Cubs in a Pub – The Revenge Ballinderry 2015

Photos
Videos

Such was the success of the Cubs in a Pub camp 2014 Wednesday Night Cubs decided we would go there once again.

We met at Bray Dart station on Friday and made our into the city centre, from there we got a bus to Nenagh.
From Nenagh we got a mini bus and lifts with the Leaders to The Tavern.

Those doing the Chief Scout Award started pitching their tents. This proved to be extremely difficult as it was pitch black apart form a couple of head torches.

Did we stop pitching our tents? Did we give up? Did we throw in the towel?
No we brought them into the lounge arranged the poles where there should be then brought them back out and pitched them.

We had a tent for the girls, a tent for the lads and one for Cormac.

Once everyone was setup up we had a quick supper. We played some games were played before bedtime, thankfully one of the Cubs found the darts so a quick game of 501 was had.

Everyone headed to be about midnight, apart from the Leaders who were up even later discussing the pros and cons of Blue Bloods, The Musketeers, The Blacklist and so on.

The following morning we got up and headed to Rory’s Rock Bar for breakfast, cereal, toast, sausage and rashers all served with Bolt Thrower and ACDC playing in the background.

Once we tidied up, we sorted out our rooms and tents ready for inspection. Inspection is not done for the sheer hell of it as we found out when talking about the Scout Promise and Law. Taking care of and having respect for yourself and others and their possessions and property is a huge part of the Scout Law.
Out of 10 the highest score was a 9, let down by a single chocolate button under the bed.

Cormac and Rory took us through the Scout Promise and the Scout Law.
It is very important to understand what both mean. It is what Scouting is based on. It’s all about doing your best, not anyone else’s just your own.

We spent a lot of time outside playing football, capture the flag and just running around in the fresh air.
Amazing what happens when you turn off the WIFI and open the doors.

After this we had some free time to work on our song, dance, comedy routine for “WEDNESDAY NIGHTS GOT TALENT PART 2”

After lunch we headed out to the local playground and went for a walk around the park in Borrisokane.

We did some backwoods and fire lighting in the evening before dinner.

A dinner of chicken curry and chips or spag bol was had and this was then followed by the Talent Show, and what a talented group we have.
Last years acts were hard to beat, we had some entrants returning and some new to the stage.

We had singing, dancing, jokes, and card tricks.
Once the show had finished a disco kicked off. We danced the night away to “Starship”, “Shake it Off” had everyone dancing their hearts out.

We ended the night watching The Eurovision Song Contest.

Sunday morning after breakfast we started packing up and cleaning the pub ready for the off.
A huge difference in the room inspection on Sunday, tents were swept, coat hangers straightened and all chocolate buttons disposed of.
And everyone got a 10.
As everyone helped it didn’t take long and we were soon ready for a lunch of hot-dogs before heading for home.

Well done to Felix who was invested
Well done to Felix and Daniel who were promoted to Senior Sixer
Well done to all those who earned their Stage 2 Emergencies badges
Well done to those CSA Cubs for taking another step closer to completion.
Well done to Cormac for completing his first camp as a fully fledged Leader

Thanks must go out to the following people

• The parents for taking home the rubbish and their kids
• The Cubs themselves for having a great time and behaving themselves
• Adrienne, Karen, Fiona (thanks for coming back) Rory and Cormac
• And most importantly to Derek and Amanda for allowing us to use their holiday home again.

Yours in Scouting
The Leaders

Belfast Trip 2015

Hi all

Photos from the trip are HERE
On Saturday 21st of February we once again made our way north of the border>
We met at the den at 9am and headed up the M50.
Joe as always drove so we knew we were in safe hands.
We made our regular pit stop in the Applegreen to stretch our legs.
We arrived at the Armagh Planetarium and after a quick look around the gift shop headed into the dome roofed auditorium for the show.
We were taken of a 3D adventure through space where we learned about the planets and their atmosphere in our solar system.

Our guide for the day was Martina and she was great with us, explaining loads to us and answering all our questions,
After that we had a look at a meteorite which was made up of so much iron magnets could stick to it. We got to hold a small meteorite and a regular stone to see the difference in weight.

After that we went to an area where we saw models of different space station and telescopes and learned what it would be like to live in space.

We then had our packed lunches

After lunch we headed into a magic science show and learned about static electricity and played with balloons,lights, and copper coil torches.

We got to make some rocket models before we headed off to the Odyssey.

Before we went inside the we met some Scout from Unit 62 from Belfast who were organising a conga line to show their Leaders. They’re going to the World Jamboree in Japan.

The video is HERE

We had dinner in Pizza Hut and then headed into the arena.
We got out picture taken with Finn McCool the Giants mascot.
We had great seats only 3 rows from the front.
It was a great game, very exciting but unfortunately despite all the cheering on from the Cubs the Giants lost 6-3 to the Edinburgh Capitals.

And to make matters worse there were no fights (“,)

We headed home and arrived in Bray very tired but happy at 12.15

As always we’d like to thank the following
– All in the Armagh Planetarium but especially Martina
– The staff in Pizza Hut for getting us fed so quickly
– The staff in the Odyssey
– Finn McCool and Mr Subway
– The Cubs and their parents
– Joe our bus driver
– Boo and Brian for helping out
– The Leaders

Photos from the trip are HERE

Wednesday 11th February

Hi all,

Reminder there is no Cubs tonight

Last night we visited Bray Garda Station.
We were met by Garda Sergeant Fitzpatrick and Garda Nolan.
They told us about the working of the station.

We first went into the control room where we saw all the monitors for the CCTV. We were able to see the main street and the beach.

Garda Nolan did a radio check with one of the patrol cars and he explained how they handle calls coming in from the public

From there we went down to see the cell. We were shown where you get book in and your details taken. We didn’t see the adults cells as someone was in them!!!!!!!!

We did see the juvenile cells, a juvenile is between 12 and 18. Not a nice place to spend some time so we won’t be seeing them any-time soon.

After that we saw the room where they do the fingerprinting and breath tests.

We finished up by hopping into one of the police vans.

A really great night and all in Wednesday Night Cubs would like to extend our thanks to Garda Sergeant Fitzpatrick, Garda Nolan and all the Guards in Bray

Yours in Scouting
The Leaders

Kilruddery House and Gardens 12 October 2014

Hi all,

Click HERE for photos
This afternoon Wednesday Night Cubs joined Cubs and Beavers from all across the county for a Beaver and Cub day in Kilruddery House and Gardens.
The sun shone all day and you could be fooled into think it was the middle of the summer.
We hike for 2.5 hours had our lunch and headed for home tired but happy.

Click HERE for photos

Yours in Scouting
The Leaders

Cubs in a Pub – Ballinderry 2014

Photos HERE
Videos HERE

Yes you read the title correctly. Wednesday Night Cubs spent their summer camp in a pub.

Now before anyone phones the ISPCC let’s explain.

The brother of Adrienne, Karen and Fiona has bought a pub “The Tavern” and is using it as a holiday home.
All the pub equipment is still there, tables and chairs, glasses, cooking equipment, optics, pumps and a firm favourite, the thing for washing glasses.

BUT the pumps aren’t connected to kegs of Guinness so let’s not panic.
So that’s where we had our Summer Camp and it was brilliant.

We met at the den and with our trusty driver Joe we headed off for Ballinderry.
2.5 hours later we reached out destination and quickly settled in.

There was much amusement amongst the Cubs at the thought of spending a weekend in a pub and they loved it.

We got everyone set up for the night, the girls had a room to share, the lads were sleeping on the dance-floor, something the Leaders hope won’t happen to them again until they’re at least 21.
A number of games were played before bedtime, Chess, a ball game, even a few hands of poker, again this is the Cubs we’re talking about.

After supper everyone headed to bed.

The following morning we got up and headed to the snug for breakfast, cereal, toast, sausage and rashers.
Once we tidied up we sorted out our bedding and gear ready for inspection. The Leaders do love a good inspection.

Adrienne and Rory took us through the history of Scouting and the essentials such as the promise and law, the handshake, scout sign and the prayer.

After this we had some free time to work on our song, dance, comedy routine for “WEDNESDAY NIGHTS GOT TALENT”

After lunch we headed out to the local playground to get rid of the cobwebs and get some fresh air

We did some pioneering in the evening before dinner and started making a dresser.

A dinner of burgers and chips was followed by the Talent Show, and what a talented group we have, Simon Cowell would have been proud.

We had singing, dancing, acting, jokes, riddles, ball skills and improv.
Once the show had finished a disco kicked off. We danced the night away to “Happy”, “Don’t Stop Believing” and Rory’s favourite “Highway to Hell” which led to a mass outbreak of head banging.

We ended the night watching “The Incredibles” and some of us watch the Champions League final. Well done Madrid, hard luck Madrid.

Sunday morning after breakfast we started packing up and cleaning the pub ready for the off.
As everyone helped it didn’t take long and we were soon ready for lunch before heading for home.

Everyone agreed it was one of the best camps we’ve ever had.

Thanks must go out to the following people

• Joe Barnes our bus driver
• Cormac and Laura our Leaders for helping out all weekend (and missing a party)
• The parents for taking home the rubbish and their kids
• The Cubs themselves for having a great time and behaving themselves
• Adrienne, Karen, Fiona and Rory
• And most importantly to Derek and Amanda for allowing us to use their holiday home

Yours in Scouting
The Leaders

 

Newgrange Hostel 2014

This year Wednesday and Friday Cubs went to Newgrange Lodge.

For photos of the weekend click HERE

We arrived at 11.30 and sorted out our rooms.
THE ROOMS HAD TELLYS !!!!!

After getting over that shock we had our packed lunches and headed off to the Newgrange visitor centre. We got on the bus and went to the Newgrange Monument.
Newgrange was constructed over 5,000 years ago (about 3,200 B.C.), making it older than Stonehenge in England and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Newgrange was built during the Neolithic or New Stone Age by a farming community that prospered on the rich lands of the Boyne Valley.
For more information on Newgrange click HERE

After we returned to the Lodge we had some free time before we did Backwoods Stage with Rory.
We learned about

• what kinds of clothes to wear when going out into nature.
• how to prepare food for cooking.
• what a basic survival kit should contain.
• how to behave safely around fires.
• how to use hand tools safely.
• how to build a simple shelter

We were allowed in the play area before our dinner. We had spag bol and ice-cream for dessert.
We then went outside where Rory showed us how to light a fire and prepare a potato for baking and cooking an egg in an orange.
Both worked very well and Rory tasted the egg and the potato. The egg tasted orangey.

We then watched Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University before going to bed.
After breakfast we had room inspection before going on a Easter egg hunt.
We did some puzzles and arts and crafts before the bus arrived to take us home.
We arrived back at the den a 1pm and went home happy.

We would like to thank the staff of the Lodge and Newgrange for looking after us.
We would like to thank the Cubs for behaving themselves all weekend.
And of course we would like to thank all the Leaders, Adrienne, Brian, Fiona, Karen, Lisa, Bernie and Rory.

For photos of the weekend click HERE

Yours in Scouting
The Leaders

 

Belfast Trip 2014

Photos from the trip can be found here

On Saturday 22nd of February we met at the den for our trip to Belfast.
It was a bright morning as we gathered waiting on the stragglers.
Once Joe the bus driver explained the rules to us we hopped abroad and headed up the M50.
We stopped in the service station for a loo stop and to stretch our legs.
Joe managed to get the DVD player working and we watched The Simpson until we reached Belfast.

Our first stop was Pizza Hut for lunch. Lots of garlic bread, pizzas (meat ones were the favourite) and fizzy pop was consumed in record time.

After that we made our way to the Titanic Exhibition.

Some interesting facts:
– Titanic was 882 feet 9 inches long
– Her total height, measured from the base of the keel to the top of the bridge,     was 104 feet.
– Titanic was equipped with three main engines
– The ship could accommodate 833 First Class Passengers, 614 in Second        Class and 1,006 in Third Class, for a total passenger capacity of 2,453.
  Titanic carried a total of 20 lifeboats:
– Titanic had around 885 crew members on board for her maiden voyage.
– At 11.40 pm on 14 April (ship’s time), lookout Frederick Fleet spotted an  iceberg immediately ahead of Titanic and alerted the bridge.

We learnt about Belfast’s two big industries, linen and ship building. We took a trip on a cart to show us how the ship was built and we watched as we travelled from the hull of the ship through the boiler room up through the bedrooms, dining rooms to the main stairs and onto the bridge.
We had our packed lunch and then we then walked to the dockyard to see the dry dock where the Titanic was built.

For more information on the Titanic Exhibition click here
For the Titanic Wiki page click here

We headed back to the Odessey Arena for the Belfast Giants v Coventry Blaze.
The Giants had been crowned the Elite League Champions for 2013/24 and they raised their championship banner.
Everyone was in full voice and Belfast took and early lead only for it to be cancelled out minutes later. A quiet 2nd period the only highlight was the shout out we got over the PA system.

Into the 3rd and last period things started hotting up. A number of Blaze players got sent off as did their manager.
Rory won a pizza, just what we needed (“,) and at the end the Giants won 3-1
For the full match report and videos click here

Back to the bus where we watched Sinbad and we arrived back in Bray at 12.15, tired but happy.

Photos from the trip can be found here

Yours in Scouting
The Leaders

Wild Frontier Camp 2013

Howdy Partners,

Well what a great camp. We had great weather, great activities, great friends and most important of all great fun.

So what exactly happened in Powerscourt Creek during the Wild Frontier Camp? Well keep reading then check out our gallery HERE

 Friday 24^th

The Chiefs set up camp during the day in preparation for the invasion of Cowboys and Indians.
The Teepees were pitched, the Bunkhouses were built and the Chuck Wagon stock full of food. The Outhouse for both Braves and Squaws were delivered and wanted posters for a villainous gang were posted about the ranch.

At around 7.30pm the Cowboys and Indians started to arrive, saddle bags packed to bursting. After sorting themselves into their gangs and tribes they headed to the teepees and bunkhouses to get their gear stowed away.

Some time was spent investigating the plains, the creek was found quickly followed by Tin Can Alley.

Decorating of the homesteads began in earnest, brushes brushed, dust flew, pine cones were gathered and flowers picked. And that was just the boys. Paths were made, campfires built, welcome signs created, garlands hung and soon the camp resembled the Chelsea Flower Show.

Later in the evening the US Marshals rode into town and rounded everyone up to go for a hike. Soon we reached The German Tunnels. These dark, dank and scary tunnels make the Mines of Moria look like a walk in Powerscourt Gardens. However due to the excellent leadership of the Marshalls all our brave Cowboys and Indians survived and returned back to the ranch.

A supper of hot chocolate and beaver soup was ready on their return. And off to bed they went.

 Saturday 25^th

After a great nights sleep (ahem) the ranch headed to the Chuck Wagon for chow. A breakfast of Coco Pine Cones, Rice Squirrels and sausages were devoured.
A clean up was then carried out starting with the teepees and bunkhouses.
Gear was packed away, bed rolls laid out neat and tidily and teddy bears straightened. The standard was extremely high once the lads had seen what a good job the girls had done.

After inspection by the Chiefs a litter walk was done throughout the ranch.
The importances of Leave No Trace was explained to them, camp and go, leaving no trace that you had been there. We don’t want outlaws following our trail.

Once we were tidy we changed into our wet gear and headed to the creek. Just before we did a posse six strong rode through the camp. Although they didn’t capture any of us we remained on our toes for the rest of the weekend. The Cowboys were captured and the scalping begun. Armed with balloons covered in shaving foam and safety razors the Indians began their gruesome task. And very soon the Cowboys joined in and started scalping the Indians.

The foam flowed, balloons were popped and everyone had a fantastic time. As this was happening some of them took time to pan for gold in the creek. Rumour has it a rich vein runs through Powerscourt Creek but alas there ain’t gold in dem dar hills.

Once everyone was dried off and changed lunch was dished up. This time the chow was made up of rabbit and cheese sandwiches with fruit to follow. When lunch was finished, the Elders arrived to take us on a trek to Powerscourt Waterfall. There were many other tribes there but we managed to have a great time on in the playground and the spider web. Thankfully there was no Mohicans hiding behind the waterfall so we got back to the ranch safely.

The evening was made up of swing ball, Tin Can Alley, football, falling into the creek, losing teeth, hurting eyes, cutting fingers and basically making a mess of ourselves.

Redemption came in the shape of moose burgers and chips for dinner with Swiss roll for dessert.

When dinner was done we gathered firewood for the night’s campfire. The seats were gathered and we sat around the campfire warming our bones. Two Indians were presented with Special Interest badges and we invested a Cowboy. Songs were sung, tales were told, dances danced and jokes were told. In the middle of this a canoe carrying six Indians passed us by. They had no food, nor drink, nor money but still they were happy. Marshmallows were toasted, hot water bottles filled and hot chocolate drank and we went to bed.

 Sunday 26^th

After a great nights sleep (at last) we were rudely awoken by the Chiefs. Teepees needed to be struck, bunkhouses dismantled and the prairie cleaned.

We had Coco Pine Cones, Rice Squirrels and sausages again and once the ranch was clear we were taught how to build tripods, very handy to support the totem poles we decorated shortly afterwards.

And so at 12.30 as the sun was high over the Rockies the Elders once again arrived on the steeds to take us home to our own tribes.

Everyone got a certificate to show they had survived the Wild Frontier Camp 2013. Not only did we survive, we really enjoyed it and thanks to Jóhonaa éí the Navajo sun God we got through the whole weekend without a drop of rain.

As always we must pay our thanks

To Powerscourt Creek Ranchers for allowing us to camp, thanks
To the US Marshals for assisting the Chiefs all weekend, thanks
To the Elders for dropping and collecting the Cowboys and Indians, the lifts to the waterfall and help in clearing the ranch, thanks
To the Cowboys, Cowgirls and Indians who played well, looked after each other, behaved themselves and had great fun, thanks
And of course to the Chiefs, without whom none of this would have happened, thanks

Some of our favourite quotes from the camp
‘Can we capture  you and claim our reward on the poster?’
‘Can I see Bernie because my head has been split open?’
After picking up a peg ‘I’ve got a hooker’
‘Where’s the bin?’

And the Tale of the Not Missing Pyjamas
A special pyjama top went missing on Saturday Morning.
The Cowboy told the Chief who told him to check his rucksack and his sleeping bag.
The pyjama top could not be found
The Chief asked the other Cowboys in the bunkhouse to check their rucksacks and sleeping bags.
The pyjama top could not be found
The Chief asked the Cowboys to check the entire bunkhouse.
The pyjama top could not be found
A Cowboy from the tent and had gone home early, the Chief texted that Cowboy’s mum.
The pyjama top could not be found
The Cowboy found the pyjama top!

Why could no-one else find the pyjama top?  Because the Cowboy was wearing it under his clothes all along!

Migwe’c
The Chiefs

Gallery HERE

Wednesday 1st May

Hi all,

What a great start to our summer. On a lovely bright and warm evening we met at The Boathouse and made for the cliff walk.
A nice little hike with plenty to see and learn.
Brian told us of the history of the railway running alongside us, from the building of it and showing us the railway builders hut to a terrible crash.
We say some dynamite holes in the rocks where they were drilled out and dynamite place in them to blow away the rock to make way for the track.

We were shown loads of different types of birds and with the help of some binoculars we got some lovely views of them and their surroundings.

We were joined by some Mums and Dads which is always nice to see and they were very well behaved (“,)

A huge thanks to Brian who led the walk for us and provided a great commentary along the way.

Check out some of our photos HERE

Yours in Scouting
The Leaders

Dublin Hostel 2013

23rd and 24th February 2013

Make sure to check out the pictures HERE

And so Dublin was once again invaded by hordes from far off lands.
Thankfully it was only our Wednesday Cubs from Bray. We met at the Dart station and made our way into Dublin City Centre on a cold and snowy morning.

We made our way to the hostel, got our rooms sorted out and then had lunch.
Once we had tidied up we wrapped up and headed into town.

We first made our way to the Garden of Remembrance, a memorial garden dedicated to the memory of “all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom” The site of the Garden is where the Irish Volunteers were founded in 1913, and where several leaders of the 1916 Rising were held overnight before being taken to Kilmainham Gaol. The Garden was opened in 1966 by President de Valera on the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, in which he had been a commander.

We walked down O’Connell St, named after Daniel O’Connell a nationalist leader of the early nineteenth century. We went to visit the GPO (General Post Office)
During the Easter Rising of 1916, the GPO served as the headquarters of the uprising’s leaders. You can still see bullet holes in the walls to this day.

After that we had a look at the Daniel O’Connell statue, one of the angels on it was shot in the boob during the Easter Rising, which the Cubs of course found hilarious.

We then made our way down the North Quays to the Ha’penny Bridge. The bridge is a pedestrian bridge built-in 1816 over the River Liffey. Before the Ha’penny Bridge was built there were seven ferries, operated by a William Walsh, across the Liffey. The ferries were in a bad condition and Walsh was informed that he had to either fix them or build a bridge. Walsh chose the latter option and was granted the right to extract a ha’penny toll from anyone crossing it for 100 years.
One of Fiona’s relatives used to collect the toll.

Once we crossed the bridge we went into Temple Bar and met a viking.
We also saw where the Central Bank is. We then went into Trinity College.
The college was founded in 1592, and some of the people attending over the years include Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, Douglas Hyde, Ray Darcy and Cillian and Mannix’s dad.

From there we went to the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare St.
We saw displays on prehistoric Ireland, including early work in gold, church treasures and the Viking and medieval periods. There are special displays of items from Egypt, Cyprus and the Roman world.
The highlight was seeing the two Iron Age bodies which have been preserved in the bogs at Oldcroghan, Co. Offaly and Clonycavan, Co. Meath. The remains were dated to between around 400 BC and 200 BC.

We saw, bodies from the Iron Age, Axe Heads from the Stone Age, Swords from the Bronze Age and Manny, Sid and Diego from Ice Age.

After that we made our way back to Westmoreland St and caught the 46a bus to the hostel just in time for tea.
Spaghetti bolognese was on the menu and was devoured.
We went to the shop next door with Rory acting as body-guard to get sweets and drinks for the movies later.
After that we had some time to relax before we went to the meeting room for arts and crafts and to watch a couple of movies before heading to bed.

Breakfast was cereal and toast then we cleaned the rooms and packed our bags.
After thanking the staff we headed into Mountjoy Square to the park and playground. On the way we passed Temple St Hospital.

After playing for a while and having a quick snack we headed to Connolly St to get the Dart back to Bray.
We arrived back to be warmly welcomed by our parents.

A brilliant weekend was had especially as it was organised at such short notice.

A huge thanks to the Staff in the Hostel for looking after us.
Thanks to our instructors, Cormac, Aoife, Heather and Caitlin.
Thanks to the Leaders, Fiona, Rory, Adrienne and Karen.

And thanks as always to the Cubs for behaving themselves and enjoying the hostel.

Make sure to check out the pictures on our Gallery page HERE

Yours in Scouting
The Leaders