Ernest Shackleton was a great Irish Explorer. His dream was to be the first man to cross Antarctica on foot. He was beaten to the South Pole by two other explorers – A Norwegian, and a Captain Scott.

5th/6th class visited the Endurance Exhibition in DúnLaoghaire to discover the story of Ernest Shackleton’s great expedition and story of survival against all odds, through the photographs of Australian photographer, Frank Hurley.

We learned how the 28 men, 69 dogs and the carpenters cat, Mrs. Chippy survived the sub-zero weather for nearly 18 months. Their ship got stuck in the ice, and the men had to eat penguins and seals to survive (they didn’t have enough baked beans!).

When the ice started to melt, it pushed ridges of ice into the ship, damaging and sinking it. The men had to set up a camp on the ice. Eventually, Shackleton and 5 other men went on the James Caird lifeboat to find help, leaving 22 men behind. They reached the Island of South Georgia, where three of them continued on to find the Norwegian oil rigs and get help for the men left behind.

Miraculously, all 28 men survived, though the animals on board the ship didn’t have the same good fortune.

The exhibition was a really interesting way to learn this great story of adventure and exploration of a real Irish hero.

We had a great day!