- The Shackleton Experience in Athy welcomed 30,000 visitors in its first year
- The attraction opened in October 2025
- Visitors came from all 32 counties and more than 25 countries
- It was named Visitor Attraction of the Year 2026 at the Georgina Campbell Irish Food and Hospitality Awards
- The attraction houses the original cabin where Shackleton died in 1922
The Shackleton Experience in Athy has welcomed 30,000 visitors from more than 25 countries since opening in October 2025. The attraction is the only institution in the world dedicated to the life and achievements of Kildare-born polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. The milestone was marked by opening the doors free of charge to the people of Athy, with almost 900 locals visiting on the anniversary.
Housed in Athy’s restored Town Hall, complete with its iceberg-inspired glass extension, The Shackleton Experience offers visitors a journey through the life and legacy of Ernest Shackleton. The attraction has welcomed visitors from all 32 counties on the island of Ireland and more than 25 countries across five continents, with North America the largest overseas market. It is rated 4.9 out of 5 on Tripadvisor and was named Visitor Attraction of the Year 2026 at the Georgina Campbell Irish Food and Hospitality Awards.
The venue also supports community life in Athy, from Culture Night, Heritage Week and the Riverbank Arts Centre schools programme to TriAthy and the Gordon Bennett Irish Classic Car Run. The attraction is home to the world’s largest permanent collection of Shackleton artefacts with more than 200 rare and original objects across 11 galleries. It also houses the original cabin where Shackleton died in 1922, which spent almost a century in Norway above the Arctic Circle before being conserved by Sven Habermann in Letterfrack and craned inside the building in 2024.
Aline FitzGerald shared “We are incredibly proud to be celebrating our first anniversary and to reflect on what has been a fantastic first year for The Shackleton Experience. We are hugely grateful to everyone who has supported us over the past year, and we look forward to continuing to welcome visitors and share Shackleton’s remarkable story for many years to come.”
