After over a decade in Vancouver, Canada, entrepreneur and DJ Shane Breen, 41, returned to his roots in Skibbereen last year and has since set up Ár n-Áit (Our Place), a shared artisan workspace built around the concept of community, creativity, and collaboration. Inspired by Shane’s time in Vancouver where he rented a shared music studio, Ár n-Áit will provide a platform for West Cork artists to experiment and create without huge financial burden. But it’s not just a space for artists. A La Marzocco coffee machine, always on, sits in a corner at the front. Come just for the coffee and to enjoy the space or to create. Shane chats about his ambitions for the space with Mary O’Brien, explaining that “It’s about giving people the room to explore their craft without fear of failure.”
“A bit like WeWork meets artisan craft — a socially responsible yet financially reckless experiment in an old abattoir,” he adds.
As a returning emigrant, starting a business hasn’t been an easy road to navigate.
“If policymakers are serious about addressing the so called ‘brain drain’ and welcoming emigrants back, I can tell you firsthand that the narrative they’re pushing is more politically performative than practical,” he shares.
“The pathway that they’ve built for emigrants to bring their international work experience and ideas home is less a road and more a pothole.”
“Car insurance was a nightmare. Grant aid? Forget it – I didn’t qualify because you can’t possibly tick the rigid bureaucratic boxes without physically being here for those years that you were away.”
Coming home was a decision Shane made in 2020, when the pandemic caused him to reframe his priorities.
“It forced me to think about what really matters — family, home, and the connections you take for granted until they’re suddenly out of reach.”
Despite the challenges he faced after making that move last year, Shane, delighting in the positive energy he found in Skibbereen on his return, is determined to add something new and dynamic to his local community.
Tucked away at the end of an alleyway strung with lights in an old character-filled building that once housed a slaughter house, Ár n-Áit interweaves the history of West Cork with the spirit of cities like Brooklyn or Berlin.
Up front is the cafe and art gallery. Out back is a flexible artisan workshop that can be used for anything from flower arranging workshops to hosting a tattoo artist.
By day the space is a welcoming hub for coffee and conversation. Come evening and it transforms into a venue for workshops, gigs, and community events. There’s also a small retail shelf in the café, where local artists can showcase and sell their work on a rotating basis.
Inside has been sympathetically restored, keeping many of the building’s original features like steel beams and iron rungs. Beautiful old slate uncovered when knocking through a wall has been repurposed in the floor, weaving a pathway through reclaimed wood.
Shane’s beloved Technics 1210 turntables, purchased when he was 16, and waiting almost three decades for their moment to shine, are at the heart of the space, embedded in a concrete countertop. The walls are filled with his impressive vinyl collection.
The majority of the materials used in the renovation were salvaged, each with their own story to tell. Nothing is shiny or new here…the rough edges and unpolished finishes contribute to the character of Ár n-Áit: It’s a space that invites relaxation but also one that pulses with an energy encouraging expression, sparking creativity.
Thick walls, high ceilings and high end speakers are a recipe for incredible acoustics in this intimate space. A Crumar stage piano, acoustic and electric guitars, and a five-string fretless bass call out to be played.
The plan, Shane explains, is to hold weekly events…open music sessions, jazz jams, gigs, and workshops. Originality lies at the core. “While there’s no hard rule against covers, we wanted to carve out a space where originality in music comes first — a place that didn’t exist in Skibbereen before,” shares Shane passionately.
Artists won’t have to pay to exhibit and there will be no steep commissions.
There are a number of pop-ups already in the pipeline, including a tattoo workshop and market food event and Shane is excited to be collaborating with people like Andrew Desmond on men’s mental health workshops and Cork DJ Stevie G, who’s working with children from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
Other events Shane is working on include youth music production sessions, an outdoor block party with DJs and live acts, rotating art exhibits, Tiny Desk-style original music productions, a film club and board games club.
While still fine-tuning the business, Shane’s vision is grounded in past experience.
“For four hours a week, I had access to a professional studio in one of Canada’s most affordable but underprivileged areas,” he shares. “The owner, Dan, had a vision that left a huge impression on me. He’s since scaled that membership-based model across Canada and is now opening a studio in Berlin.”
“That experience stuck with me. Much like how WeWork isn’t just about desk space, Dan’s studio wasn’t just about recording – it built a community around collaboration, and sparked creativity. It was the kind of synergy you couldn’t achieve by battling an angry neighbour over volume at home. That time in the studio even led to my first commercial music release.”
The focus of Ár n-Áit is on grassroots creators: the artist preparing for their first exhibition or the musician ready to perform original material for the first time.
Shane’s meeting with two young local musicians, Muirios McAllen and Rowan Lawlor, reinforced this ambition. After inviting them to play at Ár n-Áit, he was blown away by their talent.
“Their songwriting was on another level — better than most of the local music I’d seen even in Vancouver. That moment cemented the mission for me: these artists just needed a space and a platform, and they could achieve anything.
“In Ireland, we often only celebrate our artists after they’ve gained recognition abroad — or after they’re gone. It’s a frustrating pattern. Ireland may be small, but its global cultural impact is massive. The talent is already here; we just need to nurture it before it leaves, geographically or spiritually.”
The heart of Ár n-Áit is about filling gaps — creating a space for interests and creative pursuits that don’t have a home elsewhere in Skibbereen.
“The town already has a fantastic community resource centre and an excellent art centre,” says Shane, “but not every artist or community group fits neatly into those offerings.
“Whether it’s a jeweller moving from a home workshop to an eCommerce store or a musician gaining the confidence to tour, we want to be that first step,” explains Shane. “And once they’ve found their footing, we hope they’ll pay it forward by helping others coming up behind them.”
From the start Ár n-Áit has been a collective effort: Shane’s friend Kieran is the master craftsman behind all the beautiful work in the space; photographer Jamie Levanna has been involved in its shaping right from the beginning; Evan O’Mahony is the young standout barista. Countless others have given a hand or lent advice along the way.
There is also a sense of camaraderie between businesses.
“Between Brew and O’Neills on the cafe side and Redstrand, West Cork Coffee and Stone Valley on the roasting side, we have a craft coffee scene that could hold its own in any city and there’s a real sense of collaboration over competition,” says Shane.
“It’s not just a project — it’s a community, and I’m grateful every day for the people who’ve made it what it is,” says Shane.
His dream with Ár n-Áit is to create a ripple effect: one person’s success inspiring another’s.
It’s a place where tomorrow might just become today’s dream.
Ár n-Áit is located in the centre of Skibbereen on Levis Quay, P81 ED83. Instagram @ ar_n_ait
