Figure 1.--This Cub pack was sponsored by the Anglican Holy Trinity Church in Killiney. Here they are having a dinner, we think in the 1950s. Apparently the dinner is for some French visitors. Perhaps some of the Cubs are French.

A key element in Scouting is the need to find sponsoring organization. Scouting cannot function without a sponsoring organization. We have little information about Irish Scout troop sponsorship at this time. We know that churches sponsored many troops. This wasthe case with the early British prohram which grew out of the Church-based Boys Brigade. In the United States many organizations beyound churches began sponsoring troops, including schools. In recent years the sponsoring orgnizations n America have reverted increasigly to churches. We are not sure yet about Irish Scouts as to other spomsoring organizations. We think that most if not all of the CBSI troops were sponsored by churches. We are not sure about the non-denominational Scout Association of Ireland. Ireland is a a largely Catholic countr, but there are other churches. Of course there are many Protestants in Ulster. Interestingly the religious divide in the largely Catholic south is nothing like that which is only beginning to heal in Ulster.