Kilcully Officially Opens

Kilcully Officially Opens

After the acquisition of the property in 1970 and a busy first year of Scout activity, Kilcully Campsite was officially opened on Sunday, 2 May 1971.

Kilcully was a hive of activity over its opening weekend in May 1971, with the Diocesan Shield Competition taking place alongside the celebrations surrounding the new campsite.

One photograph records the arrival of Bishop Cornelius Lucey, Bishop of Cork, on 1 May 1971, the day before Kilcully was officially opened.

Other photographs from that day capture a campsite still very much in its early stages. Simple pioneering structures formed the setting for the ceremony, while Kilcully House and the surrounding grounds were beginning their transformation into a permanent home for Scouting in Cork.

The original invitation to the official opening of Kilcully Campsite show that the ceremony took place at 3pm on Sunday, 2 May 1971, with Chief Scout Lt. Col. P. D. Hogan officially opening the new campsite and addressing those gathered.

The simple timber stage and pioneering-style surrounds reflect Kilcully’s beginnings as a Scout campsite. The distinctive wooden “Welcome to Kilcully Campsite” plaque at the front of the stage was carved by members of the 41st Cork, Passage West Scout Troop — a small piece of Kilcully history preserved in this photograph.