Eamonn Fitzgerald's Rainy Day

"Optimism is true moral courage," the Irish-born explorer Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) once said, and this was the credo he lived by throughout his remarkable life. Of his four expeditions to Antarctica, none was more remarkable than that which began on 8 August 1914, when he and a crew of 27 set sail from England on the Endurance for what they expected to be a six-month expedition. The goal: to become the first men to traverse the frozen continent via the South Pole, an 1,800-mile journey.

When they were in sight of the frozen continent, however, the Endurance became caught in floating pack ice and was ground to pieces. After watching the ship sink, Shackleton and his crew dragged three lifeboats in the direction of open water in hopes of sailing north to safety. Six days later, they were forced to abandon the march, and they made camp on an ice floe that then began drifting across the Antarctic Circle. Abandoning the floe, Shackleton guided his crew to Elephant Island, a barren rock and it was there that he had his boldest idea. He and five men would attempt to sail one of the life-boats 800 miles to South Georgia Island, where there was a year-round whaling camp. Miraculously, after 17 days at sea, they reached South Georgia. Unfortunately, they landed on the wrong coast. Exhausted, they began a 36-hour trek over the island's glaciers and into safety. After two attempts, Shackleton rescued his abandoned crew — two years after the Endurance set sail from England. It's one of the greatest survival stories and Shackleton's stature as a compassionate and courageous leader was established for all time.

From tomorrow until Sunday, the second Ernest Shackleton Autumn School will take place in Athy, County Kildare. There's a splendid programme of events, featuring talks ("Antarctic Exploration Ancient and Modern", by Dr. Robert Headland, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge), exhibitions and field trips to sites in south Kildare connected with Shackleton. The School will be officially opened on Friday evening by the Honourable Alexandra Shackleton, the explorer's grand-daughter, and then comes one of the highlights: the great Uilleann piper, Liam O' Flynn, who lives in Athy, will perform the world premiere of Endurance, a piece he has composed in honour of Shackleton. Lucky are those who can be present.