An intricate model of St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh has been put up for display in the very building that inspired its design.
Crafted over a period of three months by the team at Armagh Men’s Shed, the model is 36 inches high and roughly 6 feet in length.
It was made out of MDF and paper mache, with the windows made out of perspex, with decal pictures on them.
This morning (October 17), the model was finally presented to the Very. Revd. Shane Forster, Dean of Armagh, and has assumed pride of place at the back of the Cathedral, where it has already amazed a group of American tourists.
This creation is the latest in a range of churches already modelled by the Armagh Men’s Shed, including the Roman Catholic Cathedral and First Presbyterian Church, Armagh.
Pat Moore, who led the design of the structure, says everyone at the Men’s Shed played their part in making it all a reality.
“The lighting and the wee gargoyles were all done by myself, but the fellas did a lot of work to it,” he said. “There were quite a number of good men who did work to it and nobody had any bother. Everybody was quite happy with what they had done.
“We’re glad to get it up [to the Cathedral]. They seem very happy with it and it gives us an opportunity to move on to something new.
“It’s very important because it helps boys with their mental health, and a lot of them struggle at home. Now this has been done we’re going to start a bit of carving!”
This sentiment was echoed by Stephen McCleary, administrator at Armagh Men’s Shed, who thanked all who made it possible.
He commented: “We’d like to thank John Beattie from Triangle Housing Association. We couldn’t have done it without John. They’re the main funders and they’ve funded a lot of things in the Men’s Shed.”
Stephen describes the completed work as a “big moment” for the men involved.
“At the very start we did a tour of the church, the crypt and from the roof down and just every aspect of the church. So whenever they’re building it they can say, ‘oh I remember being in that part’.
“The craic we had every Thursday sitting and making the roof and the wee gargoyles gives them that sense of responsibility. A sense of involvement.”
Created in early 2012 in partnership with the Southern Health Trust in a bid to improve mental health and wellbeing for older men, Armagh Men’s Shed today boasts around 30 to 40 members, with most actively involved.
Said Stephen: “You have to consider where most of them men would be if they weren’t at the Men’s Shed. They’d be sitting at home getting under their wives’ feet!
“It’s a whole different focus for the men to get up in the morning to go to the Men’s Shed. It’s there to improve and save their lives.”
As part of the Irish Men’s Shed Association, the group hope to visit Stormont next week to lobby MLAs around funding for the sheds.
“Imagine the pressure that would take off the NHS,” Stephen added. “I call it a prescription for loneliness and depression. If they’re able to fund the running costs for Men’s Sheds for the foreseeable future, that takes the pressure off the organisers having to get funding for rent and rates.”
Very. Revd. Shane Forster, who has worked with the Men’s Shed to help them get the design right, said he was “delighted” to receive the model into the main Cathedral building.
He said: “I’m delighted that we have received this wonderful gift of the model from the Men’s Shed. They’ve worked really hard on it over many, many months and put a great amount of dedication, skill and time into it.
“To have it in situ in the Cathedral, It’s just wonderful to be able to share it with everybody who comes through the doors, and we do hope people will come to see it.
“We’ve an awful lot of tourism, and even this morning, there were a few groups from America and they just loved it. They couldn’t get over the details.
“The time and effort that’s gone into making the model is just really, really beautiful.”
He added: “The Men’s Shed are a great organisation, bringing men together from right across the community, helping to relieve that sense of loneliness which many people experience.
“It’s lovely to have people working on a project with a shared interest and learning new skills and they do so with a smile on their faces and lots of laughter. It’s really good for community building so well done to all those that have been involved in the project.”
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