Here is the Mural that has won the Sunday World’s Best Men’s Shed competition. The ’third man’ in the picture is Seán, whose Dad Jason Walsh-McLean was one of the main artists involved.

Jason says that when the organisation first acquired premises in Loughlinstown, County Dublin, “it was very dull, so we painted it. At the time I thought a mural would brighten the place up, despite never having done one before. Initially I was thinking of a football mural. But seeing as we have Shamrock Rovers and Boh’s fans in the Shed, not to mention two Rangers fans from Scotland and a load of Irish Celtic fans, we probably would never have been  able to agree on what to do.”

The idea for a 1913 Lockout theme came after the group began holding a “FILM NIGHT” in the Shed and watched Strumpet City, the RTE drama about the 1913 Lockout, based on James Plunkett Kelly’s book of the same name that is now a number one best seller again.

“With so much unemployment in the country at present and the current recession it seemed very apt”, Jason says. “A lot of our members would be former tradesmen who are out of work. It is to them that we dedicate the mural.”

The Local Men’s Shed (Louhghlinstown/Ballybrack) has been going for two years. It recently won an award in the Dún Laoghaire/ Rathdown County Council’s Community Awards scheme, run an Irish Language class and a computer class, as well as trips to places of interest. The group hopes to move to larger premises in the near future “so that we can get involved in more projects”, Jason says.

Membership is €5 a year and is open to anyone living in the catchment area.

Meanwhile anyone who wants to see the Mural in all its splendour can find it at:

LBS Men’s Shed, 125A Cedar Court, Loughlinstown, Co. Dublin