This article examines the establishment and development of Na Fianna Éireann, or the Irish National Boy Scouts, in the period 1909-16. It also assesses the contributions of the organisation’s two founders Countess Constance Markievicz (1868-1927) and Bulmer Hobson (1883-1969) in the early years of its existence. Bureau of Military History witness statements, a key source for the history of the Fianna, indicate that a degree of controversy surrounds the relative importance of the pair in the foundation and control of the Fianna movement.