeing into a setting where men already feel comfortable.
We know it’s not feasible for every senior center to build a traditional “Men’s Shed”, but maybe the opportunity lies in taking steps to simply to ‘think like a Shed’.
Maybe someday in the not-too-distant future, a senior center could take the idea even further and establish a relationship with a Men’s Shed in Ireland, Australia or another country. A local group here could “twin” with a Men’s Shed overseas, exchanging project ideas, hosting virtual conversations, sharing approaches to men’s health and wellbeing, or even arranging visits.
Imagine a group of older men in Massachusetts talking with men in County Cork about the projects they’re building in their communities. Different countries. Different experiences. The same need for friendship, purpose and belonging.
A challenge for National Senior Center Month
National Senior Center Month is an opportunity not only to celebrate what our centers already do, but to ask who isn’t walking through the doors and why.
The lesson we brought home from Allihies was simple
Men may not always come looking for a senior center, but they may come looking for a place to build something.
They may come to fix something, teach something, learn something, help their neighbors or simply have a cup of coffee with another man. And while they are working shoulder-to-shoulder, something else can happen.
They can find friendship.
They can find community.
They can find a reason to get up and go somewhere.
They can find purpose.
So perhaps this will provide you with some inspiration as we celebrate National Senior Center Month this September to build more opportunities for men to connect, contribute and belong.
And perhaps one day, those connections will reach all the way back to that amazing little Shed in Allihies!
