John Byrne reflects on 50 years of Community Games
IN 1967 the late Joe Connolly and a group of his neighbours came up with an idea that would occupy the time of the children in the Walkinstown area of Dublin during the Summer break. This was a time long before the establishment of Summer Camps by various National Governing Bodies of Sport or other groups. Community Games was born without much fanfare but in a short space of time it became a National Movement that had spread to the four corners of the Country. It wasn’t simply a sporting and cultural organisation. The founding members had an overriding aspiration of creating a better world for all of the children of the Nation.
For the past fifty years Community Games has been a rite of passage for hundreds of thousands of children. From Area to County to Province to National they have experienced the joy of participation and the exhilaration of finishing among the medals, regardless of the level at which this was achieved. Everywhere they meet grown men and women recount tales of their exploits in Community Games over the past half century with an affection unrivalled by any other organisation. The friendships and indeed rivalries made during their formative years have been maintained by many of them, years and sometimes decades after their participation. Community games has also been the launch pad for hugely successful sporting and artistic careers for a host of former participants, all of whom acknowledge where it all began for them.
However, none of this would have been possible without the selfless dedication of the thousands of volunteers who over the years have been the backbone of this organisation. They are the real heroes, the men and women who have inspired generations of Irish children to take part in Community Games and to give their all in honour of their Area and County. They are the people who have explained the intricacies of the various disciplines, the people who promoted a sense of achievement in all of the boys and girls taking part and instilled a sense of camaraderie and citizenship and community spirit in each child under their care. Others that volunteered in the background by lining pitches, refereeing games, driving the children to events or just simply supporting their Area played an equally important role in their development and to the success of Community Games over the past five decades.
As a County, Sligo Community Games has provided us with some of our most outstanding participants down through the years. Equally it is the County from where some of our most distinguished and high profile administrators have come from. All of these people have contributed significantly to the development of Community Games by sacrificing their free time in the promotion of Community Games and creating a better world for all of the children of Sligo and our Country.
It is only right then that as we reflect on fifty years of Community Games that we do so with a sense of pride and an appreciation of the huge benefits that Irish society as a whole has derived from this great organisation. I salute all of the people who have made a contribution to this success in whatever way. My wish is that whoever occupies this role when the Centenary of Community Games is celebrated will still be writing about a vibrant and strong organisation.