Group History

​3rd Kilkenny Thomastown Scout Group was founded in November 1963 with initially 4 Scouts.  The troop rapidly grew to 40 Scouts by April 1967.  The first Scout Master was school teacher Joe Dunphy who helped the troop to lay solid roots and meetings took place in the CYMSI building.  The first ever annual camp was held in Clonae Strand Co, Waterford but the first big camp was in 67 when they attended the national CBSI camp in Lismore Co, Waterford.  Girls joined the Group in the mid eighties and Scouting has thrived in the town ever since.  In 1980 the Scout Group voted to join up with Waterford Scout County which went on to become Waterford - South Kilkenny Province.  This led to a longstanding friendship with many Scouters in Waterford, a relationship that remains to this day.  When Scouting Ireland was formed in 2004 our Scout Group then became part of the newly formed Carlow - Kilkenny Scout County in the South Eastern Province.  In 2013 the Scout Group was donated the vacant Convent of Mercy National School premises and at last the Scout Group had its own premises.  This has allowed the Group to expand and in 2020 the Group had 153 youth members across 7 Sections.  There is a great history of Scouting in our town and as the Group continues to grow we are now seeing lots of members from all of the surrounding towns and villages.  The Group became a registered charity in 2020 and was successful in applying for significant funding from Kilkenny Leader Partnership and Kilkenny County Council to further improve our Scout Den.  All in all the future of our Group is very bright with children and young people at the core of everything that we do.  

The Scout News - Published 1967

A historical document has been donated to Thomastown Scout Group from Stasia Heafey.  The Scout News published in April 1967.  The newsletter outlines the history of the Scout Group from when it began in November 1963 when a Troop Charter was obtained.  Four members initially started in the group and they were Maurice Burris, Billy Power, Nicholas Walsh and Joe Minogue.  In 1967 when this newsletter was published there were forty members.
The newsletter gives an outline of the history of Scoutmasters, there is a page on the Lismore trip of 1967, a section on Bob-a-Job etc.
This document will be published here shortly for all to read.  It is a very old and fragile document which needs a little TLC.  A great find considering next year (2023) brings Thomastown Scout Group to its 60th year.  

Lismore 1967. 3rd from Left: Willie Dempsey, Tadhg Feeney, Billy Daly. 2nd from Right: Paddy Heafey. Our lads making a cuppa and making some friends.