Irish Scout Jamboree


has hosted many jamborees and jamborettes since Scouting started there in 1908.

List

YearJamboreeLocationDatesCamp ChiefAttendanceNotes
1948Listowel JamboretteCo. Kerry28 July – 10 AugustMichael Kennelly500The first Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland Jamborette with Scouts from Ireland, England, France, Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia and Italy attending.
1960Loc Rynn
Mohill,
Co. Leitrim		850Boy Scouts of Ireland's 1st Irish International Scout Camp. It was featured on RTÉ. Scouts from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, Scotland, France, Germany, the US, Switzerland, and Iceland attended.
1967Lios MórCo. Waterford18–29 JulyJames D. Hally3,000To mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland this national camp was held on the banks of the Blackwater river. The camp was visited by the Taoiseach Jack Lynch and Liam Cosgrave.
1968WestportCo. Mayo30 July – 9 AugustThe Boy Scouts of Ireland celebrated their Diamond jubilee.
1977JambororaMount Melleray,
Co. Waterford		26 July – 4 August12,000 to 20,000Celebrating the Golden jubilee of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland. Scouts from Ireland, Italy, Norway, France and the US attended the camp. The Girl Guides were also represented. The theme for the camp was Irish history, with the subcamps being named after seven Irish kingdoms: Aileach, Caiseal, Cruachan, Dal Riada, Deise, Eamhain Macha, and Tara. The Chieftains and Horslips played at the camp, and the closing ceremony was performed by Edouard Duvigneaud of the World Scout Committee.
1978Woodstock EstateInistioge,
Co. Kilkenny		1–10 August5,500Marking 70 years of Scouting in Ireland, the Scout Association of Ireland celebrated with Scouts from 20 different countries. President Patrick Hillery opened the Jamboree.
1982LakelandsCo. FermanaghThis was the largest Scouting event to be hosted by Fermanagh Scouts.
1985PortumnaCo. Galway30 July – 8 August10,000To celebrate International Youth Year the Scout Association of Ireland hosted the event with help from the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland, and the Scout Association of Northern Ireland. President Patrick Hillery opened the jamboree and 23 different countries were represented. Torrential rain fell during the summer which accounted for extremely muddy conditions.
1989GosfordCo. Armagh25 July – 4 AugustWilson Lambe3,000The Scout Association of Northern Ireland hosted this jamboree with help from the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and the Scout Association of Ireland. 24 countries were represented including Japan, Canada and the US. The Duke of Kent visited the site.
1993BallyfinCo. Laois27 July – 5 AugustKiernan Gildea7,000Scouting Ireland CSI hosted this jamboree with help from the Scout Association of Ireland and Scout Association of Northern Ireland. Scouts from Ireland, Australia, Canada and 15 European countries attended. Officially opened by President Mary Robinson with Patrick Mayhew.
1997Lough DanCo. Wicklow2,000Scouting Ireland SAI hosted jamboree at their national campsite. It was the last to be supported by both the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland, and the Scout Association of Northern Ireland, each taking it in turns to organise one of the previous 3 events.
2008Jamboree 2008Punchestown,
Co. Kildare		2–10 AugustChristy McCann12,500Scouting Ireland's first international Jamboree, celebrating 100 years of Scouting in Ireland. Scouts from Ireland, Canada, the US, Europe, Asia and Australia attended. The jamboree was curtailed due to adverse weather conditions on 9 August, and no closing ceremony was held.
2018JamboRí 2018Stradbally,
Co. Laois		25 July – 2 AugustKiernan Gildea4,000Scouting Ireland's second international Jamboree. Scouts from Ireland, Canada, the US, Europe, Asia and Australia attended.

Cancelled jamborees

Ballyfin '93 was an Irish Scouting Jamboree which took place in the grounds of Ballyfin College, Co. Laois, between 27 July and 5 August 1993. It was hosted by the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland, with the support and assistance of Scouting Ireland SAI and the Scout Association in Northern Ireland. It was the third of four such jamborees rotated among the three Scout Associations in Ireland. Portumna '85, and Gosford '89 preceded it, while it was followed by Lough Dan '97. The jamboree song "The Spirit Lives On" was a version of that used for the 15th World Scout Jamboree in Canada in 1983.
The campsite was split into seven subcamps for Scout Troops, Cub Scouts and staff, each named after an Irish Lake/Lough:
One of the highlights of the jamboree was a charity fundraising day in aid of UNICEF. As it took place on visitors' day, troops and staff set up stalls to raise money by selling items of food, or with novelty competitions.

Jamboree 2008

Jamboree 2008 was Scouting Ireland's first international Jamboree that was held from 2 until 10 August 2008. It took place on the grounds of the Punchestown Racecourse, County Kildare, Ireland. The aim of the Jamboree was to celebrate one hundred years of Scouting in Ireland. Over 12,000 Irish and overseas Scouts attended. The camp chief for Jamboree 2008 was Christy McCann. The Jamboree was curtailed due to adverse weather conditions on the ninth of August, and no closing ceremony was held. Subcamps were evacuated at speed, with many foreign or long distance troop being forced to shelter in the Punchestown Racecourse bar.
Punchestown Racecourse was chosen to host the Jamboree, having previously hosted the Creamfields, Witnness and Oxegen music festivals, and as such has often been used as a campsite for large numbers, however never for a duration of 10 days.
The jamboree opened with a bang on the second, with the opening ceremony being held using the same stage as the World Jamboree 2007. The celebrations team kept everyone thoroughly entertained until the arrival of Camp Chief Christy McCann who travelled to the opening ceremony in a coast guard helicopter. The flags of the attending countries were raised and the ceremony finished with a fireworks display.
Jamboree 2008 had its very own official radio station, called "Jam FM". The station broadcast on 95.9 FM and online to Local Kildare and west Wicklow areas via Three Rock Mountain. The format of the station was mainly commercial pop/rock and indie and with some talk. The station was headed by Robbie Daly, David Kelleher and Denzil Lacey. Presenters included, Stephen Daly of FM104 and Dublin's Q102.
The campsite was split into a total of nine subcamps; six of these subcamps were for attending Scout groups and Cub/Macaoimh packs. One subcamp was for Venture groups. One subcamp was for the families of staff. And the final subcamp was for Staff members.
The Beaver Day and Visitors Day were canceled due to torrential rain and flooding.
The Camp Chief Challenge was the most popular activity to take part in. This was a challenge set by the Camp Chief Christy McCann. It included doing activities in order to collect points. Anyone that managed to get 100 points or more was able to get the Camp Chief Challenge Pin. The easiest tasks were worth 5 points like getting the Camp Chief's signature, attending a Scouts' Own or visiting an information stand in the village. The hardest task, which was worth 20 points, was to have a meal with another troop/pack/unit.

JamboRí 2018

JamboRí '18 took place from 25 July to 2 August at Stradbally Hall near Portlaoise in the midlands of Ireland. Kiernan Gildea was Camp Chief. In 2014, Scouting Ireland's National Management Committee announced the intention to hold a jamboree in 2018, in preparation for hosting the World Scout Moot in 2021. The name of the jamboree was a play on the word rí which means King in Irish, with a theme of Rí-Create – Rí-Imagine and – Rí-Discover.
A Beaver and Cub Scout event over a long holiday weekend in June. Cub Scouts camp over-night for 3 nights and Beaver Scouts join, initially for the last night, but since 2012 for 2 last nights.