The Order of CúChulainn is the highest award for adults in

Scouting Ireland Scouting Ireland ( ga, Gasóga na hÉireann) 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 peo ...

History

It was introduced in 2004 to replace

Scouting Ireland (CSI) The Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland (CBSI; ga, Gasóga Caitliceacha na hÉireann) 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 ...

's ''Order of the Silver Wolfhound'' and the equivalent award of Scouting Ireland S.A.I., the ''Order of the Silver Elk''. The first awards were presented at

Larch Hill Larch Hill International Scout and Guide Centre is the national campsite, and administrative and training headquarters of Scouting Ireland. It was previously owned by Scouting Ireland (CSI). Overview Larch Hill was purchased in 1937 and has gon ...

with all those who held the highest award of the previous associations being invested as Honorary Members of the Order of CúChulainn by Martin Burbridge, the

Chief Scout A Chief Scout is the principal or head scout for an organization such as the military, colonial administration or expedition or a talent scout in performing, entertainment or creative arts, particularly sport. In sport, a Chief Scout can be the prin ...

Origin of the name

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...

, Cúchulainn ('Hound of Culann') is the pre-eminent hero of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

in the

Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle ( ga, an Rúraíocht), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly coun ...

. The image of Cúchulainn is invoked by both

Irish Nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of c ...

s and

Ulster Unionist The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movem ...

s, in murals, poetry, literature and other art forms.

Requirements

The Award is presented for outstanding commitment to Scouting over many years. Investiture into the Order is only made at functions with an appropriate level of importance. It is presented by the

except in circumstances whereby they are unable to attend and another appropriate presenter is chosen.

Insignia

Order pendant

Members of the Order wear a yellow and red ribbon around the neck from which a miniature replica of a hound hangs, along with the World Crest. It is one of only four items which may be worn around the neck by members of Scouting Ireland, the others being the Lanyard, the

Wood Badge Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership programme and the related award for adult leaders in the programmes of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills ...

and most commonly, the

Neckerchief A neckerchief (from ''neck'' (n.) + ''kerchief''), sometimes called a necker, kerchief or scarf, is a type of neckwear associated with those working or living outdoors, including farm labourers, cowboys and sailors. It is most commonly still see ...

Citation

Each member receives a certificate, on which there is a citation which details the Scouting career of the recipient and reasons why he/she has been deemed to have made an exceptional contribution to the provision of Scouting in Ireland. The citation is read formally before the presentation is made.

Order pin

An Order of CuChulainn pin may be worn on the adult award ribbon. The pin consists of a hound, identical to that on the pendant.

Similar awards

The

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded ...

Silver Buffalo Award The Silver Buffalo Award is the national-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis, either as part of, or independent of the Scouting pro ...

is an international equivalent award to the Order of CúChulainn. Unlike the Silver Buffalo, however, The Order is always presented to an active member of Scouting Ireland. Honorary membership may be offered to significant public figures in recognition of their achievements. This honorary membership does not confer membership of the Order of CúChulainn. The Scout association (UK) awards the Silver Wolf.

Scouts Australia Scouts Australia is a trading name of The Scout Association of Australia, which is the largest scouting organisation in Australia, with an estimated 55,038 youth participants in 2021, and a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movem ...

awards the Silver Kangaroo. Scouts New Zealand awards the Order of the Silver Kawaka. The Order of the Silver Elephant is awarded in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOSM ...

awards the

Bronze Wolf The Bronze Wolf Award is bestowed by the World Scout Committee (WSC) to acknowledge "outstanding service by an individual to the World Scout Movement". It is the highest honor that can be given a volunteer Scout leader in the world and it is the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Order of CuChulainn Scout and Guide awards Scouting Ireland