History
As a soldier, the Founder of Scouting and Guiding, Robert Baden-Powell discovered that boys could be trained and used to help in emergencies. He held an experimental camp at Brownsea Island in Dorset in 1907 at which the boys were divided into patrols and trained to be self-reliant.
The first big rally for Scouts was held at Crystal Palace outside London in 1909. At this there were 10,000 boys as well as some girls who dressed in a uniform and called themselves "Girl Scouts".
In 1910 Girl Guides were officially formed with the founder's sister, Agnes Baden-Powell, in charge. A syllabus for girls was drawn up for their training similar to that for the Scouts.
Only a year after the Girl Guide Movement was founded the first official company in Ireland was formed, in 1911 in Harold's Cross. Guiding quickly spread to Cork and Wicklow. At this time there was no border between North and South so Guiding was run as one organisation for all Ireland.
In 1929 Ireland was partitioned into the Irish Free State (26 counties) and Northern Ireland (6 counties) and a separate organisation for the Free State was created from the whole, the Irish Free State Girl Guides.
Ireland became a separate member of WAGGGS in 1932.
In 1938 the name of the organisation was changed to the Irish Girl Guides
In July 1993 at the 28th World Conference in Denmark, the Council of Irish Guiding Associations was ratified as a full member of WAGGGS. The Council of Irish Guiding Associations consists of The Irish Girl Guides and the Catholic Guides of Ireland on behalf of their members in the Republic of Ireland.
The World Conference was held in Dublin in July 1999. An International Guide Camp known as "Solas" was held in Charleville, Co. Cork in July 2002. Another International Camp known as "Campa Le Cheile" was held in Tattersalls, Co. Meath in July 2007. The Most recent international Guide Camp: "Camp 101" was held in 2012, in Lough Key forest park, Boyle, with vistors from 14 different countries!
Read more about this topic: Irish Girl Guides
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