An art installation showing why Cairn Community Games are beloved
Young people and adults came together to create a colourful art installation representing connection and community in Seven Mills, Dublin
The installation, created at Seven Mills in Cappagh, Co. Dublin, was part of the Cairn Community Games. It was done in collaboration with artist and designer Hixxy, known for her large, playful tutti-frutti designs evoking playfulness and understanding.
The art installation was led by the Cairn Community Games, which aimed to highlight the many ways communities and young people can connect through community-led initiatives.
Her workshop saw kids creating interesting shapes from the sports and activities, before bringing them together to create characters. The mural shows the fusion of play and creativity that young people bring with them to all activities.
The Cairn Community Games play a major role in fostering a sense of belonging among young people through the many events it organises throughout the year.
With more than one in five young people in Ireland experiencing loneliness, there's a growing importance for organisations like the Community Games to provide a place where young people can challenge themselves and devote themselves to a particular discipline.
Since Cairn became the Community Games title sponsor in January 2024, it has helped increase the number of young people participating in the Games by 13,000, including 5,000 girls, alongside an 11% uplift in arts and culture engagement.
In 2025 alone, 173,000 young people across 430 towns took part, supported by a network of over 10,000 volunteers.
Now in its third year supporting the Games, Cairn is evolving it from a place of participation to one that helps address disconnection and isolation, issues that more young people are facing nowadays.
The mural is one example of the range of support and commitment shown by young and old alike, highlighting how beloved the Cairn Community Games are in Ireland six decades on.
The mural taps into young people’s creativity and collaboration, showing that the Games slogan 'We’re All In’ goes beyond participation and shows that connection, wellbeing, and belonging are essential to all communities.
Having a history of building homes and communities, Cairn knows that communities are more than just people with homes and neighbourhoods bringing connection, commitment, and understanding. The Cairn Community Games provides social infrastructure, which helps young people connect and promote wellbeing.
To find out more, visit https://www.cairncommunitygames.ie/. If you are affected by any of the issues raised here, visit https://about.rte.ie/ie/helplines/
