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Hold on tight!

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Just when we all thought things were finally getting on an even keel.

REGULATOR REPORT

The Charities Regulator has today issued a report that, according to RTE News ‘uncovered numerous structure and governance failures in Scouting Ireland CLG and related charities’.

At the core of the report is the question of who owns key properties used by the membership. It would appear (reported in today’s ‘Irish Times’), according to a statement by Madeline Delaney, the CEO of the Charities Regulator, that there is a ‘lack of consensus’ around who owns what, with potential implications for Scouting Ireland CLG and Scout Groups using certain properties. It also appears that at least one entity that is a possible legal owner of Scouting Ireland properties is not on the Charities register and thus could be operating illegally, again with potentially significant implications.

This feels like vindication for two volunteer directors of Scouting Ireland CLG unceremoniously dumped by the previous board, with the fawning compliance of some members in a rather shameful act of acquiescence at an EGM in April 2024.

Don Reynolds, a corporate governance expert of a listed company and Jacques Kinane a consultant in a global consulting corporation both long-time members of Scouting Ireland, volunteered as directors of the Scouting Ireland CLG board. During their time on the board, they say they identified and highlighted various instances of concern related to governance. They were suspended and then removed when relationships between them and the rest of the board deteriorated. They argue they were not getting answers to key questions. The other board members contended in essence they were er, asking too many questions.

Interview: Don Reynolds & Jacques Kinane.

UNDER THE BUS?

An EGM of Scouting Ireland CLG was called and the majority of ‘shareholders’ present (the group representatives) voted to remove Messrs Reynolds and Kinane. Interesting to note that a fairly significant minority rejected the proposal, so it was far from a ringing endorsement. Attendance at the meeting was also low, reflecting the fairly high level of disengagement all the shenanigans and skullduggery of recent years has created.

Both Reynolds and Kinane were registered and recognised under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and the Protected Disclosures Amendment Act 2022 as whistleblowers at the time of their removal from office. Both made protected disclosures and were/are protected from removal from office or other intimidatory tactics by law. Presumably Scouting Ireland CLG has somehow managed to uniquely become exempt from whistleblower legislation.

KEYSTONE SCOUTS?

This latest Charity Regulators report seems to suggest that in recent years those appointed and elected to run the national organisation were at best out of the loop on key matters of governance – or at worst were either very badly briefed or simply did not understand how governance structures and associated regulation and legislation work. Or both.

Ms Delaney, quoted in ‘The Currency’, a long form Business & Political publication, said “The inspectors investigation showed that two parallel governance structures exist – only one of which is on the Register of Charities – for what is essentially the same organisation. There is a lack of transparency and accountability across a number of charities and related organisations (in Scouting Ireland) around ownership and control of charity assets that is concerning”

Ms  Delaney continued: “While I acknowledge that, according to the report, the charity trustees of Gasoga na hÈireann / Scouting Ireland CLG made some efforts in recent years to resolve matters and exercise control over its charitable assets, these efforts were not sufficient or persistent notwithstanding the challenges presented”

These remarks from the CEO of the Charity Regulator are surely a cause for concern. Public servants are not generally known for an inclination towards hyperbole.

This is all the more confusing given the seemingly endless procession of accountants, lawyers, consultants and PR types being paid fairly hefty amounts of member fees to ‘advise’ the board on how to run the company.

It all seems complex, yet in some ways it is quite simple. Why do all these legacy associations and entities still exist? Why was the former board so keen to get its hands on properties owned in trust (including scout dens of many groups). Why are relationships between the custodians of all these dormant entities and the board of Scouting Ireland Limited so poor? What is the situation now under the current board – an entirely new group of people?

The former board (many members of which were there for a full six year term or the major part thereof) would routinely dodge any probing questions on this and other matters of governance by simply saying “Its complex and you wouldn’t understand” or words to that effect. Of course, a time-honoured way to help stakeholders understand things is to er, explain it to them…

The bottom line from the Charity Regulators report is vintage QUANGO talk. ‘We have found some problems and now we think someone else should do something about it’.

It is not clear what happens next, however this is quite a serious matter.

BOARD AVERSE

A lot of members of Scouting Ireland have simply avoided seeking election to the board because the findings of the Charities Regulator this week have frankly been an open secret inside Scouting Ireland for some time. Who wants to risk their personal careers, reputation and credentials to join a board where one must sign documents promising not to ‘rock the boat’, hold staff accountable or express any views contrary to the majority (I am paraphrasing but read the application process for yourself and see what board members must sign up to – it is a brave person who would do so in my view).

Those board members who are now in situ joined after all this mess was created and it would be unreasonable to blame them for it. They do however have a golden opportunity to sort it out. Handled well, this becomes an incredible opening for brand repositioning.

WHAT TO DO?

An acknowledgement that there is a problem. A declaration of cooperation with the Charity Regulator to resolve the issues as quickly as possible. An external mediator if necessary to gather all warring factions (all these related Scouting entities) together and refocus on what is good for youth members (today’s and future members too), not what is good for the bottom line now – tempting though that might be for people running a company with financial challenges.

Don Reynolds and Jacques Kinane should be reinstated (if they agree) and should receive a formal apology. At the very least, it should be formally recognised that these people raised issues that are now proven to have at least some basis in fact. The problems did not manifest themselves overnight. Decision makers, both volunteer and professional must have known about them – and for some period of time too.

DOUBLE STANDARDS?

Let’s not forget we ruthlessly removed a Chief Scout, a decent and kind person, and destroyed his life-long scouting career because he had one ill-judged meeting that a formal report concluded did not even constitute a breach of his responsibilities. We also destroyed the scouting career of another very decent and energetic young man, again for a silly mistake and again one from which he was exonerated by a report commissioned by the organisation. We humiliated a doyen of World Scouting and we dumped a competent National Secretary – all on rather shaky legal ground and most certainly on shaky moral grounds.

The Lynch Report

Are we seriously going to brush a report from the Charity Regulator under the carpet and not ask some questions of those who made (or did not make) decisions that got us here? Some are the same people who rushed to judgement on Christy Mc Cann (the former Chief Scout) and his colleagues. One wonders if they would hold themselves to the same high standards?

Whatever happens, theirishscouters advice to the current board would be do not limit the resolution of this mess to just ‘doing things right’ from here on in. Also ‘do the right thing’. It has always been part of Scouting’s brand DNA. Scouts do the right thing. (Corporate types, as theirishscouter knows only too well need to ‘live the brand’, if it is to have credentials beyond the business).

AN OPPORTUNITY IN DISGUISE

This is a messy and embarrassing report for Scouting Ireland, coming on top of lots of other messy and embarrassing revelations over nearly eight grinding years at this stage. It may not be the last unpleasant set of revelations, but as an organisation we can at least try to reset the narrative and from now on be more open and more transparent in how we take the news and respond to it.

It genuinely does feel like SI finally has its first competent CEO in well over a decade. The board members in place now seem competent too, clear-minded and open to doing things right. There seems to be a new air of integrity and professionalism beginning to permeate. This is all great news.

A bad new story can be turned into a good one, if the right decisions are made now.

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/04/27/lack-of-consensus-around-who-owns-properties-used-by-scouts-charities-watchdog-says/

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2026/0427/1570478-scouting-ireland/

https://thecurrency.news

Scouting can be magic

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Okay, the recent weekend can hardly be described by anyone involved in Scouting as ‘magical’. But bear with me….

To quote the eminent scouter and lawyer Tom Clarke, there were no winners at the EGM. However to paraphrase the equally eminent scouter musician and business leader Pat Murphy, the members have made a decision and now the matter moves to the regulators investigating. In the meantime, most of us have actual Scouting work to do and its probably best if we can get on with it and try to remember as much as we can that we are all supposed to be on the same side….

In this vein, theirishscouter went into the vaults to resurrect an early article that felt like it might resonate with some members. It has been edited slightly to reflect the fact that it is now almost ten years old.

It references the work of the author JK Rowling, so if you’re not a fan this might be one to consider sitting out….

SCOUTING CAN BE MAGIC (first published in September 2014)

To those of us who are involved or have a history of involvement, Scouting can be enchanting.

Sometimes, the parallel with other types of magical activities can be striking….

Theirishscouter has been reacquainted with Harry Potter recently as the introduction to the joys of the Hogwarts Express, Professor Dumbledore et al has been effected to slightly bemused, albeit courteously attentive (most of the time), eight week old offspring.

In the midst of explaining the finer points of Diagon Alley and the vaults at Gringotts Bank to gurgling junior, the similarities between the fictional wizarding world of JK Rowling and the somewhat more real world of Scouting is once again starkly apparent.

Scouting, for those of us who are involved, is a sort of strange double life that we lead alongside our ‘normal’ existence, in much the same way as wizards and witches grapple with normality whenever they come into contact with the ‘muggle’ (non-magical) world.

PERCULIAR ATTIRE

We wear strange clothes. Yes, the uniform in current format is rather silly to some and regarded as haute couture by others, but we all wear a version of it. It makes us stand out in public. To get a sense of this, try wearing even a neckerchief on a tram or bus – try doing so in a café. You do get the occasional look – sometimes an admiring one, sometimes it is just a strange one.

The neckerchief, a piece of coloured material around our neck that might as well be a cloak, is distinctive and unique to our kind. Maybe ‘wand’ is a better comparison – all too often, a bunch of teens on a bus, in a cinema or on a forest trail draw negative vibes from the adult population in general. Upon sight of a neckerchief however, most skeptical looks melt into smiles – Reputational challenges of recent years aside, a group of scouts will still likely raise a fond reaction from the population at large and the neckerchief is by far the most recognisable indicator…

UNUSUAL PURSUITS

We do strange things. As a football enthusiast friend of theirishscouter once retorted to a comment on the futility of a bunch of scantily clad men chasing a piece of inflated pig skin around a field “sure ‘you lot’ climb all the way up a mountain, just to climb down the other side”. A point well made and the use of the term ‘you lot’ has echoes of Uncle Vernon.

We lie out in wet fields under a thin layer of material and light a fire to cook on, when there is a perfectly good bed (and stove) at home. We toil for months, years sometimes to gain proficiency in a subject that culminates in receipt of a piece of cloth to sew on to our uniform. The irish scouter once explained what was involved in earning the woodbadge, to a mildly bemused member of the Order of Malta. After the lengthy explanation, said companion summarized “and after all that, you get a string with a couple of pieces of wood on the end of it?” (worth it, in the irish scouters view of course…..)

UNCONVENTIONAL DESTINATIONS

We go to strange places. We travel by train, by boat, by coach, to remote locations where young people and adults alike have wonderful experiences and form firm friendships, and lifelong memories. The train leaves from platform 1 or 2, not 9 and a half, the coach is usually diesel powered, not drawn by a thestral, the boats don’t row themselves, but you get the idea….

DEDICATED EMPORIUMS

We have our own retail network. Yes, the Outdoor Adventure Store is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts of all types, but how many of these go ‘upstairs’ to the ‘Scout Shop’ (can non-scouting folk even see the staircase?). Was it merely a coincidence once upon a time during the days of the old CBSI ‘Scout Shop’ on Fownes Street in Temple Bar and the old SAI Supply Service on Leeson Street, that nobody outside Scouting circles ever seemed to know of or see these emporiums? Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley eat your heart out…..

OTHER QUESTIONS

Is the Phoenix sort of like Scouting’s equivalent of Quidditch?

Is the ‘Order of Cuchullain’ a bit like the ‘Order of the Phoenix’?

Are the four houses of Hogwarts equivalents of four different schools of thought on how Scouting should be run in Ireland?

Best to have less scouts but perfect and traditional in every way (in other words, no ‘mudbloods’) – all very Slytherin….

Challenge convention, push for change, courageous and loyal – sounds a bit like Gryffindor….

Champion kindness, focus on hard work, and be patient – It’s quite Hufflepuff…

Scouting has its fair share of ‘Ravenclaw’ types too (famed for intelligence, creativity, and wit)

Castle Saunderson could be Hogwarts, but so could Mount Mellary – sadly closed since the article was first written. (theirishscouter has a firm memory of being ‘up to no good’ late one night as a cub scout in the vast halls and corridors of Mount Mellary – alas without the benefit of a marauders map).

Larch hill could be Hogwarts too, surrounded by mysterious forests. Or Lough Dan on the edge of a deep, shimmering lake. Cut to one of the PL’s conjouring up a Patronus on the far side of Lough Dan, whilst wardens close in with sternly worded memo’s about being ‘out of bounds’.

Scouting also has it’s own hierarchy of personalities whom members tend to come into contact with over the course of the Scouting year…. Who is the Dumbledore equivalent in Scouting – towering integrity, kind and fair. Immensely powerful, but only using it for good. Not sure we have one of these anymore. Still, cometh the hour and all that….

Perhaps more entertainingly, who is the Minister of magic parallel – vain, self important, largely ineffective and reluctant to make courageous decisions, yet wielding power….

Contemplation of a village parallel for Lord Voldemort, the dark lord or ‘he who must not be named’ as the books description goes, might best be left to individual readers….

Like wizards, we in scouting squabble incessantly. The various schools of thought in the wizarding world are constantly at odds with each other and in some ways that is a good parallel with Scouting – we bicker amongst ourselves and expend vast amounts of energy that could frequently be channeled into things we in fact all agree on (we usually agree on 98% – we perhaps just have differing views on how to get there). Maybe that number is closer to 70% these days, but it is still high. Something to think about...

SECRET CODES

Scouting people are usually able to spot each other at 100 paces. We have unique methods with which to communicate with each other (a unique handshake, a secret sign, hundreds of emblems and logos and a whole vocabulary of terminology that would quickly highlight any impostor…)

Perhaps the strongest comparison between JK Rowling’s fictional world of Hogwarts and the world of Scouting however, is the endless pleasure and scope for personal growth and learning about themselves and others that Scouting delivers to young people.

Yes, the adults sometimes get carried away and some loose sight of the reason we are all supposed to be involved, but does that reduce the enjoyment of youth members – in most instances no – Scouting – in particular local Scouting works most of the time thanks to the Herculean efforts of heroic adults, some barely out of their teens, others well into their seventies and eighties and hundreds more in between. Sometimes, scouting also works in spite of adults.

Scouting can be magic and it is probably fair to say it enchants far more of us than it bewitches…

Lets hope we can find a way to keep it together.

Notes:

The eight week old baby referred to in this article is now a nine year old cub scout. He and his (Beaver Scout) sister are big fans of Harry Potter and are presently on Book 5. They are pretty big fans of Scouting too..