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sport · Saturday 22 August 2026 · Various 
Cairn Community Games National Track and Field Finals
At SETU Carlow · Kilkenny Road, Carlow, Co. Carlow
At SETU Carlow · Kilkenny Road, Carlow, Co. Carlow
SETU Carlow hosts the Cairn Community Games National Track & Field and Outdoor Team Finals on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August 2026, bringing young athletes from every county in Ireland to compete on the university’s running track and outdoor pitches. Community Games is Ireland’s largest grassroots youth sports organisation, and its national finals are the last stage of a pathway that starts at community level and runs through county and regional finals before qualifying athletes reach Carlow.
Competitors qualify for the national finals by finishing in the top three at their Regional Athletics Final, having first come through their local Community Games area and County Final. Events across the weekend cover the full range of juvenile track and field disciplines, from sprints and middle-distance running to jumps and throws, plus outdoor team events for county and area squads. Carlow has become a recurring home for these finals: the county secured a multi-year hosting agreement with Community Games that keeps several of the organisation’s national finals, including this one, based at SETU Carlow through to the end of 2028. The atmosphere is that of a genuine national championship for children and teenagers, with county colours, team tents and a full timetable of finals run back-to-back across both days.
SETU Carlow’s campus is on the Kilkenny Road on the south-western edge of Carlow town, a short drive from the N9/M9 and around a 15-minute walk from the town centre. The campus has its own car parking for spectators and competing teams.
Carlow town centre is close enough for a lunch break between events, and the River Barrow towpath makes for an easy walk if you need a break from the stands. There is more to see in Carlow and across Co. Carlow.
Heading to SETU Carlow in Carlow? Carlow has plenty more to see. Read the Carlow area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.