Enniscrone Men's Shed make a novel Christmas tree

A local Men’s Shed group has come up with a solution to help outdoor Christmas trees withstand the stormy weather of Ireland’s northwest.

Enniscrone Men’s Shed has constructed 12-foot replicas of Christmas trees from iron rods to make them robust and capable of coping with adverse winter weather.

The rods are fashioned into a cone shape which is then draped with outdoor lights.

Gregory O’Brien, the chairman of Enniscrone Men’s Shed, explained more about their new design.

“The visual effect at night of our trees is impressive. The lighting on the iron frame makes them stand out as lovely decorations but the design means that they won’t be blown over during heavy weather,” said Mr O’Brien.

“We think it is a neat solution for our challenging weather and are durable for use year after year,” he added.

Enniscrone Men’s Shed debuted the iron-rod tree last year for the Templeboy and Aughris Rural Association. Due to popular demand, more trees are on order for this Christmas season from other local communities.

The Men's Shed is also making replica reindeer from plywood which can accompany the tree with similar lighting. The reindeer shapes can be easily secured to stakes embedded into the ground which again makes them wind-proof.

The trees and the reindeer structures can be placed in gardens or in public spaces such as grass verges, creating a wonderful scene of seasonal joy and goodwill.

Community groups and members of the public can contact Gregory O’Brien at Enniscrone Men’s Shed on 087-3329392 to place orders for the replica trees and reindeer.