A group of WWHS members visited The Shackleton Experience, Athy, County Kildare on Saturday 18 July 2026. The exhibition is dedicated to Ernest Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer, who was born on 15 February 1874 at Kilkea House, Kilkea, County Kildare. His father’s family was descended from Abraham Shackleton who founded the Quaker school at Ballitore.
The Shackleton Experience is housed in the recently restored Town Hall on Emily Square built c.1745. This venue now features a striking two-storey glass shard extension in the shape of an iceberg, while a statue of Shackleton stands close to the building.
The building is home to a large collection of Shackleton artefacts including the sledge used on the Nimrod expedition, replica models of the Endurance and Quest ships and the James Caird lifeboat which was used to rescue the crew after the Endurance shipwreck. The exhibition is interactive and immersive, with a number of audio-visual displays and augmented reality simulations. One of the many highlights includes a small theatre complete with old-style seating and several original posters of Shackleton’s various speaking tours. Here you can view the original 1919 British silent film ‘aka silent moving picture’ entitled South, shot on site in Antarctica by the cinematographer Frank Hurley. This early film also captures the trapped Endurance as it is crushed by packed ice on the Weddell Sea during 1917 including footage of the 27 crew members, including Tom Cream, 69 sledge dogs and local wildlife.
Photo: One view of the two-storey glass shard extension at the Shackleton Experience, Athy