THE story of the life of Ernest Shackleton and the legendary voyage of the HMS Endurance on its expedition to cross the Antarctic continent is being told as part of a new show in glór this weekend marking the centenary of the explorer’s death.

County Kildare Orchestra presents ‘South! Always South’, a concert commemorating the death 100 years ago this year of Irish explorer Shackleton.

The performance, on Saturday, November 12 in the Ennis venue, is a new work composed by fellow Kildare native and traditional musician Brian Hughes who performs uilleann pipes and whistle, accompanied by the County Kildare Orchestra and conductor Lorcan Daly.

Shackleton was born in Kilkea near Athy, and had already gained a reputation for courage and leadership on previous Antarctic expeditions.

However, what started as a great geographic and scientific adventure turned into a dramatic rescue mission when the Endurance became trapped in the ice floes in the Weddell Sea, and sank.

Over the following eighteen months Shackleton demonstrated his exceptional leadership skills and personal courage in leading his crew to safety without losing a single man.

Brian has worked with the County Kildare Orchestra to produce an arrangement of this original work in which the fusion of uilleann pipes, whistles, piano and bodhran, and the full sound of the orchestral instruments produces an atmospheric and exhilarating evening of music.

John McKenna, who hails from Castledermot, has written and will perform the narration which introduces each of the eight movements,  reflecting aspects of Shackleton’s life and the story of the voyage.

The performance is further enhanced by a slide show of the hauntingly beautiful original photographs taken by Frank Hurley on the fateful voyage.

The County Kildare Orchestra is an adult amateur orchestra. It was founded in 1998 with the mission to bring great music to local audiences and to give musicians in Kildare and its environs the opportunity to play challenging and exciting orchestral music.

The orchestra play several concerts each year and support Irish composers and musicians by performing their works, or inviting them to play with them.

This performance is part of a country wide series of concerts undertaken by the County Kildare Orchestra to bring the story of Shackleton’s voyage to a wider audience.

For more see https://glor.ie/events/county-kildare-orchestra-presents-south-always-south/