A new exhibition telling the story of the extraordinary Antarctic expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton was today opened by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Sport John O'Donoghue.
The exhibition, in the National Museum of Ireland's Collins Barracks site, marks the opening of the newly refurbished Riding School.
At the official opening the minister paid tribute to Sir Ernest Shackleton who led a near-fatal expedition to Antarctica in 1914. His ship, Endurance, became trapped and crushed by the ice, leaving his crew stranded for 18 months.
Tom Crean, the Kerry-born Antarctic explorer, was one of the crew selected by Shackleton to sail to the whaling stations of South Georgia, in a bid to seek help for a rescue.
The temporary exhibition from the American Museum of National History features photographs by James Hurley who was on the expedition and will be open to the public until October.
"Today in the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History, we celebrate and commemorate the lives of two great Antarctic explorers, two great Irishmen," Mr O'Donoghue said. "The museum is immensely honoured to bring to the public the most extensive presentation ever of this epic voyage. The Shackleton Crean saga is more than a great adventure story, it has many lessons to teach us about character, human potential, courage, endurance and triumph against the odds of virulent nature."
Mr O'Donoghue was joined by Mary Crean O'Brien, the daughter of Tom Crean and relatives of Shackleton, as well as Dawson Stelfox, the first Irishman to climb Everest, for the opening of the new exhibition.
PA