Malahide Sea Scouts » Beavers

Friday Beavers visit Howth RNLI Lifeboat Station

Colum McCaffrey — Sat, 11 Feb 2017 21:49:54 +0000

On this cold winter evening the Friday Beavers headed to Howth and visited the volunteers and crew at our local RNLI lifeboat station. They learned all about the RNLI and its mission to save lives at sea. Looks like they got to play with some of the kit too!
Thank you to everyone at Howth RNLI.

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Founders Day Hike

Friday Beavers — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 20:07:43 +0000

The founder’s day hike was held on February 21st, 2016. Three of our cubs wrote blogs about the hike.

Niamh Lynch Blog

Amelia Nolan Blog

Kate Robinson Blog

All of the photos are here

Niamh Lynch Blog
Last Sunday on the 21st February we all gathered in Wicklow for our Founders Day hike. It was lashing rain when we arrived with our pack and unfortunately, it just got worse. Even though it was a 6k hike, we took about four hours because as we neared the peak of the mountain the weather got extremely windy. Just after we passed the gustiest part of the hike, the leaders found a shelter under the branches of the trees so we all stopped and had lunch in the forest.

On the way back down to the car park, we went through the forest taking two different shortcuts. The weather started to calm down as we neared the end of the hike. After we got to the bottom, my friend Amelia and I read out a prayer describing why we were gathered that day and a fraction of a letter that was from Baden Powell. We were soaked and freezing when we got back in the car but even though it wasn’t the best hike I’ve been on because of the bad weather, it was still really fun.

By Niamh Lynch

Amelia Nolan
On the 21st February 2016, Malahide cubs and beavers went on a Founders day hike in Wicklow. Despite the weather being very wet and windy, there were still a hundred and sixty people who went on the hike. All ages went on the hike from age 5 and up. We had lunch in the woods and everyone got soaked and then got frozen because they were all so wet because the rain was pounding down on everyone and it went through your rain trousers and all your wet gear.

Killian Nolan organized the hike. It rained so much that there was a double rainbow when we were about half way up the mountain and we had a great view of Powerscourt waterfall – it was awesome! The rain was so heavy that some people got upset because the rain was pounding down on their faces so hard that it hurt their face really bad.

We did Founder’s Day hike because Founder’s Day was the day when Baden Powell founded scouting. I thought that the hike was fun but cold and wet. At the end of the hike, we had a ceremony for Baden Powell and two girls called Niamh Lynch and Amelia Nolan did a little prayer in the ceremony for Baden Powell.

Founder’s Day is celebrated on the 22nd February, the birthday of Baden Powell (born in 1889). For the hike we had to bring wet gear : layers, a jacket and your neckerchief which is very important because if you get lost other people around you would know where to bring you to and then your leader will be happy to see you and all your friends will be too. At the end of the day I thought it was a really fun hike and I suggest that we do it next year again.

Written by Amelia Nolan
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Kate Robinson
On Sunday the 21st of February all the Malahide cubs and beavers went on our Founder’s Day Hike at the Maulin Trail, Glencree Valley, Co. Wicklow. There was 23 Ceadaoin Cubs hiking.

It wasn’t a long hike, about 6k, but the weather was wet and windy. We started the hike at Crone car park and went through the forests, and up the Maulin Mountain. We stopped after an hour at Ride Rock to look at the Powerscourt Waterfall. It was raining when we were hiking but it was not that cold. There was a rainbow the whole time we there too. There were lots of people there as it was for all family members. Lots of people brought dogs as well. At this point it was very steep and everyone was a little tired.

After a while of going uphill, the mountain became more exposed. This meant it got a bit colder, windier and we could see how high up we were now. When were about half way there it was very windy. Some trees were blowing like crazy! We could also see the top of Maulin Mountain which is 570 metres high.

When we stopped for lunch we had to shelter in the forest. As we were not moving around that much, we were getting colder. Some people could barely move their hands! After we got going again everyone was cold now. We had a quick head count and then we were off again.

Very gradually, we started going downhill. We went past 2 streams that were easy to step over, one of which was the start of the Dargle River. On the way down the mountain, there were a lot of twists and turns. When we were almost at the bottom, a man came up to my friends and I who was a beaver leader and asked us if we met a family with a missing dog. He was a large labradoodle and my friends and I saw him earlier running up and down the route without a leash. We told him sorry, no we didn’t and he said he would run down to the car park and check there.

When we finally finished, Colin, our Group Leader got two cub scouts girls to say a prayer and a reading of Robert Baden-Powell’s last writings. Even though we got soaked to the bone, it was a fun and enjoyable day and we all enjoyed it! Thank you to Killian our Hike Leader and John our Ceadaoin Cub Leader for organising a great day.

By Kate Robinson – Ceadaoin Cubs

All of the photos are here

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Keep Training – Keep Scouting

Kevin Rowan — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 10:25:32 +0000

Volunteer Scouters from Malahide, Reachra County and surrounds at our last recent ‘Welcome to Scouting’

The last course of Welcome to Scouting in its present format came to an end on Thursday 4th February 2016 . Started back in the late nineties under our former association (Scout Association of Ireland) training scheme a video of a duration of about 45 minutes was shown too new potential volunteers. Given details about becoming a volunteer the video covered information about scouting and a schedule on further training .Narrated by Andrew Kelly of communications in SAI was a well produced and gave potential volunteers a insight into the workings of scouting. The course was updated and became more interactive when Scouting Ireland was formed back in 2004 ,but still retained the title ‘Welcome to Scouting’.

In the period of almost 20 years the training team of Malahide have trained up to 320 volunteers into the 9th Port Malahide .When the course was extended to cover Reachra County and surrounds a total of 920 volunteers have been trained . This is great credit to the training team in Malahide .Our thanks goes to Stephanie Mc Cann, Anna Hickey , Kevin Rowan ,Elaine Dunne, Stephen O’Reilly and of course to all those volunteers who turned up to the courses .

Keep Training – Keep Scouting

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Bethlehem Candle arrives to Pastor Centre

Kevin Rowan — Thu, 24 Dec 2015 21:56:21 +0000

Over hundred parents ,friends and family members of the Malahide Sea Scout Group attended this evenings carol service at Saint Sylvester’s Pastor Centre in Malahide village . The Enchiriadeis Chamber Choir gave their annual Christmas Eve recital to a packed audience who joined in to hear their favorite festive carols.Normally held in our scout den on St.James Terrace but due to building work it was a pleasure to have the use of the Pastor Centre on Main Street.

Members of the congregation had an opportunity to take a light from the Bethlehem candle that arrived earlier on the day .The light had traveled a journey of over 5000 miles from the Holy land in the previous days leading up to Christmas Eve. The evening proceedings opened with a welcome from sea scout Aisling Lynch who welcomed all including Chief Scout Christy McCann.

Our sincere thanks go to all who attended,to Saint Sylvester’s Parish providing the venue and Enchiriadeis Chamber Choir for a heartening presentation to a delighted audience.

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Friday Beaver Sleepover

Friday Beavers — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 09:39:22 +0000

Last weekend was the annual Friday Beaver Sleepover with a trip to Fingal Sailing School

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Beaver Colony – Larch Hill 2015

Friday Beavers — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 05:14:21 +0000

Well we all got back in one piece! An amazing weekend had by all.

Thanks to everyone who helped out but most of all to Jim Quill who did all the work (and there is a lot of it!) of organising the camp and all activities.

In total we had 28 Beavers and 3 Cubs on camp with us and an amazing ratio of 19 leaders! In addition we were joined on Saturday by 9 members of Malahide Girl Guides who came for the day.

The advance party arrived in Larch Hill just before 11 and immediately started setting up the tents. We needed a mess tent and sleeping tents for all the beavers. In addition we had to setup a wide variety of leader tents – like leaders themselves, their tents come in many shapes and sizes, and it took a while to get the site fully ready.

At 2pm the activities began. There were a small number of rules for everyone, like for example a no technology rule . . .

The beavers got to try lighting campfires, sawing wood, chopping logs, firing rockets, putting up tents and leanring about capming and being in the woods. All Beavers present passed their Backwoods Stage 1 and Camping Stage 1 badges – a great achievement.

After dinner, there was another round of activities and then the campfire was lit. Beavers had chocolate melted bananas, pita bread pizza and melted marshmallows – and lots of playing with their torches in the dark. Then a quick hike in the dark, brush the teeth and bed.

Light comes up early at this time of year so it was an early start for Ronan on breakfast duty. After a breakfast of cereal and sausages the beavers headed off into the woods again for some orienteering. The final activity was building a mini raft and having a raft race.

By 1pm everyone was tired but happy. A great weekend, with good weather, super activities and 31 happy beavers.

Thank you you to Una, Jim and David for these photos. . .

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Where sailing and camping meet . . .

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. . . and thanks to John Butterly for these shots . . .

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Big Beaver & Cub event at Little Auburn

Kevin Rowan — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 20:40:45 +0000

This event for the Beaver and Cub sections is now in its 3^rd year. A complete day of fun and activities for all was well attended by all sections. Leaders and Scouts set up fun active bases , followed by a barbeque. A popular base was the face painting and some of the leaders had more than enough of the colourful colours smudged all over their heads, hands, nose, and ears.

Grateful thanks again to the Lynch family for their kind hospitality they show every year by letting us use the wide green area on their property beside their house.

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Return to the Island

Kevin Rowan — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 21:43:13 +0000

Return to the Island

Most Hollywood blockbusters never live up to their sequel, but our recent 2^nd trip to Lambay Island in a year was just a perfect day with a perfect host, Ms. Alice Liddal. This time around 26 leaders from the Beaver, Cub and Scout sections of the Malahide Sea Scout group travelled out on Eamonn McGrattans boat Naomi Leigh a 36 foot Cygnus Cyfish craft built in Valentia, Co Kerry.

The vessel made a double trip to Lambay Island from Malahide Marina in about 30 minutes per trip and snugly tied up along the islands harbour wall. Welcomed when we landed ,by Ms. Alice Liddal who took us on a personal tour inside the ramparts of this original 15^th Century Castle that had being rebuilt and redesigned between 1904 and 1910 by the famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. His international work is recognised both here in Ireland, Britain and throughout the World and in Ireland include Lambay and the Irish War National Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge, Dublin.

Lambay can trace its history back to Neolithic times, but it was believed along with Rathlin Island that the Vikings sacked the monastic settlement in 795 AD.

With the glorious weather shinning on our backs we ascended to the highest point on the island, Knockbane at a 127 m taken in an extended lunch , as the views were breath taken out towards Howth, Portrane, Skerries, Rockabill and over the vast sea area ,east of the island. After lunch we got up on our feet and made 20 minute or so walk towards Tayleur Bay and point. A terrible unfolding tragedy took place here in 1854 when the RMS Tayleur on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne, Australia foundered here on the rocks after losing her way in bad weather and 364 souls lost their lives as she sank on the rocks just below our feet. Just 100 souls were laid to rest on the islands small cemetery while others were never found and were presumed missing. The parish church of St. Andrews in Malahide on Church Road buried some of those lost souls.

As we descended down the island towards the harbour fallow deer could be seen herding and thereafter, we snacked a little bit more, and before we departed, we visited the real tennis court and passed the coastguard cottage which now have self-catering accommodation. It wasn’t long before our skipper called us on board the Naomi Leigh and after lines cast off, fenders in, we made the short 30 minute passage back to Malahide Marina.

There aren’t too many sequels that live up to the first film but this second trip was truly a great sequel. Our many thanks again, to our Host Alice, The Baring Family and Eamonn McGrattan.

K. Rowen April 2015

Malahide Sea Scouts

Colin Lynch Group Leader, Mags O’ Riordan Group Secretary, Gerard Hickey , Anna Hickey , Christy McCann International Commissioner for Scouting Ireland, Stephanie Mc Cann ,Skipper Brian Colgan, Ger Duffy , Stephen O’Reilly , Niamh Manning, Alice Geraghty , Aoife Lawlor, Alan Johns ,Blaithain McCaffrey, Ciaran Cullen , Karl Langan, , Roger Campion , Jordan Killen , Bill Abbott , Aileen Abbott , Pat Moyne ,Julie Caird ,Elaine Dunne, Noelle Ameijenda,Ivor Guyett,

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Launching at the Seawall, Malahide

Kevin Rowan — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 15:37:40 +0000

Group Leader Colin Lynch leads the crews at Launch Day

When the boats come out of the water for the season it always seems months away before launch day comes around again. It came a little earlier this year. Passing the boat deck most evenings you would either smell the work that had been done or witness the hard grafting by all the scouts whether it was making small repairs, lots of sanding , varnishing and finally anti-fouling .

Finally on Saturday afternoon the crews gathered ,joined by the Beavers , Cubs, Families ,Friends and our Parish Clergy Rev. Dr. Norman Gamble and Father Frank Reburn to celebrate and bless the launching of all our craft for this year’s coming season .

Group leader Colin Lynch welcomed our guests and all present to celebrate the start of a new boating season at the Malahide Sea Scout group. After official proceedings Mr. Tommy Taylor a Life Honourary Member of the group went about deciding which section had proved to be this year’s winners in the Tommy Taylor boat maintenance, which went to the Friday nights section. However congratulations went to all sections who took part in boat maintenance for this season. Boatmaster Colum McCaffrey expressed his delight with the cooperation from all sections in making the date in March possible and wished all for a safe and active season on the water.

Beavers and cubs were treated with trips on the powerboats and the barbeque made possible by the scouts. Also in attendance were our friends from the Howth Coastguard Unit.

Group Leader Colin Lynch,makes a presentation to Rev. Dr. Gamble and Fr. Reburn.

A final official duty by our Group Leader Colin Lynch was to invest Father Frank Reburn into the group as our Chaplain. Father Frank had been previously a member of a Sea Scout group back in the nineties in Wicklow town. A special thanks and presentations were made too both Rev. Dr. Gamble and Fr. Reburn. Rev. Gamble has being officiating at our launches for many years and the group is ever grateful to St. Andrews Parish who in the past acted as our sponsors for over 27 years.

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Trip to Swords Fire Station

Friday Beavers — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 08:59:26 +0000

On Friday 6th March the Friday Beavers were given a tour of Swords Fire Station. Luckily one of our Friday night leaders, Gregg Hannon, works in the fire station. Gregg and his colleagues put on a great show. The pack was broken in two for two sets of activities. One group were given an explanation about the fire engine, the equipment on board and had a trip in the fire engine. The other group were out in the yard with two hose teams trying out how hard it is to hold onto a hose at full pressure.

Then each group got to swap with each other and also have tour of the station (including the famous pole!)

All the beavers had a great evening – thanks to Gregg and his team!

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