The first Ventact South

From 1–3 September 1978, Kilcully hosted the very first Ventact South, beginning a tradition that would become one of the campsite’s longest-running events.

Ventact South was established as a joint activity weekend bringing together the senior sections of Scouting and Guiding. Its founding committee included representatives of the Scout Association of Ireland, Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland, Irish Girl Guides and Catholic Guides of Ireland, making cooperation between the different movements an important part of the event from the very beginning.

Young people gathered at Kilcully for a weekend of camping, activities and friendship, establishing a format that would continue to develop over the following decades.

What began at Kilcully in 1978 proved remarkably enduring. Ventact South continued through the following decades and became a major annual gathering for senior Scouts and Guides from throughout Ireland. Scouting Ireland was still recording more than 300 Venture Scouts attending at Kilcully in 2010, while today’s Ventact describes itself as the only event of its type organised jointly by Scouts and Guides and attracting around 700–800 young people.

Almost half a century after that first gathering, Kilcully remains the home of Ventact South, making the event an enduring part of the campsite’s history.