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Minister Calleary officially opens The Shackleton Experience in Athy, Co. Kildare

  • Museum is the only institution dedicated to the life of legendary polar explorer Ernest Shackleton
  • Will showcase the most prominent collection of Shackleton memorabilia in the world
  • World-class visitor attraction with cutting-edge technology and immersive, interactive exhibits
  • Project cost of almost €7 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund

Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, has today (10th October 2025) visited Athy, Co. Kildare to officially open The Shackleton Experience, a museum dedicated to the extraordinary life of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, who was born just outside Athy.

The redevelopment of the 300-year-old former town hall has seen the building extended and modernised to become a museum dedicated to one of the world’s greatest polar explorers.

The museum showcases the most prominent collection of Shackleton memorabilia in the world and includes:

  • a main gallery and cafe with a beautiful arched space filled with light from the glass extension to the rear
  • a dramatic glass extension in the shape of an iceberg
  • a floor dedicated to the expeditions including an immersive experience to take a journey across the ice as visitors ‘escape’ the sinking Endurance and make their way to the James Caird lifeboat.

Speaking at the opening of the Visitor’s Centre Minister Calleary said,

“Having extended and modernised the Athy Heritage Centre in this impressive 300-year-old former town hall, this unique experience now showcases the most prominent collection of Shackleton memorabilia in the world. The Shackleton Experience will undoubtedly become a focal point for tourists in Athy and support the goal to make the town centre a vibrant and attractive place for tourists and local residents alike.”

The Minister continued:

“I am delighted to see that there is space included to facilitate opportunities for research and education. It is essential that we invest in projects like this to ensure that town centres, like Athy, are vibrant, attractive and more resilient places to live, work, raise a family and invest in.

“The Shackleton Experience will help deliver on this.”

The Minister concluded:

“I am delighted that my department was able to provide grant funding of over €5.2 million for this project to Kildare County Council under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.

“The Fund is a key Government measure to deliver projects across rural Ireland driving the resilience and regeneration of our towns.”

The Shackleton Experience was funded under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) with an allocation of €5.2 million. Match funding of €1.76 million was provided by Kildare County Council. The Museum was awarded RRDF funding under the first call for Category 1 projects.

At the event in Athy today the Minister also announced a further round of Rural Regeneration and Development Funding including over €20.5m million for 30 RRDF category 2 landmark regeneration projects in rural communities across the country. This included an allocation of over €163,000 in funding for Kildare County Council to undertake and complete the initial planning, design and technical works to transform Monasterevin Market Square Regeneration into a dynamic, multi-functional, and accessible public realm.

The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a major capital investment programme which seeks to support large-scale, ambitious projects which can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas, directly supporting the objectives of Our Rural Future and the Town Centre First policy.

Notes

The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund

The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund was established to deliver on the National Strategic Objective in the National Development Plan 2018-2027 of Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities and is also calibrated to deliver on the objectives of Our Rural Future, the Government’s 5-year strategy for rural development. The Fund is administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht.

The Fund provides investment to support suitable projects in towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000, and outlying areas.

Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories. Category 1 relates to projects with all necessary planning and consents in place and are ready to proceed, while Category 2 relates to projects that require further development and enabling initiatives to become ready for Category 1 status.

The successful projects being announced today relate to Category 2.

To date, the Fund has provided €593 million for 243 projects across Ireland, for projects costing a total of €791 million.

Full details of are available here.

Our Rural Future

Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It represents a new milestone in the approach to rural development policy for Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.

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