Around 12,500 scouts pitched their tents in Punchestown on Saturday - along with 50,000 apples and 12 tons of potatoes - to celebrate a century of scouting in Ireland
A TENT-FILLED settlement which will rank as one of the 50 most populous towns in Ireland for the next week has been established in Co Kildare as more than 12,000 scouts have gathered to celebrate the centenary of the scouting movement in Ireland.
Troops from Ireland, England, Sweden, the Philippines, the US and many other nations are represented at the Scouting Ireland Jamboree 2008, which is taking place at Punchestown Racecourse near Naas.
Some 10,000 Irish scouts aged between 10 and 18, as well as 2,500 overseas guests and more than 500 organisers, have donned their neckerchiefs and pitched their tents at the event, which is said to be the biggest gathering in the history of the European scouting movement.
Scouting jamborees are normally held in Ireland every four years; however, this is the first event of its kind in the country in more than seven years, due to a considerable transformation of the scouting movement in the country.
In 2004, the two national associations, the formerly British-based SAI and the Catholic CSI, merged to form Scouting Ireland, and since its inception the organisation has gone from strength to strength, with scout numbers increasing by about 10 per cent to some 40,000, of which about 30 per cent are female.
Christy McCann, Jamboree 2008 camp chief, said that scouting still had an important role to play in preparing young people for the challenges of life.
"Scouting is as relevant today as it was 100 years ago. It's an informal education for the young people and they are learning through fun," he said.
Ireland has changed and technology has become more prominent in the lives of young people, so it might seem that the traditions associated with scouting events have lost their appeal.
However, McCann says the organisation has adapted to cater for new expectations and that many scouts still embrace the old-school elements of the movement.
Changes can be clearly seen among the attractions for those scouts participating in this jamboree, which include an X-Factor-style talent competition, discos and a rock concert featuring popular Irish acts such as Aslan and The Flaws.
The event has not abandoned its roots, however, and more traditional scouting activities such as hiking, orienteering, survival trails, canoeing and abseiling will be the primary focus of every attendee's daily schedule.
Alice Cunningham (15), a member of the Third Monaghan Scout Group based in Carrickmacross, is taking part in her second scout camp this week.
Alice said she is looking forward to adventure sports and socialising, as she believes the best thing about the event is having the opportunity to "meet new people" from all over Ireland and across the world.
Her sentiments were echoed by Mikael Lindblad, the leader of a 30-strong troop that travelled to the jamboree from Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden. "It's all about meeting new people, experiencing new cultures and having good fun," he said.
Almost three years of planning have gone into the event, and deciding how to feed the 12,000 mouths that have filled some 4,500 tents on site has been one of the priorities for the organisers.
A special menu to cater for the nutritional needs of the campers has been drawn up, and cooking staff have acquired 35,000 litres of milk; 50,000 apples; 9,000 litres of fruit juice; 2,500 fajita kits; 20,000 yogurts; six tons of bananas and 12 tons of potatoes.
The last major event to take place at Punchestown was the Oxegen music festival, and while the jamboree might appear to lack that glamour, Reggie Maggs (22), a troop leader from Co Monaghan, said those who have attended will not be disappointed.
"It's a great line-up and hopefully the weather will stay all right," he said. "It's a great experience for the kids. They get to go out and do things for themselves and they don't have to hold back. It sets them up to get out there and explore the world for themselves with no worries."
The Scouting Ireland Jamboree is at Punchestown until
August 10th. For more, see www.jamboree2008.ie