The anniversary will be celebrated through a number of new expeditions, exhibition’s, publications and documentaries. The exhibition is on loan to the Athy Heritage Centre, Shackleton museum in Athy from the world famous Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway, will use the centenary to present a broader story of Shackleton, the much-admired Antarctic explorer, in a special exhibition at the museum and in this accompanying book.  In the exhibition you can read about all of Shackleton’s Antarctic expeditions, in addition to his personal life; his voyage on Discovery with Robert F. Scott and Edward Wilson, the successful Nimrod Expedition, the Endurance Expedition and his often-forgotten Ross Sea Party and finally his death during his 1922 voyage on the Quest. The story of Shackleton’s life is fully illustrated with more than three hundred photos and maps from many of the Shackleton archives around the world.

On Saturday May 11th, President Higgins opened an exhibition of bronzes by John Behan RHA in Kilcock Art Gallery entitled “Reflections” 

The exhibition reflects the sculptor’s output over the last 50 years, highlighting the themes of displacement of people and emigration that have concerned John throughout his life as a sculptor.

One of his pieces, entitled “Arrival” and commissioned by the Office of Public Works, is a bronze sculpture of a Famine ship, seven metres long and eight metres high, with 150 bronze figures on deck and disembarking. The piece was presented to the United Nations by the Government of Ireland in 2000. 

In April 2018, President Higgins viewed “Arrival”, after his address to the UN High-Level Meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace.

Wednesdays to Saturdays 11am to 4pm

Looking for Things to do in Kildare ? Redhills Adventure is set on what was once an old working farm only a few kilometers from Kildare Village, just off the M7 and under 35 minutes from the Red Cow roundabout.

We aim (no pun intended) to offer you an action-packed day out with a range of different to the norm, fun and safe activities. Our activities are land based soft adventure that are suitable for all fitness levels and interests.

We are open all year-round, Monday to Sunday for group bookings for eight or more and individuals can join our open tag gaming sessions every weekend so you don’t need a group.

Escape the Ordinary with a day out at Redhills Adventure Kildare!

Looking for Things to do in Kildare ? Redhills Adventure is set on what was once an old working farm only a few kilometers from Kildare Village, just off the M7 and under 35 minutes from the Red Cow roundabout.

We aim (no pun intended) to offer you an action-packed day out with a range of different to the norm, fun and safe activities. Our activities are land based soft adventure that are suitable for all fitness levels and interests.

We are open all year-round, Monday to Sunday for group bookings for eight or more and individuals can join our open tag gaming sessions every weekend so you don’t need a group.

Escape the Ordinary with a day out at Redhills Adventure Kildare!

24/05/2019

Top class programme includes the Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands Stakes (Group 2). 1st race approx 4.55pm.

Gates open 3.30pm

Tickets can be bought at www.curragh.ie/tickets

Calling all Spartans: The World’s Biggest Obstacle Course Race Series, Spartan Race Announce 2019 UK and Ireland Race Calendar Registrations are now open for the Spartan UK and Ireland race season. The obstacle course events, which are organised by Spartan Race, the world’s leading obstacle course race and endurance brand, are taking place in six different locations across the UK and Ireland between May and November. More details and registration information on the Punchestown Spartan Events are available at Spartan Race Ireland – www.spartanrace.uk/en/race/detail/4634/overview All the Spartan races are perfect for the adventurous type and those seeking a new challenge. The adrenaline will be pumping as racers travel through beautiful forests, across stunning landscapes and look to conquer obstacles such as the Spear Throw, Inverted Wall, Monkey Bars and Barbed Wire Crawl. The first race weekend of the season kicks off with the South East Super on the outskirts of South East London at St Clere on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th May, before travelling across the Irish Sea to Punchestown Racecourse on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th May, next up is the Aston Down Airfield in Gloucestershire, on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd June, then Spartan returns to the home of Spartan Race UK in the Midlands on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th July, then Spartan will be returning to the beautiful Scottish Highlands around Perth for a second year on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September concluding with the season finale, the Windsor Trifecta Weekend, on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th October – renowned for being the biggest and best race of the season. Each of six race weekends have open heats to cater for racers of all fitness and abilities, Age Group and Elite heats for more competitive racers as well as Kids races for young adventure thrill seekers aged between 4-13 years old, designed to help inspire them to be more active and get outdoors. Spartans have four race options to choose from: Sprint, Super, Beast and the Ultra – all of which vary in distance, obstacle count and difficulty. The Sprint puts endurance aside and will test the racers speed over a 5km course. The course is packed with 20 of Spartan’s most fun, exciting and challenging obstacles. It’s the perfect distance for either first time Spartans who are new to obstacle course racing, or the more experienced racer who is looking to test their speed against the clock. The Super meanwhile appeals to competitors who are seeking a new challenge and looking to push themselves further. The course spans 13km and with 25 different obstacles to conquer it’s sure to get the heart pumping! The Beast is the perfect for the experienced athlete and involves a demanding 21km circuit across varied terrain with 30 obstacles of all shapes and sizes to navigate along the way. The Ultra is the most challenging of the four distances is and is designed for the ultimate Spartan runner. It’s course that covers more than 26 miles, and with 60 obstacles to manoeuvre along the way it’s certainly not for the faint hearted. All competitors have the option of taking on the course as an individual or with the support of a team of friends, colleagues or training partners, something that half of racers opted to do last year. Completing the course as team is a great way of adding some extra fun and excitement to the race and keeping motivation going all the way to the finish line. All events are open to men and women, and last year, 40% of competitors racing were women. This year, the UK & Ireland Regional Series will see elite racers challenge each other at the three qualifying events – the South East Super, Ireland Sprint and Midlands Super – to become the top 3 men and women in the Spartan world. There is a total prize pot of ??17,600 up for grabs, which includes ??3,000 for the overall male and female series winners and ??600 for the winners of the individual series races so competition looks like it will be fiercer than ever. Many athletes from other sports such as CrossFit and traditional trail running are flocking to OCR try their hand at both a new challenge and to attempt to win some of that prize pot. Spartan General Manager for UK and Ireland Sam Lansdale said: “Everybody at Spartan is absolutely thrilled to announce the schedule for the 2019 UK & Ireland series. With three different events of varying distance on offer, as well as a special event for kids, there really is a race for everyone to try their hand at this year. All our events will be bigger and better this year and we can’t wait to show everyone what we have in store!” Spartan was founded by world-class adventure racer Joe De Sena in 2008 and has grown to become the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand, with more than 200 events in more than 42 countries across the globe.

https://www.spartanrace.uk/en