Cairn Community Games and Pitch and Putt Ireland announced a new two-year partnership on 25th March 2025 in Custume Pitch and Putt Club Ireland. This partnership marks a significant milestone for both parties as it allows a continued focus on creating opportunities and healthy lifestyles for young people throughout the country. ​

The MOU is effective immediately and is designed to forge new links allowing both Pitch & Putt Ireland and Cairn Community Games to thrive in the coming years. Together, they will be promoting Cairn Community Games Pitch & Putt events throughout the country as well as providing new and exciting opportunities for the training and development of volunteers interested in Pitch & Putt. In addition, both organisations will work together on community outreach initiatives to inspire and motivate the next generation in Ireland.

Speaking at the launch, David Hoysted, CEO of Cairn Community Games stated “We are pleased to announce our partnership with Pitch & Putt Ireland. This partnership allows us to increase our participation in Pitch & Putt while also providing further training opportunities to volunteers at local and national levels.’
​
Davy Reddin, President of Pitch and Putt Ireland commented “I am delighted with this new partnership which will allow more young children take part in Pitch and Putt throughout Ireland – putting an extra focus on this fun and accessible game. With over 100 courses nationwide there is plenty of opportunity to take part.” 

Gerry McGuinness added, “Cairn Community Games are excited to be working with Pitch & Putt Ireland in the promotion of Pitch & Putt. We believe that children throughout Ireland should have the opportunity to participate in many different activities, and this is a step forward in achieving our mission. We are looking forward to the opportunities that this partnership will provide to communities throughout Ireland.’’

​Cairn Community Games is delighted to announce taekwondo athlete Jack Woolley as its newest ambassador. Jack, a Tallaght native, first took part in Cairn Community Games when he was eight years old in various categories including art, model making, chess, draughts, projects and swimming winning a National silver medal in projects. He also volunteered at local, county and national level.
​
Diversity and inclusion are at the core of Cairn Community Games which offers a wide range of team and individual sporting, art and cultural activities, for young people to engage in. In 2025, the organisation is placing a special focus on Arts and Culture and encouraging young people to participate in non-sport categories such as dance, debating, drama, draughts, and much more.

​Jack Woolley has represented Ireland on the global stage in two summer Olympics, as well as at a high level in European Championships and at the World Grand Prix. He finished 11th overall after narrowly losing in his first match.

In keeping with this year’s Cairn Community Games focus on “Arts and Culture”, Jack’s most recent venture, has seen him successfully participate in RTÉ’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’. His diverse skillset of sporting and dancing talent makes him a perfect fit for Cairn Community Games which is committed to promoting arts, culture, and sports among young people across Ireland.
​
Cairn Community Games is celebrating an increase in participation in 2024, including a 5% increase in girls aged between 6 – 16 taking part. In addition to an increase in the number of girls joining Cairn Community Games, the number of entries rose across a range of categories last year. This milestone means it is on track to reach its target of increasing participation by 10% to 176,000 children and young people by 2028. 

​Jack Woolley, newly appointed Cairn Community Games Ambassador said: “I’m thrilled to be an Ambassador for Cairn Community Games this year. It’s a full-circle moment for me. I have great memories of participating in Community Games locally, and as a young person, it gave me the chance to build resilience, self-awareness, and decision-making skills. These are skills that are still vital for me today as I compete in high-level sports. It’s encouraging to see more kids getting involved in various categories in 2024, and I’m excited to help raise awareness and encourage even more participation in 2025. Having recently started ballroom dancing, I’ve developed a renewed love for the arts, and I’m excited to partner with Cairn Community Games to help make a positive impact in communities across Ireland.”
 
Gerry McGuinness, National President of Cairn Community Games said: “We are proud to mark an increase in participation across Cairn Community Games in 2024. We are particularly pleased that there has been a 5% increase in girls taking part– this is in line with our goal of engaging with a broader range of participants to encourage getting involved in the wide variety of sport, arts and cultural activities that Cairn Community Games has on offer.
 
“We’re also delighted to have two significant ambassadors in Saoirse Ronan and Jack Woolley. Their unique skillset and talents encompass everything that Cairn Community Games stands for and we look forward to working with them to promote the organisation over the coming months. We’d also like to thank our partner Cairn who have played an integral role in inspiring and engaging new participants over the last year.