Our Story
The 17th Dalkey was founded in 1927 as part of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland. For the first 50 years the Troop met in a variety of locations around Dalkey including Our Lady’s Hall, the Town Hall and Epworth Hall.
This changed in the 1970’s when Terry Connolly, the group leader at the time, led the challenge with a highly motivated group of the scouts’ parents and leaders to provide the group with a permanent home.
The den that was built from their efforts. It opened in 1976 to great ceremony which was the culmination of a parade by all sections of the scout troop, from the Epworth Hall, down Castle Street and up the football field for the official opening.
In the intervening years the den has been the base for numerous adventures in to the Wicklow and Dublin hills, which are basically the scout’s home playground and many other exploits across Ireland, England and Western Europe. The den has seen thousands of kids pass through it doors and seen them grow from young kids into adulthood many to return to join the band of leaders without whom the adventure would not continue. 95 years on we’re delighted to still be keeping the spirit of scouting alive!
(Content for this piece was largely taken from an article by Alan Byrne in the Dalkey Community Newsletter in March 2014)
