About Women's Sheds in Ireland

Who We Are

Women’s Sheds of Ireland (WSOI) is the national representative organisation supporting, connecting and advocating for Women’s Sheds across Ireland.

Women’s Sheds are independent, community-led spaces where women come together for friendship, connection, learning, wellbeing and mutual support. Each shed is unique, shaped by the women who are part of it and the community in which it operates.

Women’s Sheds of Ireland exists to support the wider movement behind those individual sheds.

Our role is not to run local Women’s Sheds, but to help strengthen the movement nationally — connecting sheds with one another, supporting their development, increasing awareness of their value and ensuring the voices and needs of Women’s Sheds are represented where decisions are being made.

Our Story

Women’s Sheds have been growing organically in communities across Ireland for many years, creating welcoming spaces where women can connect, build friendships, share skills and become more involved in their communities.

As the movement grew, so too did the need for a strong national structure that could bring sheds together and provide them with a collective voice.

Women’s Sheds of Ireland emerged from that need.

Following extensive engagement with Women’s Sheds, community organisations, Government departments and other stakeholders, work began to establish a sustainable national organisation dedicated to representing and supporting the movement.

A significant milestone was reached in March 2026 with the national launch of Women’s Sheds of Ireland in Tullamore, bringing women from sheds across the country together and marking an important new chapter for the movement.

Since then, WSOI has continued to build the foundations needed for a strong national organisation — developing governance structures, engaging with Government and national agencies, building a national database of Women’s Sheds, supporting research, advocating around the needs of sheds and working towards dedicated development support for the movement.

We are still growing and developing, just as the Women’s Shed movement itself continues to grow.

Our ambition is simple: to build an organisation that listens to Women’s Sheds and works alongside them to create a stronger and more sustainable future.

Our Mission

To support, connect and represent Women’s Sheds across Ireland, strengthening a national movement that enables women to build friendships, improve wellbeing, share skills and participate fully in their communities while having access to a safe, inclusive space where she can belong, grow and thrive.

We work to ensure that Women’s Sheds have a strong collective voice and access to the information, connections, opportunities and supports they need to thrive.

Our Vision

An Ireland where every woman who wishes to connect with a Women’s Shed has the opportunity to do so, and where every Women’s Shed is valued, supported and recognised for the contribution it makes to women and their communities.

We envision a strong, connected and sustainable national Women’s Shed movement in which local sheds retain their unique community identity while benefiting from the strength of a national network.

Our Values

Women-Led

Women’s Sheds are created by women, shaped by women and responsive to the needs of women in their own communities. The voices and experiences of women within sheds are at the heart of our work.

Connection

We believe in the power of connection. Bringing women together can reduce isolation, create friendships, strengthen confidence and build stronger communities.

Inclusion

We believe Women’s Sheds should be welcoming community spaces where women from different backgrounds, experiences and stages of life can feel a sense of belonging.

Respect

We value the independence and individuality of every Women’s Shed. No two sheds are the same, and that diversity is one of the strengths of the movement.

Collaboration

We believe lasting change happens through working together. We seek to build positive relationships between sheds, communities, Government, agencies, researchers and organisations that share our commitment to supporting women.

Empowerment

Women’s Sheds create opportunities for women to share knowledge, develop skills, build confidence, take on leadership roles and recognise the contribution they can make within their communities.

Our Role

Women’s Sheds of Ireland provides a national voice for a movement that is fundamentally local and community-led.

Individual Women’s Sheds remain independent and are shaped by their own members and communities.

At national level, WSOI works to:

• represent the collective interests and experiences of Women’s Sheds;

• engage with Government departments, agencies and other national stakeholders;

• connect Women’s Sheds and encourage collaboration and shared learning;

• support both established and emerging sheds with information and guidance;

• identify and advocate around the challenges facing Women’s Sheds;

• increase recognition of the social, community and wellbeing impact of the movement;

• encourage research that helps demonstrate the impact and needs of Women’s Sheds;

• share relevant funding, training and development opportunities; and

• build the structures and partnerships needed for a sustainable national Women’s Shed movement.

We do not seek to make every Women’s Shed the same.

Our role is to support the diversity and independence that make Women’s Sheds special, while creating a stronger collective voice nationally.

Built With Sheds, For Sheds

Women’s Sheds of Ireland is continuing to evolve.

As we build the national organisation, one principle remains central:

the voices of Women’s Sheds must shape the future of Women’s Sheds.

We are committed to listening, learning and developing alongside the women and sheds we represent.

Whether your shed has been established for many years, has only recently opened its doors, or you are a group of women thinking about starting one in your community, we want you to be part of that journey.

Together, we can build a strong, connected and sustainable future for Women’s Sheds across Ireland.