Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 27 together.

The increasing interest being shown in the heroic activities of Irish-born Ernest Shackleton and his companions in this centenary year of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–1917, is a welcome development. In these days of easy travel and general convenience, it is almost impossible for us to imagine the challenges and discomfort suffered by explorers on polar explorations, including several Irishmen, and to appreciate their heroic achievements. Following on the loss of the expedition ship Endurance, which was trapped in the ice from January 1915 until it was finally crushed in November 1915, the 800-mile journey of Shackleton, Worsley, Crean, Vincent, McCarthy and McNish from Elephant Island to South Georgia in April 1916 has become renowned as a truly amazing achievement. Across the years, it testifies to the fortitude of the group and their heroic resilience, seamanship and survival skills.

I am pleased to note the various projects in development in Ireland and abroad to mark the centenary of this historic expedition. Against the background of the First World War and the Irish revolution, it offers insight into a bygone age. Keeping tightly to the historic timeline, the commemorative programme will feature this expedition from its outset to its conclusion. I will continue to monitor the programme.

I have a particular interest in Shackleton because of Tom Crean. Recognition must be given to the wonderful one-man show about Tom Crean by Aidan Dooley, which has now enjoyed over 800 performances and has been seen by almost 400,000 people. If one wants a real sense of the challenge involved in the expedition, one should go to this show the next time it is in one's town.

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