Scouting Ireland S.A.I.

Scouting Ireland SAI
Headquarters Lough Dan
Country Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland
Founded 1908
Defunct 2004
Affiliation World Organization of the Scout Movement

Scouting Ireland SAI was a multi-denominational Scout association operating in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Formed in 1908, the association operated for ninety-six years before merging with the former Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland in 2004 to form Scouting Ireland.

History

The emblem of the SAI

Scouting Ireland (SAI) traces its origins back to the foundation of Scouting in Ireland. Scout groups were initially established in Dublin, coming together to form the Dublin City and County Boy Scouts. Simultaneously, the County Wicklow Scout Association and the Port of Dublin Sea Scout Association established themselves in and around the capital. As Ireland remained part of the British Empire, the governance of Scouting in Ireland was headed in an official capacity by The Scout Association and its Chief Scout, Robert Baden-Powell

In 1921, the signing of the [Anglo-Irish Treaty] established the Irish Free State. At this time, the name of Irish Free State Scout Council was adpoted, as the association expanded its reach outside of the greater Dublin area, becoming a national orgaisation. The name of the association was changed again with the foundation of the Republic of Ireland. Taking on the title of the Boy Scouts of Ireland. At this time, the association also gained the recognition of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) [1] becoming Ireland's only officially recognised scout association.

In 1927, the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland (CBSI) was formed under the guidance of the Catholic Church as a means of imprinting a Catholic ethos on the young men of Ireland. Originating with Fr. Ernest Farrell, a curate in Greystones, Co. Wicklow in 1925/1926, the association was hastened in its initiation by his brother Fr. Tom Farrell, a curate in the Pro-Cathedral.

The association continued to work through the 1950s and 60's during which it adapted to the development of Ireland as an independent republic. In 1965, the SAI formed the Federation of Irish Scout Associations (FISA) with the CBSI. This enabled the two associations and their members the recognition and resources of WOSM. All scouts in Ireland were thus able to play an active role in International Scouting.

Developments following the late 60's saw the association take on the name of the Scout Association of Ireland. This was subsequently changed to Scouting Ireland (SAI) in advance of the merging of the association with the CBSI. From 1 January 2004, both the SAI and the CSI ceased operations. Scouting in Ireland from this point forward would be overseen by the unified Scouting Ireland.

The Association

The SAI was, from its inception, a multi-denominational organisation, accepting members of all faiths and beliefs, and none. Four sections were operated, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Ventures. These sections were introduced over time, responding to the need for peer groups to work together as part of the Scout Method.

The association also operated a Sea Scout section, stemming from its origins in the Port of Dublin Sea Scout Association. These groups wore a uniform distinct from that of other scouts and utilised a version of the scout method which was based heavily on a nautical framework. Sea Scouts could be said to descend from a naval tradition as opposed to the military tradition from which scouting in its purest form originated.

In 1968, the SAI became a co-educational association. This was in line with the proliferation of co-educational schools in Ireland beyond the niche which they had traditionally occupied. This trend has continued, with females now making up some forty percent of the membership of the SAI's successor, Scouting Ireland

Lough Dan in Roundwood, County Wicklow served as the associations national campsite. Located beside the lake of the same name, the site offered amenities including sailing, kayaking, archery, orienteering and mountaineering as well as maintaining an extensive bivvi site in the forests above the site. A national jamboree was hosted in Lough Dan in 1997. The site remains a part of Scouting Ireland's national campsite network alongside Larch Hill, Mount Melleray, Killaloe National Scout Water Activity Centre and Castle Saunderson.

Chief Scouts

Until 1949, Ireland was a kingdom, later an independent state within the British Empire and subsequently the British Commonwealth. As such the SAI shared a common chief scout with the other scout associations of the nations under Commonwealth rule. Most notably, for the first thirty-three years of its existence, the associations Chief Scout was the father of scouting, Robert Baden-Powell. As Ireland gained independence from the Commonwealth, the SAI became independent of the Scout Association in Britain and therefore maintained its own Chief Scouts. The following people were the Chief Scouts of the SAI up until the creation of Scouting Ireland in 2004:[2]

See also

References