D4 scouting update

Donnybrook Scouts

February and March has been a busy period for the local scouting groups with trips to the mountains, adventures at sea and of course – local St. Patrick’s Day Parades.

The Orion Beavers learned to climb walls at the nearby rock climbing wall at UCD at which they were naturals with “every Beaver reaching their own personal peak,” according to Dennis Markey.

They put this practice to good use climbing Killiney Hill in Dalkey, earning some hot chocolate and ice-cream. The real thrill of their recent events was when the young beavers were informed that the Gardaí would be stopping traffic for their march in the local St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Donnybrook.

The rest of the scouting organisations in the Donnybrook area had similarly auspicious events for St. Patrick’s Day.

The Venturer Scouts held a bake sale for local residents to fund their trip to Portugal. The event is one of the most popular in the scouting calendar and this year was no exception. After the march, the scouts returned to the Scout Den, where they awarded many adult members for between five and 25 years of service. Afterwards, there was a fry-up, organised by the Rovers.

Asides from St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, the Aurora campsite is being refurbished, with a new toilet-block being installed. In addition, there will be a ‘hammock hotel’. A new flag pole was built at the Donnybrook site also.

In addition, Donnybrook Scouts wish to offer their congratulations to Scout Leader Erika, who has given birth to her first child as well as to her husband former Scout Leader Eoghan.

The Scouts have completed a four-week emergency first-aid course. They are now studying orienteering, which will culminate in a big building project in Aurora over Easter.

They will be heading to the International Jamboree in Denmark this summer and have been in touch with Danish and Icelandic scout groups, with whom they will be camping. Additionally, the Rovers have been to Romania with 22 members going in total.

The Donnybrook Scouts are looking to organise a summer campaign to clean-up the river Dodder with the Dodder Action and the Donnybrook Youth Club. In addition, some rovers are working with Darkness into Light to raise awareness and funds for the charity.

1st Port of Dublin Sea Scouts – Ringsend

The Ringsend scouts were very busy this past month. The Beavers went to a forest and began their first studies into orienteering. The Ringsend Sea Scouts headed to a forest where they began their training in orienteering. The Cubs headed to Three Rock Mountain and hiked in sub-zero temperatures “putting into practice what they had learned about the correct equipment and preparation for hillwalking,” according to Steven Cull.

Back on the water, the Sea Scouts also engaged in rowing, thanks to East Wall Watersports, who gave them equipment and sent out instructors.

Finally, Cllr. Dermot Lacey would like to state that he is completing a history of the 3rd/40th/41st (Donnybrook, Sacred Heart) Scout Unit to mark its 90th anniversary. He would be grateful if local people could share memories or mementos to:dermot.lacey@dublincity.ie.

By Kevin Mac Sharry