Moate Men's Shed restores landmark art monument

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Members of Moate Men's Shed have carried out a restoration of the town's iconic art sculpture, 'The Bargain'.

The monument, situated beween the community centre and Tuar Ard, pays homage to Moate's history as a market town and depicts two men striking a deal on fair day.

Created by Leitrim artist Jackie McKenna and erected in 1987, the piece is made of solid chestnut, and reflects Moate's former position as the site of one of the largest cattle fairs in Ireland.

Chairperson of Moate Men’s Shed, Patsy McCormack, said the restoration project revealed that the monument had suffered years of hidden water damage caused by unsuitable paint.“We had to remove all the old paint first, and once we did, we discovered extensive water damage underneath,” he said.

“We had to fill the damaged areas, dry everything out, reseal it, and then apply a new type of paint that shouldn’t trap water the way the previous coating did.”

Moisture had gradually penetrated the monument over many years, leading to a significant level of damage which many people assumed has been caused by vandalism.

“The monument had significant damage, so there was much more work involved than we had first expected,” Patsy added.

The restoration became a community effort, with almost every member of the Men’s Shed lending a hand.

“We have 16 members in the shed and virtually everyone was involved at some stage,” he said.

The project also attracted considerable public interest, with locals and tourists stopping regularly to speak with the volunteers.

“Everyone has been delighted to see the monument restored,” Patsy said.

“We also had tourists from all over the world stopping to chat with us. They wanted to know the history of the monument and what we were doing. It really opened our eyes to how many people recognised it and were interested in its story.”

Patsy paid tribute to the late Peter Dolan, who died last year, and who played a key role in bringing the monument to Moate.

“Peter was part of the Moate Action Group and was one of a number of people who drove the project to have the monument erected. The Moate Community Development Association, which is now the Tuar Ard Arts Centre, was also heavily involved at the time.”

He spoke of how the sculpture celebrates Moate’s market town heritage.

“It represents the cattle markets that made Moate such an important trading town,” said Patsy, who added that preserving the monument was important because of its local significance.

“It’s an iconic part of Moate’s history and we didn’t want to see it disappear. We hope the work we’ve done will preserve it for many years and that future generations will continue to look after it.”

Beyond the physical restoration, Patsy said the project also highlighted the social value of the Men's Shed group.

“People often say men don’t talk face to face, they talk shoulder to shoulder. While we were working on the monument, there were some amazing conversations. That’s really what the Men’s Shed is all about,” he said.