(Photo caption: The Under-13 indoor soccer team who won the Connacht final).
Taughmaconnell has a long-standing tradition of participating in the Community Games, with records showing the local branch in operation since at least 1978.
The 2026 events began in March with an Art and Model Making competition. A total of 42 children aged between five and thirteen took part. First and second place winners in each category have now qualified for the County Art competition, which will take place in June.
This was followed by Track and Field Day, which saw almost 80 children participating. It was a fantastic day, with events catering for U8 through to U16 age groups. Children who qualified for County Track events will compete in Ballyleague on May 30, while those in field events will compete at County level on June 5.
Taughmaconnell has also been particularly successful in indoor soccer. The U10 Boys team and U13 Girls team both won County finals and progressed to the Connaught Finals. The U10 Boys won their semi-final but were narrowly defeated in the final, while the U13 Girls won both their semi-final and final. At the time of going to press, they were preparing for the national final in Longford. Taughmaconnell participants have also been active in other disciplines. Children competed in the County Gymnastics event in Athlone recently, and the area had strong representation at the County Swimming competition, including individual swimmers and a girls’ relay team. Two quiz teams also entered the County Quiz, with one team achieving an excellent 5th place finish. Children also competed in the County Talent Competition in both Solo Music and Solo Singing categories. Community Games truly offers something for everyone, and the organisers hope to expand the programme in 2027 to include handwriting and possibly chess.
None of this would be possible without the dedication of volunteers. The committee are always looking for new volunteers, who must be Garda vetted. If you live in Taughmaconnell and would like to get involved, please contact taughmaconnell@communitygames.eu.
(The two teams from Taughmaconnell who competed in the County Quiz final.)
(The girls’ swimming relay team who competed in the County final for Taughmaconnell.)
