The Cairn community games have kicked off this morning at SETU Carlow, with children aged 8 to 16 competing in a wide range of athletics events, along with team-based sports like soccer, football, and tag rugby.
Families from all 26 counties of Ireland have descended upon Carlow for the occasion, filling the town with energy and excitement, with local athletes enjoying early success in their athletics heats.
Speaking to KCLR News, Mayor of Carlow Town Paul Doogue says that the event is a massive boost for the Town.
“Probably over the two weekends, the second weekend being the 5th and the 6th of September, we’ll have in the region of 15-20,000 people in attendance, every hotel or bed and breakfast will be packed to capacity, so economically, I suppose its hard to put a figure on it, but minimum of 1.5 to 2 million for the local economy, so I think that’s huge for a small town, the second smallest town in the country.”
