Celebrations are planned for Dublin and London for the 150th anniversary of the birth of Irish Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton on Thursday (15 February).

Born in Co Kildare, Shackleton led three expeditions to the icy regions of the South Pole, most famously on board his ship the Endurance. He was one of the most renowned explorers of the age of exploration.

He was awarded the Polar Medal by King Edward VII for his expeditions and to mark his anniversary, the Irish Government is now being urged to purchase the medal for display.

“If this medal is sold to a private collector it will disappear,” said Kevin Kenny of the Shackleton Museum in Athy.

“But its real value is as an inspiring and historic artifact and the best place for this is on public display, with the Shackleton Museum being its natural home. It’s just a matter of the Irish State making the small investment needed.”

The coming week will see several events to mark the anniversary. On Wednesday (14 February), a dinner will be held in the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, hosted jointly by the Atlantic Youth Trust and Explorers Club Ireland and the UK.

Speakers include Antarctic explorer and climber Pat Falvey, diver Rory Golden and round-the-world sailor Enda O’Coineen. Tickets priced €85 are available form Eventbrite.

Golden, who has dived on the Titanic and is a member of the Explorers Club, said: “Ernest Shackleton was the epitome of vision, courage and leadership. This is represented by or chapter of the Explorers Club logo of the James Caird boat from the Endurance being hauled ashore on South Georgia after its epic 17-day journey from Elephant Island. His 150th anniversary will hopefully inspire the next generation of scientists and adventurers in a new age of discovery.”

On Thursday, Ireland’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Martin Fraser will host a reception in the Irish Embassy in London. Later, a memorial stone to Sir Ernest Shackleton will be dedicated at Westminster Abbey, close to memorials for other renowned explorers Captain James Cook and Sir Francis Chichester.

Ambassador Fraser is hosting the event on behalf of the Atlantic Youth Trust, in their work to have Shackleton be recognised as a great Irish explorer and as an example and motivator for future generations, which is the charity’s mission.

The Shackleton medal was one of many international honours bestowed on the explorer. It has three clasps to mark his three expeditions to the South Pole.

His ship, the Endurance, which sank when crushed by the ice in 1915, was found in the Weddell Sea two years ago — 100 years to the day after the explorer’s funeral on 5 March 1922.

Chairman of the Atlantic Youth Trust, Enda O’Coineen said that Shackleton was very much an Irish explorer and every effort needed to be made to reclaim his legacy fully.

“This medal and other artefacts need to be returned,” he said.

A mural paying tribute to Irish and Norwegian explorers Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen has been unveiled by Norwegian Ambassador to Ireland Mari Skåre in Athy, Co Kildare.

The mural of Shackleton by artist Eloise Gillow records Amundsen’s words on hearing of the Irish explorer’s death. “Sir Ernest Shackleton’s name will forevermore be engraved with letters of fire in the history of Antarctic exploration, the Amundsen quote reads.

Mayor of Athy Cllr Brian Dooley also participated in the unveiling with Ambassador Skåre.

In 2016, a 3.5m high sculpture of Shackleton by Mark Richards was unveiled in Athy by Hon. Alexandra Shackleton and Mayor Ivan Keatley. Shackleton was born in Co Kildare, and Kildare County Council commissioned the sculpture from Richard to celebrate the centenary of Ernest Shackleton and his crew's remarkable journey in the James Caird and rescue of the remainder of his men from Elephant Island.

Artist Eloise Gillow with the mural of Shackleton in Athy, Co Kildare

2022 marks the centenary of Shackleton's death, and 150 years since Amundsen's birth. Kevin Kenny of the Shackleton Autumn School says, “The shared interest in polar exploration as exemplified by Amundsen and Shackleton is continued in the close links between the Fram museum in Oslo and the Shackleton Museum, Athy”.

A wonderful @CultureNight evening at @ShackletonMus for the unveiling of Eloise Gillow’s fabulous Shackleton mural. Thanks to all in attendance for their support including @MariSkaare @BerryCathal @MarkWall1 and hoping they can make the Autumn School in a few weeks #shackleton22 pic.twitter.com/1f92qpNGZx

— Shackleton Autumn School ?? (@shackskool) September 24, 2022

Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance has been located in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea just 106 years after it was crushed in ice.

The wreck of the ship has been filmed by the Endurance 22 expedition at a depth of 3009 metres (9868 ft) after it was located by the team onboard the South African polar research vessel SS Agulhas II.

Its location was confirmed exactly 100 years to the day after Shackleton’s funeral on March 5th 1922.

South African polar research vessel SS Agulhas II Ship at sea-4. Photo: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust and James Blake

“The worst portion of the worst sea in the world” was how the Irish explorer had described the location when the Endurance was crushed in 1915 during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1916.

Menson Bound, Director of Exploration of Endurance22 expedition (l) and John Shears, Expedition Leader (r) on the sea ice of Weddell Sea, in the Antarctic with S.A.Agulhas II in the background. Photo: Esther Horvath

Shackleton and crew were forced to take to the ice, with the leader and five men - including Kerryman Tom Crean and Corkman Tim McCarthy - subsequently undertaking one of the world’s most famous sea rescue voyages from Elephant island to South Georgia.

The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust said the shipwreck was found approximately four miles south of the position originally recorded by Capt Frank Worsley.

John Shears, Expedition Leader, Lasse Rabenstein,Chief Scientist of Endurance22 and Carl Elkington Team Leader of White Desert measure sea ice thickness on an ice floe in the Weddell Sea during the first science day. Photo: Esther Horvath

Marine archaeologist and exploration director Mensun Bound said:

“We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance”.

“This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation,” he said.

(Above and below) Sub-sea team of Endurance22 expedition and crew of S.A.Agulhas II recover the AUV after a dive in the Weddell Sea, in search for Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship the Endurance. From left to right: Dean Cedras crew of S.A.Agulhas II, J.C. Caillens, Off-Shore Manager, Frédéric Bassemayousse and Wayne Auton from White Desert team. Photo: Esther Horvath

“You can even see “Endurance” arced across the stern, directly below the taffrail. This is a milestone in polar history,” he said.

Master of the S.A. Agulhas II Capt. Knowledge Bengu used Saab’s Sabertooth hybrid underwater search vehicles to find the shipwreck.

Photo, video and a laser pictures of Endurance22 displayed in the control room of the AUV on board of S.A.Agulhas II. Photo: Esther Horvath

The trust noted that the wreck is protected as an historic site and monument under the Antarctic Treaty, “ensuring that whilst the wreck is being surveyed and filmed it will not be touched or disturbed in any way”.

Speaking to the BBC, Bound said that " this is the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen - by far”.

“It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation.

“You can even see the ship's name - E N D U R A N C E - arced across its stern directly below the taffrail (a handrail near the stern),” he told the BBC.

“ And beneath, as bold as brass, is Polaris, the five-pointed star, after which the ship was originally named,” he said, adding “you would have to be made of stone not to feel a bit squishy at the sight of that star and the name above”.

“And just under the tuck of the stern, laying in the silt is the source of all their troubles, the rudder itself,” Bound said.

“ You will remember that it was when the rudder was torn to one side by the ice that the water came pouring in and it was game over. It just sends shivers up your spine,” he said.

“When you rise up over the stern, there is another surprise. There, in the well deck, is the ship's wheel with all its spokes showing, absolutely intact. And before it is the companionway (with the two leaves of its door wide open) leading down to the cabin deck,” he said.

Endurance's wheel with all its spokes showing

“ The famous Frank Hurley (expedition photographer) picture of Thomas Ord Lees (motor expert) about to go down into the ship was taken right there,” Bound noted.

“And beside the companionway, you can see a porthole that is Shackleton's cabin. At that moment, you really do feel the breath of the great man upon the back of your neck,” he said.

Bound said the funnel is there with its steam whistle attached, close to the engine room skylight.

He identified two boots, which may or may not be a pair, along with several plates and a cup in the debris field beside the wreck.

Although the wardroom had been crushed when the mast fell, its outline can still be seen, along with the galley and pantry, he said.

Bound described the bow as “amazing”

“The masts, spars, booms and gaffs are all down, just as in the final pictures of her taken by Frank Hurley. You can see the breaks in the masts just as in the photos,” Bound said.

“You can even see the holes that Shackleton's men cut in the decks to get through to the 'tween decks to salvage supplies, etc, using boat hooks,” he said.

“ In particular, there was the hole they cut through the deck in order to get into "The Billabong", the cabin in "The Ritz" that had been used by Hurley, Leonard Hussey (meteorologist), James McIlroy (surgeon) and Alexander Macklin (surgeon), but which was used to store food supplies at the time the ship went down,” Bound noted.

Bound said he had hoped to find Orde Lees' bicycle, but “that wasn't visible”,

He had also hoped to find honey jars used by biologist Robert lark to preserve his samples, but did not see them.

One of the last images of Ernest Shackleton's Endurance until now. After more than a hundred years under the ice of the Weddell Sea the ship was located and photographed again

“ We hope our discovery will engage young people and inspire them with the pioneering spirit, courage and fortitude of those who sailed Endurance to Antarctica,” Bound said.

“We pay tribute to the navigational skills of Captain Frank Worsley, the captain of the Endurance, whose detailed records were invaluable in our quest to locate the wreck,” he said.

Bound thanked colleagues at the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust “for enabling this extraordinary expedition to take place, as well as Saab for their technology, and the whole team of dedicated experts who have been involved in this monumental discovery”.

One of the world’s leading shipwreck hunters David Mearns had described the challenge of finding the vessel as “the most difficult” due to the ice conditions.

The search for the remains of Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic-exploring achieved success today with ghostly images of the remarkably well-preserved vessel being sent to the search expedition.

Afloat has more on the story here

The Kildare-born Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton becomes more famous with every passing year, particularly in America where his successful saving of the lives of every member of his doomed 1914-1916 expedition with the ice-crushed Endurance is used in top business
schools as a study in successful adaptive leadership. Thus the possibility that much of the Endurance may remain largely intact deep under the surface ice of the Weddell Sea is a source of increasing fascination, but in 2007 a search expedition failed to find her as they lost contact with their free-moving submersible.

Today a new Endurance-seeking expedition is underway from South Africa, this time with a submersible that will maintain direct line-linked contact - The New York Times has the story here

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

Listen to the podcast below

In almost every crisis or period of exceptional and continuing difficulty - such as we're living through now - people will hope to relate to the ultimately successful example of survival to be found in the experiences of Polar explorer Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1916. He may not have achieved his objective of crossing the Antarctic landmass, but he and his crew survived a ten month period ice-embedded in the Weddell Sea in their ship Endurance. And when she was finally crushed, Shackleton successfully led the way in an heroic journey across the ice floes for another five months, and then across the Southern Ocean by small boat such that, in time, all 22 expedition members were brought safely home.

There are so many aspects to this story that even now it has not been fully analysed. But as regular Afloat.ie readers will be aware, one of the heroes involved, Tom Crean of County Kerry, is to be further commemorated through having the new Irish Research Vessel named after him. And in Mayo, noted Arctic voyager Jarlath Cunnane is building a replica of the 22ft ship's lifeboat James Caird in honour of the memory of Henry McNeish, the Scottish ship's carpenter who made such a successful job of converting the standard open rowing lifeboat into a decked ketch-rigged sailing vessel that she carried Shackleton and five shipmates across the 600 miles of the Southern Ocean to South Georgia and the eventual retrieval of all personnel.

The 22ft lifeboat James Caird – newly converted to "a seagoing ketch" – tethered to a long line after launching at Elephant Island on 24th April 1916, with the spars being floated out to her for the rig to be completed. Tim McCarthy of Kinsale was one of the crew for the epic voyage to South Georgia, and was subsequently given special praise for his heroism in keeping the James Caird afloat

It's intriguing that several of the key people involved were Irish or of Irish descent. Shackleton himself had been born in Kilkea, Co Kildare, though he lived in London from the age of ten. But Tom Crean was Kerry through and through, and eventually retired to his home village of Annascaul on the Dingle Peninsula to run the South Pole Inn.

Another of the small crew which sailed on the James Caird was Tim McCarthy, who'd been born in Kinsale in 1888. Having survived the Trans-Antarctic Expedition, on his return he transferred to the Royal Naval Reserve for service in the Great War of 1914-18, and within months had died while manning a gun on an armed tanker in the Atlantic.

A third Irish surname which resonates down the ages is that of Frank Hurley, the Expedition Photographer and Film-maker, whose exceptional skills in his special role have done so much to enhance the memories of the Shackleton expedition. James Francis Hurley (1885-1962) may sound like someone from just up the road, but in fact he was Australian, though his ancestors hadn't arrived in Australia by way of a prison ship – on the contrary, his father had arrived via work as a printer in Lancashire.

Frank Hurley, one of the great pioneers of expedition photography

Be that as it may, his superb images have done much to fix the Shackleton expedition in our mind's eye. But ultimately, it has to be remembered that none of it would have happened had it not been for the exceptional character and abilities of Ernest Shackleton himself.

This was set in context by another noted Antarctic explorer and renowned geologist, Sir Raymond Priestly. When asked to compare the great names of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration – Robert Falcon Scott, Roald Amundesen, and Ernest Shackleton – he responded:

"For scientific discovery, give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel, give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton".

The National Maritime Museum in Dun Laoghaire has invited Kevin Kenny from the Shackleton Museum in Athy to give an overview of Ernest Shackleton's Life, and he has drawn his title from Priestly's assessment:

"....GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND PRAY FOR SHACKLETON....."

This talk will give an overview of Ernest Shackleton's life, from childhood in Ireland through his extraordinary exploits and what he got up to when he wasn't battling the Polar elements. Everybody knows a piece about Shackleton - the intention of this talk is to build the person around that piece of knowledge.

Shackleton was a multifaceted and in many ways contradictory character whose Irish Quaker roots cast a large influence on his life and his major achievements. Despite failing to achieve the objectives of his expeditions, he has reached iconic status for his determination, leadership and decision making.

In the period 1902 – 1922, he participated in four Antarctic expeditions, three of which he led. He was something of an outsider in the exploration establishment of the time, as a merchant rather than naval seafarer. He was considered as Irish by his contemporaries, though it is only in recent years that he has gained recognition in his country of birth.

A studio portrait of "Ernest Shackleton the Explorer"

Sir Ernest Shackleton on his last expedition in 1922, aged just 47

By any measure, Shackleton is a colossus in the pantheon of Polar exploration. This talk will pull together the well-known and lesser known achievements and traits of the person that was Ernest Shackleton.

The Shackleton Museum, Emily Square, Athy, Co. Kildare hosts a permanent exhibition 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 family photographs and an audio visual display featuring Frank Hurley's original film footage of the Endurance expedition.

In 2015, the Museum acquired the ship's cabin from the polar ship Quest in which Ernest Shackleton died in 1922, aged just 47.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER, KEVIN KENNY

The fortunate purchase of a second hand book with a postcard from Ernest Shackleton as a pagemarker is responsible for Kevin's interest in the Kildare-born Polar Explorer. Shackleton has been an easy travelling companion since, and has popped up on the most surprising occasions.

Kevin Kenny (left) with explorer Ranulp Fiennes in Athy, Co Kildare

From Kildare, Kevin is a board member of Athy's Shackleton Museum. He is one of the organisers of the annual Shackleton Autumn School, now in its 21st year, and has contributed to other projects aimed at understanding the unique traits of Shackleton. He feels that Shackleton's qualities are relevant to many of the challenges faced in modern life, and never more so than the current pandemic. He is always enthusiastic to share his discovery of Shackleton with others

Link to register for this National Maritime Museum event on Thursday 25th February 2021 here

Ireland and the Antarctic Treaty and the conservation of Ernest Shackleton’s Quest ship’s cabin in Connemara’s Letterfrack are among topics for this year’s Shackleton autumn school which takes place online on Saturday (Oct 31).

“Virtually Shackleton” is hosted online by the Shackleton Museum Athy, Co Kildare from 10.30 am on Saturday.

Conservation Letterfrack’s Sven Habbermann, who is working on the Quest cabin in which Shackleton spent his last hours, and Prof Aidan O’Sullivan of University College Dublin are among the first speakers.

Artist Pauline Garavan will speak about her art piece on the Endurance, and a guided tour of the Fram, the hip that was used in expeditions of the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen, will be given by Geir Kløver, director of the Fram museum in Oslo, Norway.

Dr Juliana Adelman will speak about the making of the successful Shackleton podcasts for the Athy museum, and Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan will participate in a discussion on Saturday afternoon on Ireland and the Antarctic Treaty with Bob Headland of Britain’s Scott Polar Research Institute.

A full programme is below, and registration for the free series of events is here

Virtually Shackleton agenda, October 31st 2020

• 10:30 – 10:35 Opening of Virtually Shackleton 2020 from the Shackleton Museum, Athy, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
• 10:35 – 11:20 “First appearances – the conservation of Ernest Shackleton’s Quest cabin”. Sven Habermann, Conservation Letterfrack.
• 11:30 – 11:55 “Inuit, Irish and Norse: the earliest explorers of the North Atlantic”. Prof. Aidan O’Sullivan, University College Dublin.
• 12:05 – 12:30 “Pauline Garavan speaks about her Endurance art piece”. Artist, Pauline Garavan.
• 12:40 – 13:05 “Norwegian Wood – Guided tour of Fram followed by Q&A”. Geir Kløver, Director, The Fram Museum, Oslo, Norway.
• Lunch: ICEBREAKER session will run during lunchtime streaming videos connected with the work of the Shackleton Autumn School.
• 1) David Butler on illustrating the ‘James Caird’ voyage;
• 2) South Georgia by kayak, 2019;
• 14:00 – 14:25 “The Boss in Bronze: sculptor Mark Richards on his work and creating the Athy Shackleton statue”. Sculptor Mark Richards in conversation with Kildare County Council Arts Officer, Lucina Russell.
• 14:35 – 15:05 “Trick or Treaty: Ireland and the Antarctic Treaty, a discussion”. Minister of State, Malcolm Noonan in conversation with Bob Headland, Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, UK.
• 15:15 – 15:45 “The use of ponies in Antarctica: Was it a silly idea?” A lecture by Antarctic historian Bob Burton.
• 16:00 – 16:20 “Stream it like you mean it, the background to the making of the successful podcast ‘What would Shackleton do?’”. Interview with Dr Juliana Adelman, Dublin City University and John Carty (actor). (visit www.shackletonmuseum.com/audio-visual/ for podcast).
• 16:30 – 16:55 “The Great Escape. Jim McAdam’s account of exiting the Falklands and southern Patagonia just as lockdown hit”. Dr Jim McAdam, Shackleton Museum, Athy, & Queens University, Belfast.
• 17:05 – 17:25 “Falkland Islands calling - Presentation on Shackleton, the Falkland Islands and its museum connection with the Shackleton Museum”. Falklands Museum staff & Shackleton Museum.
• 17:25 Close of Virtually Shackleton 2020.
• 17:30 – 18:00 Zoom session continues in O’Briens.
• 20:00 – 21:05 Shackleton’s Endurance: online streaming of the premiere performance from Carlow, Ireland, October 2014 (narration, music, visuals).

“For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton..”

The words of British geologist Raymond Priestley, who spent time in Antarctica with both Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott, underpin a Co Kildare museum's bid to boost national morale during the pandemic, the Times Ireland reports.

“What would Shackleton do?” is the title of five podcasts which the museums’ voluntary board is releasing free to the public.

The short recordings draw on the Kildare-born adventurer’s key characteristics for successful exploration-optimism, patience, idealism and courage.

An extra one – “kindness”, as shown by health workers and other frontline staff – has been added by the museum podcast team, working with producer Dr Juliana Adelman, assistant professor of history at Dublin City University.

Optimism is the theme of the first podcast, introduced by the explorer’s cousin, Jonathan Shackleton. When the vessel Endurance hired for Shackleton’s Transantarctic expedition was finally crushed by pack ice in late 1915,” the Boss” painted a cheery vision.

“The ship and the stores are gone, so now we are going home,” the explorer told his crew after they had taken to the ice with food, drink, photographs and musical instruments retrieved from the ship.

Time and again, he reinforced this vision, Shackleton Museum director Kevin Kenny explains, and his optimism was perhaps best displayed by his decision to embark with five others on a seemingly desperate 800-mile sea journey to fetch help,

“Patience” – the theme of the second podcast – was the name Shackleton chose for the initial ice floe encampment, fellow museum director and historian Seamus Taaffe tells Prof Adelman.

The explorer had no patience when at home, as he could be impetuous and moody, and had a terrible business sense, with a tobacco company, gold mining in central Europe and an attempt to ferry troops to Russia among his failed ventures.

However, Shackleton was “quite a different man on the ice”, and in extreme circumstances, Taaffe says. His crew nicknamed him “cautious Jack”, and he was inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If, which he had hung in his ship’s cabin - and managed to take with him on his epic sea journey.

Read The Times report here As one of the museum's directors observes, pandemic restrictions have forced us all to live like trapped adventurers “on a metaphorical ice floe”.

The “What would Shackleton do?” podcast series is here 

“We are celebrating here afloat on the Antarctic floe not knowing what way we will drift next or be frozen in for another winter... Breakfast a seal steak and cup of tea...dinner a pancake made of flour water fried in seal blubber... supper stewed seal and cocoa....”

The writer getting tired of a diet of seal was “186 miles from known land”, and stuck on a ship trapped in an ice floe in the Antarctic.

Now his recently discovered diary extract from over a century ago has been presented to the Co Kildare museum dedicated to the adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton.

The diary extract has been presented to the Co Kildare museum

The mixture of diary and philosophical and scientific notes – the first of its kind to be unearthed in relation to Shackleton’s Imperial Transantarctic expedition 1914 -1917 – is believed to have been kept by Harry McNish, ship’s carpenter on the Endurance expedition.

The Endurance was focus of one of the most famous sea rescues of the early 20th century, when it became stuck in ice in January 1915 and was crushed that November during Shackleton’s attempt to sail south and cross Antarctica by land.

Kerryman Tom Crean and Corkman Tim McCarthy were part of the lifeboat crew who sailed some 800 nautical miles with Shackleton from Elephant island to south Georgia to get help for their stranded colleagues.

The diary surfaced at the BBC Antiques Roadshow, during a recording in Belfast in July 2018

The diary surfaced at the BBC Antiques Roadshow, during a recording in Belfast in July 2018.

Ms Nicki Jemphrey said it had been in her family’s possession for decades after it was given to her father over 40 years ago. She said she had “no idea who wrote it”.

The writer describes the ordeal of surviving on drifting ice and being forced to kill their dogs.

“Penguin came up rudder hole..Anxious for war news, ”the writer says at one point and muses on the outcome of the first world war.

“ Hope Russians will get Kaiser If Britain gets him they will set him up in a Palace at ratepayers expense", the writer says, giving latitude on each entry.

At one point, the writer records sledge races, and records how “all had hair shaved” and were photographed looking “like a fine lot of convicts”.

“Hope to get to civilisation one day,” he adds – and they all did.

Organisers of the annual autumn Shackleton school in Athy, Co Kildare, contacted Ms Jemphrey, and circulated copies of the diary for examination by three experts.

Philippa Wordie whose grandfather James Wordie was on Endurance and who collated the official accounts from diaries, Jonathan Shackleton, a descendant of the Irish-born explorer, and Bob Burton, formerly of the British Antarctic Survey, examined the document at their autumn school last month.

There is still a “bit of a mystery” about the entries, according to Kevin Kenny of the Shackleton autumn school, as Henry (or Harry) McNish wasn’t an officer and would not have been required to keep a log.

Handwriting also varies, with one entry referring to the importance of “increasing the supply of Irish honey, which is, by the way, superior to English honey...”

McNish was the oldest member of the expedition, and a socialist and United Free Church of Scotland member who hated bad language. He was known by his nickname, “Chippy”.

He fell out with Shackleton after a decision to have the ship’s cat, Mrs Chippy, put down along with the dog teams.

The diary has been given by Ms Jemphrey to the Shackleton Museum in the Athy Heritage Centre on long-term loan, and is now on display as the only account of its type.