Scouts

 


C.B.S.I. Merit Badges

The list below from the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland book The Scouting Trail (first edition 1964) lists the merit badges a Scout could earn. Some badges had different requirements for different age groups. In order to progress from Second Class Scout to First Class Scout a Scout had to earn a required number of merit badges, at least one from each section A to F.


Catholic Scouts of Ireland Merit Badges


In use from the 1980s up to the 2004. The design and requirements for the badge were similar to the UK version, Catholic Scouts of Ireland badges did not have the Scout logo on them, it was not unusual to see a mixture of Scout logo and non-Scout logo worn by a C.S.I. Scout. The badges measured approximately 45mm by 45mm. The newer version of the badge had rounded corners and a black felt backing, older versions had a white backing. 


Art
Bird Study
Bugler


Astronomer
Athlete
  
Athlete (early issue)


Faith Badge

First Aid
Pioneer

Bell Ringer

Computer
Hiker

Master at Arms

Mountaineering
Musician

Signaller Communicator

The Link Badge
Archaeologist

Canoeist

Forester
Observer

Camper
Hiker
Guide

Helmsman
Canoeist Stage 2
Pioneer

Quest

Quartermaster

Secretary or Scribe

Printer
Translator (Public Speaker)
Irish Dancer

Explorer

Fire Man (Safety)
Nature Study

Life Saver

Bird Watcher
UK Bell RInger

Swimmer (advanced)
Musician		  

    In the 1960s and 1970s the UK Bell Ringer badge was used by C.B.S.I. there were very few church bells in Ireland on which the requirement for the badge could be met so the Bell Ringer badge was not often awarded.
The merit badges worn by C.S.I. Scouts were very similar to those worn by Scouts in the U.K., the only difference was C.S.I. badges did not have the Scout symbol. It was common to see a C.S.I. Scout wearing both C.S.I. badges and U.K. badges as can be seen on this Scouts uniform.

The requirement for various badges listed below are from the Catholic Boys Scouts of Ireland Organisation and Rules publication dating from about 1940.



Agriculture


Alter Server

Art
Astronomy
Athletics
Aviation
Basketry
Bee-Keeping
Bird Study
Blacksmithing
Bookbinding
Botany
Bugling
Business
Camping
Carpentry
Chemistry
Cooking
Cycling
Dairying
Electricity
Firemanship
First Aid
First Aid to Animals
Forestry
Gardening
Handicraft
Horsemanship
Interpreting
Leathercraft
Life Saving
Liturgy
Machinery
Masonry
Metalwork
Motoring
Music
Nature Study
Oarsmanship
Painting
Pathfinding
Personal Health
Photography
Physical Health
Pioneering
Plumbing
Poultry Keeping
Printing
Public Health
Radio
Safety
Scholarship
Sculpture
Sea Fishing
Seamanship
Signalling
Social Science
Surveying
Swimming
Tracking
Wood Carving

Scouting Ireland Skills Badges 2004 to 2010

Below are the Skills badges used by Scouting Ireland from 2004 until the introduction of the One Programme in 2010. They are similar to the present design although there were only four levels instead of the present nine levels.


Camping Skills

Paddling Skills

Emergency Skills
Pioneering Skills

Hiking Skills
Air Skills

Rowing Skills
Sailing Skills

Backwoods Skills

Scouting Ireland Skills Badges 2010 Current Issue


A progression of 9 badges numbered 1 to 9 with different borders.


Hiking
Backwoods

Camping Skills
Emergency Skills

Paddling (Canoe) Skills.
Pioneering Skills

Sailing Skills
Rowing Skills

Air Skills

Scout Association of Ireland Sea Scouts

Progressive Badge Scheme

In 2002 the S.A.I. introduced a new badge scheme for the Sea Scout section. The new scheme was known as the Progressive Badge Scheme. When the two associations merged in 2004 the scheme was continued by former S.A.I. Sea Scout Troops up until 2010, the scheme was discontinued with the introduction of the One Programme. Sea Scout Troops participating in the Progressive Badge Scheme could also were badges introduced in 2004 when they became part of Scouting Ireland although from what I have seen it appears Sea Scout Troops either adapted the new Scouting Ireland badges or remained with the Progressive Badge Scheme, I did not see any Troops using both schemes at the same time.


Attainment Badges

As part of the Progressive Badge Scheme new proficiency badges were introduced, these were known as Attainment Badges. The badges measure 30mm by 40mm with black felt backing.



Camp Skills

Hiking
Survival


Sailing

Power Boating
Swimming


Survival

Rowing
Rafting


Backwoods
First Aid

Canoeing


Cycling
Camping

Catholic Scouts of Ireland

and Scout Association of Ireland

 Cub Scout Merit Badges


In use from the 1980s up to the 2004, some Packs did continue using them up to the introduction of the One Programme in 2010. The design and requirements for the badge were similar to the UK version, Catholic Scouts of Ireland badges did not have the Scout logo on them, it was not unusual to see a mixture of Scout logo and non-Scout logo worn by a C.S.I. Cub Scout. The badges measured approximately 40mm by 30mm.

These badges were also used by the Scout Association of Ireland S.A.I. from the late 1980s up to the merger in 2004. Although the badge design was the same in the three stage badges Athlete and Swimmer the colour of the badge was different for S.A.I. Stage 1 Red, Stage 2 Yellow and stage three was Green. The requirements for the S.A.I. badge were different, a Cub had to take part in four different athletic competitions, 50 metre sprint, throwing a cricket ball, high jump and long jump, points were awarded for each event, the number of points gained determined the stage of badge awarded.



Book Reader

Pet Care
Entertainer

First Aid
Good Samaritan

Home Safety

Map Reader

Musician
Photographer

Chef

Collector
Cyclist

Handyman

Scientist
Communicator



Athlete Stage 1
SAI Stage 2

Athlete Stage 2
SAI Stage 3

Athlete Stage 3
SAI Stage 1


Pet Care
Explorer
Sports Man


World Faits
Artist
Gardener


Swimmer Stage 2
SAI Stage 3
Swimmer Stage 3
SAI Stage 1



Tracker
Travel

Fisherman


Camper
Computer Skills
World Faiths


Home Help
Rescuer

Bob-a-Job Badges

One on the main sources of fundraising for the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland was Bob-a-Job week. Bob-a-Job week and was renamed Scout Job Week in 1971 and was advertised and reported on in the national newspapers. The first Irish Bob-a-Job took place in 1951. Before the Golden Jubilee of the CBSI in 1977 badges were usually undated. The badges for the Jubilee had Jubilee Year on them, after Jubilee Year the year appeared on the squirrel badge and other designs although some badges after Jubilee Year some designs did not contain the year.


The badge depicting two squirrels was given to Scouts who had earned above a certain amount of money, this was replaced by the Super Jobbers badge. The squirrels on the Scout badge were yellow or gold and the Cub badge had a red squirrel.  

 




Golden Jubilee Year 1977



1978



1979



1981


1984

Undated CSI. This one was issued in 1985 for the release of the Ghost Busters film.
1985

 
1986


Diamond Jubilee 1987


1988

Bob-a-Job week badges. In 1989 the two Irish Scout Associations, C.B.S.I. and S.A.I. joined together for Scout Job Week sponsored by Johnson Wax (Ireland) who made household cleaning products. Scouts manned 200 stalls at supermarkets around the country where they did shoe-shining and members of the public could leave details of jobs they wanted done and the Scouts would call at an appointed time, accompanied by adults, to perform the allotted tasks. A Super-Jobber badge was awarded for collecting over a certain amount of money.
1989


Scouting Ireland S.I. Jobber badge, awarded to Scouts who took part in a group fund raising Bob-a-Job type activity. Badge measures 40mm by 40mm.