It\u2019s also reflected by research from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) which found that 20% of children report feeling lonely most of the time or always<\/a> in the past 12 months.<\/p>\n Isolation and loneliness are some of the biggest mental health issues facing young people in Ireland today, placing a growing importance on outlets that help them connect, grow and challenge themselves.<\/p>\n For almost 60 years, the Community Games has brought people of all ages together to take part in a variety of sports and cultural events. With an emphasis on friendship, teamwork, inclusivity and accessibility, the Games create a strong and vibrant community spirit.<\/p>\n Its strength is its ability to embrace all aspects of children\u2019s lives. Beyond physical sports, it includes cultural disciplines such as drama, singing, art, and comedy to ensure it reflects all the activities children enjoy.<\/p>\n Today, the Games see over 173,000 young people aged between 6 and 16 join in local, county, and national events. With more than 430 towns taking part, all of this is made possible with a dedicated network of more than 10,000 volunteers across Ireland. <\/p>\n The Games play a crucial role in the island\u2019s social fabric, creating a space for connection, community, and a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t just fun to take part in, it’s an important platform for tackling youth loneliness and disconnection. When young people participate, they connect, and the effects of being involved can last a lifetime. Such community infrastructure provides a platform for Ireland\u2019s young people to develop active, healthy lives in a safe environment, with benefits that go far beyond the physical.<\/p>\n The Community Games began in 1968, when a local organiser, Joseph Connolly, sought a way to run sporting events for children in the Dublin area. It quickly expanded to include Gaelic games, soccer, basketball, swimming, and chess to broaden participation, especially for those who weren\u2019t playing sports. <\/p>\n The first year saw over 620 children participating, and the following year, this jumped to 1,800. By 1973, it had 31 counties participating in the national finals, with over 2,000 qualifying from an estimated 500,000 participants at the community level. <\/p>\n By then, the games had expanded to include cultural activities such as art, dance, debating and model-making, ensuring that as many children as possible could showcase their talents.<\/p>\n Nowadays, Cairn Community Games serves as a beacon of light for children across Ireland. At a time when loneliness and disconnection are higher than ever, spaces where children can play, bond, and develop their confidence are needed more than ever.<\/p>\n Community is more important than ever, and each person taking part, whether it\u2019s a young person partaking in a discipline, a volunteer helping out, or friends and family coming out to support, helps develop and strengthen the social connections in their area. <\/p>\n It\u2019s an antidote to youth loneliness, giving children and teenagers the chance to grow, develop, and embrace their potential. <\/p>\n This is embodied in the Games\u2019 slogan, ‘We\u2019re All In\u2019, which shows that when young people take part, they have the space to grow and become the best version of themselves. <\/p>\n Dr Richard Hogan, family psychotherapist said that the “Cairn Community Games create an organic environment for children to interact with each other in a fun and engaging way. We need more initiatives like this so children have healthy and positive pathways to connect”.<\/p>\n Cairn has extensive experience building homes and communities and knows that communities are more than just people; they represent commitment, understanding, and connection. Whether it\u2019s good times or a hurdle to overcome, the games represent the best qualities of Ireland at all levels.<\/p>\n To find out more, visit https:\/\/www.cairncommunitygames.ie\/<\/a>. If you are affected by any of the issues raised here, visit https:\/\/about.rte.ie\/ie\/helplines\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Connection and socialisation are important in any young person’s life, yet today such outlets are more vital than…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":512321,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[61,60,80],"class_list":["post-512320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=512320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/512321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=512320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=512320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=512320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Boy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0024894e-614.jpg\"\/)
\nCommunity Games – 1971<\/p>\n