Cub Scouts (Scouting Ireland)

Cub Scouts or Macaoimh (Irish pronunciation: [ˈmakiːvʲ]) is the name given to youth members Scouting Ireland and previously Scouting Ireland (CSI), of the Cub Scout age group. The terms Macaoimh and Cub are often co-existent though Macaoimh represents a different tradition. Both boys and girls participate in the Macaoimh programme though some Scout Groups accept boys only. Its membership is the largest of the four Scouting Ireland Sections^[1]. The Macaoimh programme is part of the worldwide Scouting movement and aims to promote character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness.^[2]

Methodology

Macaoimh are arranged into clans, each named for a character in Gaelic Mythology. A number of clans who meet together is called a Macaoimh "cath" (Irish for Tribe). Each clan has a rí (Irish for King) which is equivalent to a sixer or denner in Cub Scouts who adopts a position of responsibity for the clan. Each rí is assisted by an aire (Irish for Helper). Often an Árd Rí (Irish for High King) is appointed to supervise the operation of the clan system. The methodology is consistent with the Scout method as prescribed by the World Organization of the Scout Movement and is firmly in the tradition of Baden-Powell. The small groups have a clearly defined leadership system and the emphasis is certainly on learning by doing.

Personal Progression

The personal progressive scheme takes the form of badges which use a certain number of arrows to determine how far along in the programme the Macaoimh is. The three stages are bronze (one arrow), silver (two arrows) and gold (three arrows).

Leadership

Leaders also adopt a persona, eg Fionn, Niamh, Cúchulainn. The titles are similar to Akela and help to surround the youth members with the national folklore and an environment of role play that is unique to Scouting and to Scouting in Ireland in particular. Baden-Powell chose Kipling's Jungle Book as a source of symbolism and allegorical framework for the youngest members of the Scouting movement and Macaoimh follows in his footsteps by putting this educational tool into an Irish context.

References