Joy and tears - but everyone a winner

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS: The Community Games may have moved, but this weekend proved that some things haven't changed

AFTER THIRTY-five years in Mosney, Co Meath, the HSE Community Games have arrived in Athlone Institute of Technology. But while the venue may have changed, some things about the games remain the same. Now in the 41st year, it remains a constant in Irish life, through good times and bad, and for the lucky ones an appearance at a national final will be the highlight of the long summer holidays.

Saturday morning’s slate grey skies were at odds with the riot of colour and purposeful endeavour as the second weekend of the national finals got underway. The event has become so big that it is now hosted over three weekends, with the first – in May – devoted largely to arts, music and board games. This weekend it was time for team sports in particular, as well as swimming and gymnastics. Next weekend will be athletics and the remaining team sports: tag and mini rugby, hurling, hockey, camogie and basketball.

For those competing in more popular sports such as soccer and Gaelic football, getting to the national finals is an achievement in itself. It took the Limerick Regional under-10 soccer team seven games to get there – five in their native county, two to win Munster. Their reward was a national semi-final against the Creggan team from Derry, which they lost, 6-0. “They are a brilliant team and brilliant players all of them,” said 11-year-old captain Clyde O’Connell. “They are in the Derry City academy. They don’t even play anything else, like us. We play hurling and Gaelic football too. They only play soccer.” Their coach Eamonn O’Connell said getting to the national finals was enough. “It was an achievement for us to get out of Munster. That was our goal. All this is a bonus. They can enjoy themselves now.”

On the Gaelic pitch, teams from Kerry and Tyrone contested the under-10 semi-final. Listowel beat a team from Termonmaguirk 1-4 to 1-1 to reach the national final. The Listowel entourage invaded the pitch at the final whistle with scenes that would do justice to a senior All-Ireland. Even at a young age, the heightened sense of expectation that comes with any Kerry team playing at the highest level prevailed. “They’ve won nathin’ yet,” cautioned one supporter.

The other semi-final was contested by teams from Carlow and Leitrim, counties unfamiliar with national success at any level.

“We beat the All-Ireland champions Naas on our way here and they won the Leinster seven years in a row,” said Michael Nevin, a manager whose team is from Bagenalstown. “Carlow teams don’t win much at senior level, so to get this far is a great achievement.”

Having beaten the Leitrim team by six points in the semi-final, Carlow went on to a victory yesterday over the Kerry team by 2-3 to 1-4 with a goal in injury time from full-forward Cian Doyle, which provoked scenes of unbridled joy. “They won’t realise what they did until a few years down the line. It is the first a Carlow team has ever won an All-Ireland final in football at any level,” said Nevin. However, joy for Leitrim came with victory for the under-12 girls’ team from Ballinamore.

In a concrete area no bigger than a few car-parking spaces, a less familiar game was underway. The Cavan team edged out Limerick in a nail-biting mixed skittles semi-final. Irish skittles involves chucking a piece of wood that looks like a cylindrical fire log, known as a thrower, at a circle of numbered skittles resembling small bell-holders, called standers.

It’s only the second year that skittles has been introduced to the Community Games, and 12 counties took part in this year’s competition. Skittles national coordinator Tom Brady said involvement in the Community Games will help the profile of a sport that has been around for hundreds of years, but remains largely unknown, despite having been brought into Ireland in the early 19th century. “We’re grateful for the support of the Community Games. We’re delighted with the progress we have made. It is a very easy game to play and to organise. It has been used a lot recently to fundraise for charities.”

Over at the Regional Sports Centre, a packed gallery watched the swimming finals. With one swimmer from each county contesting the various finals, the competition just to get to the national finals was fierce. Though the Community Games emphasises an ethos of participation, with a network of county competitions in every part of the company, it has played a significant role in honing the competitive skills of some of Ireland’s best athletes.

Just two years ago, Wexford-born Gráinne Murphy was a Community Games winner. This year, the 16-year-old won three gold medals and a bronze at the European Junior Championships in Prague. “Training and more training, discipline and hunger is how you do it,” said Mary Phelan, from the Limerick Community Games swimming team.

Mornings spent in his local pool in Ennis paid off for 15-year-old Bernard Cahill who won the Boys under-16 50m freestyle in an impressive time of 25.2 seconds. Bernard trains from 6.30am to 8am all year round and is also a national champion at surf lifesaving – a growing sport that combines surfing and swimming.

“I’m absolutely over the moon. I trained hard, but the competition is very good from all over the country. You don’t know what you are up against until you get into the pool,” he said.

While some competitors said they missed the intimacy of Mosney, they were more than pleased with the facilities at Athlone IT, which is perfectly suited to an event this big.

The Community Games national finals are the showcase, but the 9,000 competitors at national level are only the vanguard for a grassroots movement that has never diminished in popularity.

“Its hold is as strong as ever,” said Community Games chief executive Fiachra Ó Mathúna. “Once children are exposed to enjoyable activity and a friendly environment where they get to meet other children, they love it and stay with it.”