Theirishscouter stood beside a roaring fire in the living room of a 17th century cottage deep in the Wicklow Mountains a few weeks ago. Outside, the rain was coming down in vast sheets, blown across the valley by an icy wind. The valley itself was in almost complete darkness, save for a few isolated yellow dots, where other dwellings clung to the mountainside, between the trees and dry stonewalls.
Scouting is one hundred and nine years old. For much of that time, the core tenets of the movement have remained the same, as have the core activities of the young people involved.
Ollie Kehoe is the newly appointed Interim National Secretary, having taken office in October, succeeding Jimmy Cunningham.
In an increasingly homogenized world, where cityscapes in particular all look, (barring a few unique buildings), largely identical, there is a feature of life in an Irish city that can place the visitor definitively.
The National Management Committee of Scouting Ireland recently signaled a decision to introduce three new positions at senior level in the association, designed to alleviate pressure on a role occupied by an elected volunteer.
This is a positive step.
The newspapers in Ireland have been full in recent weeks of revelations of ‘Chief Executives’ and other senior figures in previously well-regarded charities, now facing allegations and probes that focus on potential misuse of position and of charitable funds.
Theirishscouter wishes everyone a great start to the Scouting year. Following an August break, our next article will be published later this week. Continue reading New Scout Year
In a country where alcohol is deeply ingrained into society and consumption levels are among the highest per capita in the world, how does a youth organization manage the complex relationship with and negotiate the considerable grey areas around alcohol and Scouting?
Voters across the United Kingdom will go to the polls tomorrow to cast a ballot in the referendum that will decide the future involvement of our nearest neighbour in the European Union.
Scouting Ireland has recently seen the occupant of the National Secretary role relinquish his position, citing an unsustainable workload. The candidate, one of the most able and energetic to occupy the role either in Scouting Ireland or either legacy association, did not take the decision lightly.
Scouting Ireland need to echo that sentiment when seeking a replacement candidate.
