Irish Scouting News

Aidan Smith ift.tt/Nx0aZ8D #ScoutsIE Theirishscouter first met Aidan Smith when the former was a cub scout in the old St Brigids Region of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland. Aidan made an instant first impression; gruff, but with a smile and always a twinkle in his …

Reputation Matters ift.tt/6y4OdnF #ScoutsIE A good reputation is far more valuable than money. Theirishscouter cannot have been the only person to have been dismayed by an article in the Irish Times over the summer, containing allegations by the legal representatives…

The Value Equation ift.tt/jmYiXF9 #ScoutsIE Theirishscouter is back at the desk with pen in hand after a period of interruptions linked to career, children, crossing continents and of course, COVID 19 played a bit of a role too. In the midst of all that however, the …

Putting Pen to Paper ift.tt/pqNBbm9 #ScoutsIE Following a somewhat lengthy break induced by (to varying extents) Career, Children and Covid, Theirishscouter intends to return to writing during September 2022.

The Power of feelings ift.tt/2WfBCxP #ScoutsIE What was that saying? “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”* Feelings.  We all navigate our way through life using feelings to guide us…

Brexit. Really? ift.tt/2NkbJbl #ScoutsIE It would be very tempting to compare the current predicament at Scouting Ireland to that of Brexit. As the political turbulence induced by a narrowly won vote, built upon untruths and hyperbole approaches some sort of conclusi…

No (due) process? bit.ly/2PYcI1R #ScoutsIE Over a year after voluntarily stepping aside from their key roles in Scouting Ireland, four senior volunteers remain in limbo. This despite a report commissioned to look into alleged wrongdoing on their part finding them wit…

A Tussle with Tusla ift.tt/2NGFCCv #ScoutsIE Scouting Ireland is not in a strong enough position to be picking a fight with a powerful government agency.  A letter from Tusla the Child and Family Agency, setting out concerns around the management of recent and curren…

The Lynch Report ift.tt/2NwrBaz #ScoutsIE The much awaited Lynch Report, a redacted version of which is now available under the Freedom of Information act seems to raise a lot more questions than it does answers.  The report focuses on a complaint made by one adult s…

Pauline Lucas Resigns bit.ly/2HXPMzl #ScoutsIE Scouting Ireland’s de-facto Head of Youth Programme has tendered her resignation, throwing national programme for 40,000 young people into uncertainty. Pauline Lucas, who has been at the forefront of driving youth pro…

A change of leadership bit.ly/2MxDI6u #ScoutsIE The resignation recently of Aisling Kelly from the board of Scouting Ireland after just three months in the role is a blow, but it need not be a catastrophic one. That Ms Kelly is stepping down for career reasons and du…

The Benefits of Free Speech ift.tt/2yJ2URc #ScoutsIE It seems a little strange to have to use such a title when writing about an association that operates in two liberal democracies, both (for now at least) in the European Union. But these are strange times in Scoutin…

Professionals Good, Volunteers Bad? ift.tt/2QmI9BY #ScoutsIE Are senior volunteers really entirely to blame for every ill affecting Scouting Ireland? Scouting Ireland’s woes continue apace, whilst Irish society looks on in as much disbelief as the members on the grou…

Woodstock Scout Jamboree 5000 young people from 22 countries are in Kilkenny to celebrate 70 years of scouting in Ireland. WATCH: @RTENews reports #OnThisDay 40 years ago bit.ly/2Meeolk

Structural Manœuvres in the Dark ift.tt/2tlfVxw #ScoutsIE The safeguarding controversy that has snowballed into a wider debate around quality of leadership and calibre of management in Scouting Ireland continues and shows little immediate sign… irishtimes.com/news/ireland/i…

Time for change ift.tt/2EKczHZ #ScoutsIE Another National Council looms and with it, another concerted effort to subvert the democratic process is underway. As usual, it is coordinated by the same group of self-appointees, who mask blatant self interest under the gui…

The Memory of Trees ift.tt/2EK8KUe #ScoutsIE Theirishscouter is once again putting pen to paper, after a near twelve-month, offspring driven hiatus that has seen the Flynn-Higgins clan gain a 33% increase in hugs. It was walking through woods near Enniskerry in Count…

Five killed during severe storms in Poland #get_site_url()/news/world/europe/five-killed-during-severe-storms-in-poland-1.3185023" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">irishtimes.com/news/world/eur…

Colin J Heas ift.tt/2sbStRL #ScoutsIE It is with great sadness that theirishscouter learned of the passing of Colin J Heas. Col…

Cork scouts honoured for saving grandmother from fire eveningecho.ie/cork-news/cork…