Birr Men Together has become a very positive part of Birr's

Birr Men Together has blossomed into something very positive in a short space of time. It's providing a wonderful opportunity for men to come together, meet new people, make friends, have a chat, enjoy activities and trips together. Community, they believe, is all about bringing people together, making connections and ensuring that nobody feels alone. The film is very well made and features a number of personal reflections from members of the group. 'You need to be talking, you need to be mixing,' says Jimmy Shortt, Secretary of Birr Men Together. 'No man is an island. Isolation is an awful thing and it makes such a difference for people to have something like this.' Speaker after speaker touch on this theme, the need to have somewhere where you can have a chat and a cup of tea, where you can mingle, talk and listen, 'far away,' as one member says, 'from the corporate world mentality'. Another said the camaraderie is very important to him and a sense of creating friendships. It's obvious that the group's meetings in the Presbytery are a safe place (emotionally speaking) for the members where they can be themselves and engage in essential social interaction. The film takes place in the Presbytery and in Carrigeen Farmhouse in Five Alley and features a mixture of songs, poems and music. 'At our first meeting we had five members,' says Cyril Stanley. 'Now we have 21. I love people and it's very important for me that I get out there and interact with them.'