Shackleton Autumn School 2009

For the last nine years the local Heritage Centre has hosted the Shackleton Autumn School over the October Bank Holiday weekend.  It has grown in status over the years, hosting as it does each year a gathering of overseas polar experts who bring to an Irish audience an unrivalled knowledge and experience of polar affairs.  This year the weekend’s event will have lecturers from Norway, America and England and many overseas visitors will be arriving in Athy to take part in what has become Europe’s premier Antarctic event.

The mixture of lectures, exhibitions, drama and film has proved to be a winning formula.  With the other local festivals such as the Bluegrass Festival, the Athy Waterways Festival and the Medieval Festival, the Shackleton weekend provides a welcome addition to the social and cultural life of the town.

This year on the opening Friday night the Shackleton Memorial Lecture will be given by Caroline Casey.  Caroline is registered blind but despite this has packed more into her short life than many of us could hope to do in a lifetime.  You may recall her journey across India on an elephant some years ago, a trip which got nationwide coverage on radio and TV.  On her return from the Indian continent Caroline founded the Aisling Project now re-named Kanchi which works to facilitate the integration of persons with disabilities into the work force.  From that she developed and presented on Irish TV the O² Ability Awards.  Her achievements in the face of enormous difficulties have been recognised nationally and internationally, culminating in her appointment as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2006.  She was the first and only Irish person appointed to that forum and further honours came courtesy of the National University of Ireland when she was awarded an honorary doctorate.  Two years ago she received the Eisenhower Fellowship.

Earlier on Friday evening and prior to Caroline Casey’s talk, Alexandra Shackleton, granddaughter of Ernest Shackleton, will launch the book ‘The Shackleton Letters: Behind the Scenes of the Nimrod Expedition’, a book published by the Erskine Press of Norwich, England. The choice of Athy Heritage Centre to launch the book written by Regina Daly is quite an achievement for the Shackleton Autumn School.  Unquestionably the launch confirms the growing importance of the Shackleton weekend within Antarctic exploration circles.  The Shackleton School’s own publication, ‘Nimrod’ – Volume 3 will be on sale during and after that weekend.  It includes some of the lectures given at the 2008 School and with previously issued volumes 1 and 2 provides a well ordered and comprehensive coverage of lectures in past years. 

On Saturday 24^th October the lectures commence at 10.30 a.m. with a talk by Hans Kjell Larsen, a native of Norway on his fellow countryman and grandfather, the Antarctic pioneer Captain C.A. Larsen.  This is followed at 12noon by Professor Andrew Lambert’s talk on the Franklin Expedition.  That expedition remains to this day shrouded in mystery following the disappearance of it’s ships and all their crew in the Arctic.

Dr. David Wilson, the grand nephew of Dr. Edward Wilson who perished with Captain Scott’s Polar party, will give an illustrated talk on Shackleton’s Nimrod Expedition.  Dr. Russell Porter from Rhode Island College, U.S.A. will give the final talk on Saturday on the subject of the Franklin Expedition.  Sunday morning will have particular interest for book lovers when Dr. Michael Rosove, a Professor of Medicine at the University of California and the author of several books on Antarctic history, gives his talk on ‘The Great Books of Shackletonia’.  Dublin-born Marie Herbert who with her husband Wally spent years with the Inuit in Greenland will conclude the Sunday morning lectures and in the afternoon a selection of unusual and long forgotten early polar films will be shown in the Town Hall. 

Sunday night sees the first performance in Athy of John MacKenna’s new play, ‘We Once Sang Like Other Men’.  This prolific writer has produced a body of work including novels, short stories and plays which has been scarcely paralleled by any other modern Irish writer.  Adding to his literary achievements is John’s continuing involvement as an actor and in his new play directed by Marion Brophy John plays the role of Peter the fisherman, in a modern re-telling of an age old tale.  We had hoped to have the local writer’s new play as the first drama to be shown on the stage of the new Arts Centre in Woodstock Street, but unfortunately it’s not possible pending the completion of planned fitting out work.  Instead the play will be staged in the Town Hall on Sunday night, 25^th October commencing at 9.00 p.m.  The bus tour through ‘Shackleton country’ will conclude the weekend’s activities.  Those wishing to travel should assemble at the Heritage Centre no later than 10.00 a.m. on the Bank Holiday Monday.

This year the exhibition to run in conjunction with the Autumn School tells the story of Shackleton’s Nimrod Expedition.  This was the first expedition led by the Kilkea-born explorer and it will feature several priceless artefacts from the 1907-1909 Expedition never before displayed in this country. The Scott Polar Institute of Cambridge has cooperated with the Heritage Centre in putting on this Exhibition.  Some of the items on display will include equipment from that expedition, together with tins of food carried by the explorers as they traversed the Antarctic continent.  Other items include Shackleton’s sledging flag and a copy of the route chart prepared for the search party which set out to find Captain Scott and his companions who perished on the later Terra Nova Expedition.  There will be many more important artefacts on display, including a unique original copy of the book ‘Aurora Australis’ which was the very first book printed on the Antarctic Continent. 

The help of Kildare County Council, Athy Town Council, Tegral, Athy Credit Union, Athy Chamber of Commerce and Diageo in supporting the Shackleton School is acknowledged.  The continuing support of the local people of Athy and district is also welcomed and an invitation is extended to all our readers to attend the official opening of the Autumn School at 7pm on Friday, 23^rd October in Athy Heritage Centre.  The wine reception that evening will be sponsored by the Carlton Abbey Hotel. 

Shackleton Autumn School 2009

This coming October Bank Holiday weekend visitors from the UK, the U.S., Canada, Norway and all over Ireland will be coming to Athy to attend the 9^th annual Ernest Shackleton Autumn School.  The school was established in 2001 by a group of local polar enthusiasts in conjunction with Athy Heritage Centre.  The school was established to commemorate the year of heroic polar exploration of which so many Irishmen were key figures including Ernest Shackleton and Tom Crean.  Such has been the consistent interest in the school that it has gone from strength to strength since its foundation.  Many of us will recall the wonderful performances of Liam O’Flynn and his fellow musicians in the Dominican Church Athy for the premier of his piece specially commissioned by the Heritage Centre to commemorate Ernest Shackleton’s exploits.  The piece was an eloquent tribute to Shackleton and all those men who served with him and hopefully one day Liam will release a recording of it.  In the intervening years there have been a number of different events during the school which have left indelible impressions on those who attended it.  Chief amongst these must be Aidan Dooley’s wonderful evocation of the life of Tom Crean.  Aidan’s extraordinary virtuoso performance gave life to this wonderful Kerry man whose exploits earned him a reputation almost on par with Ernest Shackleton.  Last year one of the most significant events was the hosting of the Face to Face polar portraits exhibition.  This exhibition, on loan from the Scott Polar Research Institute of the University of Cambridge, was the first time that the Scott Polar Research Institute had brought a full exhibition to this country.  It is testament to the growing reputation of the Shackleton School that the Scott Polar Research Institute were pleased to be associated with it.  The exhibition displayed a wonderful array of historic polar photography over the last 150 years, again featuring prominently many Irishmen, including Ernest Shackleton and Tom Crean as well as the Dundalk-born Arctic explorer, Francis Leopold McClintock.

This year the school will be marking the centenary of Shackleton’s Nimrod Expedition.  This is the expedition which established Ernest Shackleton’s international reputation where he came within 90 miles of the South Pole. His pragmatic decision to return to his base without having reached the South Pole was a tribute to his leadership qualities insofar as he was unwilling to risk the lives of his men to achieve his geographical object.  He famously wrote to his wife Emily Shackleton afterwards that he presumed that she would prefer to have a ‘live donkey than a dead lion.’

The Heritage Centre this year will host an exhibition of material and artefacts from the Nimrod Expedition including Shackleton’s own sledging flag and some of the equipment used on the expedition.  Many of the artefacts will be on loan from the Scott Polar Research Institute and from private collectors from all over the world.

The Exhibition is only one of a number of events which is sure to draw particularly good crowds this year to Athy.  Dr. Michael Rosove, from California will lecture on Shackleton's books and writing.  Mr. Hans Kjell Larson, a grandson of Captain C.A. Larson, one of the most distinguished Antarctic pioneers, will be travelling from Norway to lecture about his grandfather.  Dr. David Wilson, a grandnephew of Dr. Wilson, a member of the polar party who perished with Captain Scott in 1912, will be talking about his new book ‘Nimrod Illustrated Pictures from Lieutenant Shackleton’s British Antarctic Expedition’. 

Professor Andrew Lambert of Kings College, London and Dr. Russell Potter of Rhode Island College, U.S.A. will also be talking about aspects of the famous Franklin Expedition lost in the Arctic, which to this day continues to generate a huge degree of scholarship in this area of Arctic history.  A living link with modern Arctic life will be provided by Lady Marie Herbert. The Dublin born writer and traveller will speak about her life with the Inuit. A notable first for the school in that it follows the very successful talk given by her daughter Kari Herbert last year. A particularly interesting feature this year will be a session on historic polar cinematography to be hosted by Dr. Hugh Lewis Jones, the curator of art at the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge and Dr. Russell Potter, Professor of English from Rhode Island College.  They will present, perhaps for the first time in Ireland, a series of historic polar films from the early 20^th century, many of them unlikely to be ever seen in this country again.  There will also be a few surprises as there will be a number of contributions from special guests yet to be announced. 

On the Friday night the school will begin with the launch by American polar historian Regina Wilson Daly of her latest book titled 'The Shackleton  Letters - Behind the Scenes of the Nimrod Expedition'.   This will be a particularly significant book launch in this the centenary year of the Nimrod Expedition.  The launch will be followed by the Shackleton memorial lecture to be delivered this year by Caroline Casey.  Caroline, a social entrepreneur and disability activist, was the founder of the Aisling Project, recently re-named Kanchi which has been to the forefront in heightening awareness of and enhancing the relationship between disability and society.  One of her most significant achievements has been demonstrating that disability should not be a bar to an individual’s active participation in society or in the work place.  The O2 Ability Awards, established by Kanchi, were the first Irish business awards which recognised best practice for the inclusion of people with disabilities as customers, employees and members of the community.  Caroline’s extraordinary commitment and dedication has resulted in a series of significant acknowledgements and awards both nationally and internationally.  She was the first Irish person to be appointed a young global leader of the World Economic Forum in 2006 and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the National University of Ireland in the same year.  A hugely popular, energetic and charismatic speaker, her lecture on the opening night of the Shackleton weekend is not to be missed.

A very important part of the Shackleton School has been the social aspect particularly after the lecture sessions on the Saturday and Sunday and the friendships and relationships that have been fostered between the lecturers and the attendees has been an important factor in contributing to the continued success of the Shackleton Autumn School.  It is true to say that while Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic endeavours established him internationally, the school which carries his name continues to promote Athy both nationally and internationally in a manner which was difficult to imagine when the school was first established in 2001. 

Further details of the 2009 Ernest Shackleton Autumn School can be got from the Autumn School’s website:  www.shackletonmuseum.com.