Our Circular Champion
Kevin McGuire is our Repair and Reuse Champion and Circular Artist.
Kevin’s inventive and creative use of recycled materials has been the gift that keeps on giving, not just for us but for the local Men’s Shed, the St Joseph’s CE Scheme and many other local groups and charities.
Kevin’s skills with wood and metal have resulted in sculpture and art that now adorns many local homes and businesses.
Kevin has sold his artistic inventions, hewn from recycled wood and metal, at the local farmers market and Christmas Fair, where they are sought after as unique and original gifts. This show of recycled creations demonstrates to the public, the possibilities of recycling.
Kevin is excellent at sourcing material that would otherwise be sent to landfill, such as high quality solid oak used by local industry for packaging heavy but fragile tiles, glass and marble, but he is just as adept at recycling pallets and construction waste.
He recently made a number of bee posts for nesting bees from this oak for a fraction of the cost of buying same as well as panelling a room in a community building.
He has taken construction waste from the council refurbishment of the town square and fashioned it into a garden sculpture.
He has re-used scrap metal for sculpture, art and kitchen furnishings and most recently reconstructed an original railway gate and fitted it to piers (also original) at a local community garden, for everyone to admire and enjoy.
At Monaghan Tidy Towns annual awards night we were able to present the winner of each category with unique trophies, each an individual work of art, made from pieces of metal such as discarded screws, nails, bicycle chains illustrating shop fronts, gardens, volunteers and businesses.
Kevin worked with our local Migrant Support Group to design and build from recycled wood, a forest school at a local primary school, complete with an outdoor theatre and classroom, mud kitchen and ziplines.
Kevin’s latest project is a community café for young people in the town. Noticing that most coffee shops in the town close at 4pm leaving little choice for customers and particularly young people, other than pubs, Kevin is taking a vacant and derelict former “Singer” sewing machine shop, abandoned in the early 70’s. He is stripping the building ground floor back to the original brick walls and adding recycled oak and metal to develop the space into an attractive and welcoming space. The old sewing machines found in the shop are being repurposed and displayed.
Kevin McGuires clear enthusiasm for recycling, reusing and repurposing all manner of materials is an inspiration and is something Kevin is happy to share with others.
Kevin was involved in the development of our Circular Economy Plan in 2024 encouraging us all to step up in our circular actions.
Kevin’s inventive and creative use of recycled materials has been the gift that keeps on giving, not just for us but for the local Men’s Shed, the St Joseph’s CE Scheme and many other local groups and charities.
Kevin’s skills with wood and metal have resulted in sculpture and art that now adorns many local homes and businesses.
Kevin has sold his artistic inventions, hewn from recycled wood and metal, at the local farmers market and Christmas Fair, where they are sought after as unique and original gifts. This show of recycled creations demonstrates to the public, the possibilities of recycling.
Kevin is excellent at sourcing material that would otherwise be sent to landfill, such as high quality solid oak used by local industry for packaging heavy but fragile tiles, glass and marble, but he is just as adept at recycling pallets and construction waste.
He recently made a number of bee posts for nesting bees from this oak for a fraction of the cost of buying same as well as panelling a room in a community building.
He has taken construction waste from the council refurbishment of the town square and fashioned it into a garden sculpture.
He has re-used scrap metal for sculpture, art and kitchen furnishings and most recently reconstructed an original railway gate and fitted it to piers (also original) at a local community garden, for everyone to admire and enjoy.
At Monaghan Tidy Towns annual awards night we were able to present the winner of each category with unique trophies, each an individual work of art, made from pieces of metal such as discarded screws, nails, bicycle chains illustrating shop fronts, gardens, volunteers and businesses.
Kevin worked with our local Migrant Support Group to design and build from recycled wood, a forest school at a local primary school, complete with an outdoor theatre and classroom, mud kitchen and ziplines.
Kevin’s latest project is a community café for young people in the town. Noticing that most coffee shops in the town close at 4pm leaving little choice for customers and particularly young people, other than pubs, Kevin is taking a vacant and derelict former “Singer” sewing machine shop, abandoned in the early 70’s. He is stripping the building ground floor back to the original brick walls and adding recycled oak and metal to develop the space into an attractive and welcoming space. The old sewing machines found in the shop are being repurposed and displayed.
Kevin McGuires clear enthusiasm for recycling, reusing and repurposing all manner of materials is an inspiration and is something Kevin is happy to share with others.
Kevin was involved in the development of our Circular Economy Plan in 2024 encouraging us all to step up in our circular actions.
A Circular Gallery (Click on the image to view full photo...
Our unique prizes for winners of our annual awards in 2023 were made from recycled metals while in 2024 they were made of repurosed wood.
Summer seats made with the Men's Shed, an insect trap door and sign for the community garden, the stage of the outdoor theatre at Scoil Mhuire.
Below - a range of items made for the Farmers Market and Christmas Market.
Below - a range of items made for the Farmers Market and Christmas Market.
