Derry & Donegal Scouts excel at Errigal Cup and Shield at City of Derry Rugby Club

The Errigal Cup and Shield County Finals saw scouts groups from different areas take on a number of challenges, with a very special guest in the form of champion Derry boxer Connor Coyle coming along to spur them on.

Among the groups taking part were the 1st, 2nd and 3rd St Mary’s Creggan, 33rd Derry Ballinascreen, 8th Donegal Carndonagh and Letterkenny.

In tandem, City of Derry Rugby club also hosted Erne County scouts from Tyrone and Fermanagh who were invited to hold their own event alongside the Errigal Cup and Shield.

The winners and the runners up will now go on to Phoenix national competition, which this year is being held in Limerick from August 14 and 17.

Over the course of the weekend, 8th Donegal Carndonagh emerged victorious in the Shield Competition and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Derry from St Mary’s Creggan team won the Campfire Sketch competition.

The two 33rd Derry Ballinascreen teams won the Cup competition, with each of the teams taking part having chosen a Disney-inspired name to go along with this year’s theme. Team A, which chose the name ‘Brave’, took first place as overall Cup competition winners at the weekend, with team B, ‘Snow White and the 7 Dwarves’ taking second place in the Cup. Team A will now go on to represent Errigal at the national finals in Limerick this summer.

Two of the leaders were also honoured at the event for years’ service to scouting, with Karen Brunton earning the Silver Merit Award and Paula Bradley earning the Bronze Merit award.

Séan Coyle from from Derry 33rd Ballinascreen said scouting gives young people a chance to develop life skills like basic life support and problem solving and leads to recognised qualifications and awards they can utilise in later life.

"The idea if the competition is they go onto the site which is 14m x 14m and they have to set up a dining shelter, a store room, a base for firewood, first aid facilities, they have to do all their cooking and create their meals themselves. They are being monitored to make sure everyone is safe but it is all about teaching the young people to be independent and develop life skills.

"They have to build a gateway and different gadgets like chairs and they get marks on those.”

There are five competitions within the actual Cup. Those events include the young people creating a song and developing a play, deciphering Viking-inspired morse code, demonstrating their capability in using compass co-ordinates, putting up a tarpaulin and building camp fires, and cooking.

Connor Coyle spoke to each of the groups about his own career during the event, while acclaimed musician Micaela provided the soundtrack to the final day’s events and presentations on Sunday.

“The whole idea is about team work, spirit, learning new life skills, meeting new friends and enjoying themselves,” Séan said.

Anyone wishing to find out more about scouting in their area can check out www.scouts.ie/ for information and contact details for groups in their area.