Building a bridge to the past
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Gerry Deegan (Trim Mens Shed) sets up a piece of wood from the Millenium bridge onto a Lathe to demonstrate the starting process to produce a high quality candle holder. Photo: David Mullen/www.cyberimages.net David MullenImage 2 of 7
A piece of wood from the Millenium bridge is set up on a Lathe to demonstrate the starting process to produce a high quality candle holder. Photo: David Mullen/www.cyberimages.net David MullenImage 3 of 7
Gerry Deegan (Trim Mens Shed) pictured with finished pieces produced using wood recovered wood from the Millenium bridge. Photo: David Mullen/www.cyberimages.net David MullenImage 4 of 7
A candle holder that has been made with wood from the Millenium Bridge in Trim.Image 5 of 7
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A candleholder and pen that was crafted using wood from the Millenium Bridge.Image 7 of 7
Removed... The Millennium Bridge in Trim was replaced after defects were revealed.Wood from the doomed Millennium Bridge which had to be taken down last year for safety reasons is being given a new lease of life thanks to Trim Men's Shed.
Woodturner Gerry Deegan, along with other members of Trim Men's Shed have been creating candle holders and other items using the Ekki Wood recovered from the Millenium Bridge, which had linked Trim Castle with the Porchfields.
The candle holders have been engraved with an image of the bridge and the Yellow Steeple and mean a part of Trim's recent history will live on, long after the removal of the footbridge.
Gerry came up with the idea of salvaging some of the wood from the bridge for projects in their shed.
He said: "I saw on facebook that the bridge was being taken down and immediately got on to the Men's Shed committee, who contacted the council about the wood. At that stage we didn't know what kind of wood it was. We asked could we have it for use for community projects and they agreed."
Gerry told how the wood is Ekki which is an extremely hard wood. "It is quite difficult to work with but gives a lovely finish and you get a lovely shine. We made candle holders and tea light holder and pens."
Gerry only took up woodturning about four years ago and told how he taught himself the basics from youtube and then did lessons with a wood turner in Gorey, Co Wexford. He joined the Woodturners Guild last year.
"It was on my to do list. I bought myself a cheap Lathe machine for €180 which is used for a few months and have upgraded three times since."
Gerry also teaches other members of the Men's Shed woodturning skills.
He told how they also get old tables and wood pieces from the St Vincent de Paul shop and cut them up and make things from them. They give half of what they make back to the SVP and sell the other half to fundraise towards getting a new premises.
Gerry said the candle holder took about two hours work and then he got the image laser engraved on to it by RS Awards.
They have a small amount of the wood from the bridge left which will be used to make more candle holders. However, as their storage space is limited, they weren't able to take as much as they would have liked.
Trim Men's Shed Chairperson John Loud told how they are fundraising for a new premises better suited to their needs.
The group is currently based in an old double portacabin in Eamon Duggan Industrial Estate in Trim.
John explained that they plan to put in a large container type workshop which would be better suited to their needs in the first stage of their plan.
They also hope to later get a newer portacabin to replace the existing one in the second stage. This would give them both workshop space and a social room.
Trim Men's Shed has been running for more than a decade and has about 30 members. John said that because they are limited by space they are almost at capacity but hope to be able to accommodate more members if they get their new premises up and running.