Think ‘men’s club’ and the image it conjures up is of some sort of exclusive gentleman’s club or other exclusively male bastion whose goings-on are a closely-guarded secret. Not so Fermoy Men’s Club which is just that, a friendly, open group offering a chance for male social interaction.

The idea for the group came from Mary Allen of Avondhu Blackwater Partnership, who wanted to see some initiative established that would tackle the issue of male social isolation, particularly among mature men. “We wanted to address the fact that men, as communicators, are not as good as women,” Chairman Michael Dunne, explains.

The aims of the club are to provide an opportunity for men to meet and discuss issues of interest, to engage in activities as a group and to arrange group visits to places of interest.

The club was founded in January 2012. At the start it had a dozen or so members, but that has grown and there are presently 61 members. Most are retired and come from a range of backgrounds. “There’s quite a diversification and that brings a lot of different experiences to the group,” Michael says. Many are active members of other local clubs and organisations. Most meetings see an attendance of around 40.

Michael is among the club’s officers, who run the committee. Honorary secretary is Paul O’Kelly-Lynch and honorary treasurer is David White. “It’s all very democratic,” Michael points out. Members decide on what activities they want to engage in and have input into the places they visit. They also have guest speakers on topics of interest at their meetings, which take place in the Fermoy Community Youth Centre on Ashe Quay every second Monday of the month.

They’ve had talks from historian, raconteur and author John Arnold, nutritionist Karen O’Mahony, Fermoy native Dr Joe Barry, professor at TCD and psychotherapist Dick Mackessy as well as a speaker on pertinent legal matters from O’Carroll Solicitors.

They’ve had outings to places as diverse as the Woodlands Falconry in Carlow, Kilmainham Gaol, the Croke Park Museum, Collins Barracks Museum and Cahir castle, a boat trip up the Blackwater from Youghal and walks in Doneraile Park, Glenabo Woods and the Galtees.

Most of their outings away from Fermoy include lunch out. The senior engineer on the flood protection scheme, Ger Barry, gave them a guided tour of the works. One member of the club, retired engineer John McCarthy, found that outing particularly interesting as his family had owned the Grand Hotel and he had memories of it being flooded in years past.

They host two social nights of their own annually - a Christmas party and summer barbecue - and also get invited to the events of other groups such as the local Active Retirement group. They were also involved in an anti-bullying initiative organised last March and other activities that took place as part of Friendship Week.

The club is “a great forum for people to talk, it exudes a lot of joy,” honorary secretary Paul O’Kelly-Lynch says. “People have said they enjoy it greatly,” agrees honorary treasurer David White.

They are most appreciative of the help and enthusiasm of Brendan Scahill, community worker with the HSE who was involved with the start-up of the group and has remained supportive, and are also grateful to Kieran Barry, manager of the Community Youth Centre for his enthusiasm and interest in the club.

Membership is drawn mainly from Fermoy and outlying areas. Men are encouraged to go along to a meeting, have a look and see if it’s something they think they’ll enjoy. They’ve a 45-card group starting up shortly, along with further outings and events.

“I think there’s a great future for us,” Michael Dunne says, and it’s hard to disagree.

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