Unique musical performance brings Shackelton to new level

A performance by the County Kildare Orchestra in Kildare Cathedral on Saturday 24 September, under the baton of Lorcan Daly, will bring the story of Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition to a unique musical level, writes Brian Byrne.

South! Always South! is a combination of the musical and writing talents of Brian Hughes and John MacKenna respectively with the Orchestra, and male singers of the Monasterevin Gospel Choir.

Eight movements in the performance illustrate different aspects of the voyage that became one of the great rescue missions of exploration history.

Brian Hughes composed the music for South! Always South! and also plays uileann pipes and whistles in the piece, while John MacKenna narrates his own script introductions to the various sections. The men of Monasterevin perform a sea shanty based on one of Ernest Shackleton's favourite poems by St John Lucas.

Combine the authentic atmosphere of the Antarctic adventure through original photographs from the expedition, along with the drama from the Orchestra's range of instruments, and an evening of breathtaking enjoyment is a definite.

Tickets €25 from Eventbrite here.  

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