Athlone bids fond farewell to Community Games for another year

The final weekend of the HSE Community Games National Finals in Athlone came to a close on Sunday as three weekends of sporting and cultural activities were reflected upon with excitement and delight. Weather conditions were mixed for the vast number of children participating in the track and field events. However, the atmosphere was electric and competitors were determined to give of their best and there is a future Olympian among them. In Mosney, athletes ran on grass, this year they were treated to an Olympic Standard tartan track. Speaking at the National Finals closing ceremony, Micheal Curley, President, HSE Community Games said: "It's been a brilliant weekend, great excitement, fun, and full of activity. The success of the weekend can be attributed to so many people, including the many volunteers who have worked tirelessly throughout the year. We are deeply indebted to our sponsors the HSE for their continued support and loyalty. We are delighted with the success of the event over the three weekends and the transition from Mosney to AIT, Athlone. I thank AIT Athlone for their support and dedication and we look forward to the future working together and advancing the games to a new level." "The HSE sponsorship of the Community Games has been a great success. It gives families the opportunity to learn about how to have healthy lifestyles through diet and exercise," said Catherine Murphy, Assistant National Director of Population Health, HSE. "We have health promotion staff at the National Finals providing parents with practical tips on how to make meals that are healthy and nutritious but also tasty. Our 'Little Steps' programme is a great resource for families who are conscious about choosing healthier options. The HSE Community Games shows that children and their families can participate with their local communities, have fun as well as living healthy lives." "It is wonderful to have completed another successful weekend of sporting activities" said Fiachra O Mathuna, CEO HSE Community Games. "We can only build on this success, with the help of our sponsors the HSE and the people involved at AIT Athlone." There were many success stories over the weekend and the delight on the faces of the competitors told its own story. One of those success stories was the Blarney U/13 Basketball team, Co. Cork who won a gold medal defeating Malahide, Co. Dublin. In 1981 in Mosney, Blarney U/16 Basketball team won gold and on that team were Annette Linehan, Maeve Hackett and Ann Humphreys. Coincidentally on the present team are Annette's daughter, Hayley, Maeve's daughter Kelly and Ann's daughter Meabh. It is also worth noting that Annette is now the team coach and Meabh is the team manager. Caoimhin Kelly from Donagh, Co. Monaghan was the winner of the boy's Marathon, his second success in as many years. This was a great achievement for Caoimhin who is just 15 years old. He and his team mates also took gold in the team competition. Half a million young people across Ireland took part in the HSE Community Games this year and over 9000 young people participated in the three weekends of the National Finals to become local heroes in a diverse range of activities including football, hurling, tag rugby, model making, basketball, athletics to name but a few.