Athy Community  Men’s Shed , a vibrant and active community group in south Kildare, have recently resurrected an age old local craft tradition that until now had sadly died away.

Barrow Cots’ were the traditional mode of transport on our local waterways.  These Cots were beautiful 18 foot long vessels that were expertly hand made by skilled crafts men and boat makers in the locality.

With the advent of motor-propelled vehicles their need was no longer necessary and the sight of gondola type boats with their captains at the helm vanished off the River Barrow.

However, as part of an initiative with local bodies, including Inland Waterways Association Ireland ( North Barrow Branch) and  Athy Community Enterprise Center, a project was undertaken to replicate one of these boats and put it back into the water.

The long term vision is to build more boats in doing so create a social and community amenity that can be enjoyed by all in the town.
There is also the possibility of creating social enterprise, a micro economy and a tourism amenity should the project extrapolate out from a single boat.

The new boat was made of a combination of salvaged cedar and hard wood from local sources. The goal was to replicate a traditional boat using as much reclaimed wood as possible. It was all hand built and hand painted.
The work was shared by the men at Athy Community Men’s Shed. It was a unique and special project that generated excitement and a high level of involvement.

So we were contacted by Margaret of the Athy Heritage Centre and Museum to see if we could get down to the Museum to help rearrange their display area 

Kudos to Udo Joe and Gerry for stepping up and getting the job done 

All that is left now is a bit of a clean up of the floor.

​We are reliably told that a quick lick of paint will be given in the next few days.

​Athy Men’s Shed , a vibrant and active community group in south Kildare have recently resurrected an age old local craft tradition that until now had sadly died away.
Barrow Cots’ were the traditional mode of transport on our local waterways.  These Cots  were beautiful 18 foot long vessels that were expertly hand made by skilled crafts men and boat makers in the locality.
With the advent of motor-propelled vehicles their need was no longer necessary and the sight of gondola type boats with their captains at the helm vanished off the barrow.
However, as part of an initiative with local bodies, including Athy Community Enterprise Centre, a project was undertaken to replicate one of these boats and put it back into the water.
The long term vision is to build more boats in doing so create a social and community amenity that can be enjoyed by all in the town.
There is also the possibility of creating social enterprise, a micro economy and a tourism amenity should the project extrapolate out from a single boat.
The new boat was made of a combination of salvaged cedar and hard wood from local sources. The goal was to replicate a traditional boat using as much reclaimed wood as possible. It was all hand built and hand painted.
The work was shared by the men at Athy Community Men’s Shed. It was a unique and special project that generated excitement and a high level of involvement.
Speaking of the shed’s involvement, David Kenny, one of the boats builders said “The project was a new and exciting challenge for us here in the shed. We had no experience of boat building in itsel;f  but we do have a group of skilled and creative guys who decided that we could study boat building and teach ourselves how to do it. I’m more than delighted to say that we succeeded”.
Another shed member, Pierce Mcloughlin explained how the project brought the men together and the benefits the men experience whilst working on the project.
“It was a huge challenge for us, but through teamwork, some trial and error, and some genuine dedication and hard work, we got it done. Working on projects such as this brings the community together, it brings people together, gives them a sense of involvement, challenge and excitement, and completing it has given all of us a huge sense of satisfaction and pride. We hope that this won’t be the last project of this sort for the town!”
The barrow cot is now ready for its official launch!