Sunday, August 07, 2016

Shackleton sculpture to be unveiled by Mayor of Kildare

A sculpture of the explorer Ernest Shackleton will be unveiled in Athy on Tuesday 30 August by the Mayor of Kildare, Cllr Ivan Keatley, writes Brian Byrne.

The piece has been created by the artist Mark Richards, and the unveiling in Emily Square will be followed by a refreshments in the Athy Heritage Centre-Museum.

The event starts at 1pm sharp, as part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the local explorer's voyage in a lifeboat to get help for his crew stranded in the icebound ship, the Endeavour, on an unsuccessful expedition to the South Pole.

Mark Richards recent work includes statues of the 19th century navigator Matthew Flinders (located in Euston Station, London) and the renowned hurler Nicky Rackard, which is situated in Wexford Town.

Meanwhile, the cabin in which Shackleton died in the Antarctic Ocean in 1922 is currently being restored in Letterfrack, Co Galway and will then become part of the permanent collection in Athy Heritage Centre-Museum.