The Chief Scout is the leader of

Scouting Ireland Scouting Ireland () is one of the largest youth movements on the island of Ireland, a voluntary educational movement for young people with over 45,000 members, including over 11,000 adult volunteers . Of the 750,000 people between the ages of 6 ...

. As Chairperson of the National Council and National Management Committee the Chief Scout is responsible for co-ordinating the activities of the Association with the help of the National Team for Policy Implementation and Co-ordination. The role is a volunteer one, normally elected every third year at National Council, and works with the CEO, the head of the professional staff function of the association. The first Chief Scout elected was Martin Burbridge, a former member of

Scouting Ireland (CSI) The Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland (CBSI; ) was an Irish Catholic Scouting organisation active from 1927 until 2004, when it formed Scouting Ireland by merging with the former Scout Association of Ireland (SAI), a non-denominational Scout orga ...

. He stepped down in September 2008, and four others have held the role since then.

Term of office

The Chief Scout, is elected by

secret ballot The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote ...

at the Annual General Meeting, for a term of three years. The Chief Scout may be re-elected for one further term of three years.

Roles

The key roles of the Chief Scout are: * President of the Association * Chairperson of the general meetings and conferences * Member and Director of the Scout Foundation Among the responsibilities of the Chief Scout are the presentation of Chief Scout Awards to

Scouts Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

and the investiture of Scouters into the Order of CúChulainn. Under

ONE Programme The ''ONE Programme'' personal progression system for youth members of Scouting Ireland has been designed and refactored since the merger of earlier organisations, using a number of key underlining principles. Activities and personal progression ( ...

, the Chief Scout will share presentation of the Chief Scout Award for

Rover Scouts Rovers or Rovering is a programme associated with some Scout organizations for adults, originated by The Boy Scouts Association in the United Kingdom in 1918 to provide a programme for young men who had grown up beyond the age range of the Boy ...

with the

President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...

, as the award is linked to

Gaisce – The President's Award Gaisce – The President's Award () is an award in Ireland, earned by young people between the ages of 14 and 25 for participating in several activities for a certain period. There are three awards: bronze, silver and gold. The term "gaisce" ...

Chief Scouts

Martin Burbridge (2004–2008)

Martin Burbridge is a native of

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

and is a qualified

accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certif ...

. He holds the

Wood Badge Wood Badge is a Scout leader training program, first implemented by The Scout Association, The Boy Scouts Association in the United Kingdom in 1919 and subsequently adopted, with variations, by some other Scout organizations. Wood Badge Course ...

and is a member of the

Order of Cú Chulainn Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...

. Burbridge had previously been the National Treasurer of Scouting Ireland (CSI) and one of those involved in the formation of Scouting Ireland. Burbridge became Chief of the Interim National Management Committee and, at the first National Council in The Helix in 2004, his position as Chief Scout was confirmed. Initiatives undertaken during his term included the adoption of a new uniform, a new administrative structure and a programme review. New 'Province' and 'County' structures and an administrative "reshuffle" followed. Changes during his time in office included the transition from two associations to one, operating in 32 counties and catering for almost 40,000 members, as well as increased youth membership and youth participation. Among the early criticisms of his term was a lack of communication relating to the Castle Saunderson project, which was later resolved. He was re-elected unopposed in June 2007 and was expected to serve a second and final term of 3 years until 2010. However, in a letter to the National Management Committee of Scouting Ireland dated 12 August 2008, Burbridge announced his decision to resign as Chief Scout "effective .midnight on Sunday 28 September 2008".

Michael John Shinnick (2008–2015)

Due to the resignation of Martin Burbridge the National Management Committee appointed Michael John Shinnick, the then Chief Commissioner for Adult Resources, as Scouting Ireland's second Chief Scout in September 2008. He was elected by National Council in March 2009 and re-elected in 2012 for a term to end in 2015.

Christy McCann (2015–2021)

An election for Chief Scout was scheduled for National Council on 18 April. There were two candidates nominated,

Seán Farrell Seán Farrell (died 1 August 1972) was an Irish politician and teacher. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála (TD) for the Leitrim–Sligo constituency at the 1923 general election. He did not take his seat in t ...

, National Secretary and former Ordinary Member of the National Management Committee (NMC), and Kiernan Gildea, former Chief Commissioner (Youth Programme) and Interim Dublin Metropolitan Provincial Commissioner. Gildea withdrew from the race on 17 April, and a yes/no referendum on Farrell was lost. The NMC scheduled an Emergency National Council for September 2015 to elect a successor. International Commissioner and former North Eastern Provincial Commissioner, Christy McCann, was elected as Scouting Ireland's third Chief Scout in September 2015 for a term to end in 2018. Four candidates in total took part in the election. Seán Farrell was again nominated along with McCann and two former ordinary members of the National Management Committee Ollie Kehoe and Pat O'Connor. Voting was by

single transferable vote The single transferable vote (STV) or proportional-ranked choice voting (P-RCV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which each voter casts a single vote in the form of a ranked ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vot ...

. McCann was elected unopposed for a second term in April 2018, serving until February 2021. The National Management Committee brought restructuring proposals to National Council in 2018. As part of these plans, each individual on the NMC agreed to resign as a

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, effective 31 October, so as to allow for the election of a new 10 person

Board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

, to come into office on 1 November, and the Chief Scout would no longer be a director, pending approval from extraordinary National Councils in June and October.

Jill Pitcher Farrell (2021–2024)

Rover Scout Rovers or Rovering is a programme associated with some Scout organizations for adults, originated by The Boy Scouts Association in the United Kingdom in 1918 to provide a programme for young men who had grown up beyond the age range of the Boy ...

and

Sea Scout Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...

Jill Pitcher Farrell was elected as Chief Scout in May 2021. She is Scouting Ireland's first female Chief Scout, and the first youth member to serve in the role.

Eoin Callanan (2024 onwards)

Eoin Callanan was elected unopposed to replace Pitcher Farrell in September 2024.

References

{{authority control Scouting Ireland