Ernest Shackleton Autumn School 2017

Celebrating Polar Exploration in Athy

Athy Heritage Centre MuseumAthy

Event Details

  • Fri 27 Oct - Mon 30 Oct  2017


  • Venue Details
    Athy Heritage Centre Museum

    Shackleton Museum
    Town Hall, Emily Square
    Athy



Join us in Athy for the 17th Annual Ernest Shackleton Autumn School over the October Bank Holiday weekend. Theme lectures, exhibitions and culture night.

 

Shackleton's Endurance crew of 28 had set out in 1914 to make the first traverse of Antarctica via the South Pole, but the ship became trapped and crushed in pack ice. On April 24th 1916 , Shackleton and five crew, including Irishmen Tom Crean and Tim McCarthy set out in a timber lifeboat on an 1,300 km sea journey to South Georgia to get help for their 22 comrades stranded on Elephant island. With no loss of life, it is regarded as one of the most famous sea rescues on record.

 

Athy Heritage Centre Museum is home to the only permanent exhibition in the world devoted to Ernest Shackleton. Highlights include an original sledge and harness from his Antarctic expeditions, a 15-foot model of Shackleton’s ship Endurance, an exhibition of unique Shackleton family photographs and an audio-visual display featuring Frank Hurley’s ???lm footage of the Endurance expedition.

A century to the day (30th August 2016) since Sir Ernest Shackleton rescued the crew of his ship Endurance from Elephant island in the Antarctic ocean, a bronze statue to the polar explorer has been unveiled in the town centre (Athy). 

 

The museum acquired the ship’s cabin ('The Quest') in which Shackleton died, and which was located by Corkman Eugene Furlong in Norway. It is currently being restored in Letterfrack, Co Galway, with a view to relocating it to Athy.

 

Proudly supported by Kildare County Council.


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