A century ago, a ship called The Quest was at sea between Lisbon and Madeira on what was to be Ernest Shackleton’s final expedition.
This coming January, the centenary of the adventurer’s death in Antarctica will be marked with a series of international events – including a programme planned by the Shackleton museum and its committee in Athy, Co Kildare.
The crow's nest or lookout from The Quest, Shackleton's last ship
This includes the loan of the “crow’s nest” or lookout from The Quest from All Hallows by the Tower in London. It will be exhibited in the Athy museum until January, as one of only several remaining artefacts from the ship – also including the Shackleton cabin which has been donated to the Kildare museum by Norwegian Ulfe Bakke whose family had maintained it since 1922.
Jonathan Shackleton (right) with Sir Ranulph Fiennes in the Athy museum
On Saturday, October 30th, the annual Shackleton autumn school, Virtually Shackleton, has a packed line-up of speakers, including Dr Jan Chojecki, grandson of John Quiller Rowett who financed that last expedition, Jo Woolf on Shackleton’s involvement with the Royal Geographical Society, and Alan Noake on Shackleton’s scouts.
Kevin Kenny(left) of the Shackleton committee in Kildare with British adventurer and Shackleton biographer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Seamus Taaffe
Other participants include sailor and adventurer Seb Coulthard, who joined a re-enactment in 2013 of the celebrated 830-mile boat journey aboard the James Caird lifeboat from Elephant Island to South Georgia, artist Angelina Foster on Shackleton’s printmaking in Antarctica, and Sinead Moriarty on representing him in children’ s literature.
The statue of Sir Ernest Shackleton at the Athy heritage museum in Kildare
Kevin Kenny of the Shackleton committee and autumn school spoke to Afloat's Wavelengths about the programme.
Registration for the one-day event is free and more details are here
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