Lots to do in Mayo for Men's Health Week
Launching Men's Health Week in Mayo were representatives of the HSE, Castlebar Men's Shed, Irish Cancer Society, Croí and Mental Health Ireland at Balla Mart last week. Picture: Alison Laredo
From Monday to Sunday, June 9th to 15th, communities and organisations across County Mayo will come together to mark International Men’s Health Week 2025.
This year’s theme 'Shoulder-to-Shoulder: Connecting for Health' highlights the importance of community and connection in supporting men’s wellbeing. Across Mayo, a diverse programme of events will offer men of all ages the chance to engage, learn and to take proactive steps towards better health.
Laurence Gaughan, Regional HSE Project Lead for Men’s Health Week, commented: “Men’s Health Week provides an important opportunity to raise awareness of preventable health problems, support men and boys to live healthier lives and encourage them to seek help or treatment at an early stage.
"In Mayo, a very strong partnership has been established across statutory, community and voluntary organisations, all working together to continue to raise awareness of men’s health generally and promote this annual coordinated focus.”
Among the events taking place this week is a Health Fair took place at Ballina Mart on today (Tuesday) with free health checks by Croí, information stands, lifestyle advice, etc. This event is taking place from 10am to 2pm and will be similar to the one that ran at Balla Mart last Saturday.
Like all of the mart events organised as part of Men's Health Week, this event runs in tandem with the ‘Taking Stock’ campaign which is designed to help farmers make informed decisions that will benefit both themselves and their families.
On Wednesday, June 11th, the first of two regional events is a free online webinar hosted by Mayo County Council at 7pm entitled 'Shoulder-to-Shoulder: A Conversation on Men’s Health' featuring Shane Pearson, coach, farmer and men’s health advocate; Austin O’Malley, high-performance coach and wellbeing practitioner; Dr Alan Gallogly, forensic and consultation-liaison psychiatrist and Iggy Clark, former Galway hurler, counsellor and therapist.
The second regional event will be held at the Porter Shed, Market St., Galway on Thursday, June 12th, at 7pm and is entitled ‘Retirement Reimagined’. It features Professor Brian Hughes, Professor of Psychology at the University of Galway; Keith Finnegan, former Galway Bay FM Chief Executive Officer and Broadcaster and Pat McMahon, former Galway County and City Librarian. This event will be livestreamed online.
Commenting on Men's Health Week 2025, Elmer Pieterse, Healthy Mayo Co-ordinator, added: “Mayo County Council is delighted to work in partnership with the HSE and the many other organisations who have contributed to the calendar of events. The focus this year is on bringing initiatives and services to men at community locations such as marts, workplaces and builders' providers and online. We hope that as many men as possible will engage with us during the week.”
For further information on all public events taking place in Mayo, please check www.mhfi.org.
