Shackleton Autumn School 2026, Athy

What to Expect

The Shackleton Autumn School returns to Athy for its 26th year across a full October weekend, running Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October 2026. The organisers list the dates on their site as a save-the-date for the 2026 school under the line “Celebrating Exploration, Education And Endurance”. Ernest Shackleton was born at Kilkea, a few miles outside Athy, and the town’s museum has built the weekend into the main annual gathering in Ireland for people interested in the Antarctic explorers.

The programme is built around lectures from historians and polar researchers, with interactive workshops on navigation and survival strategies, documentary screenings followed by question and answer sessions, and displays of artefacts and memorabilia. Alongside the formal sessions the weekend functions as a networking gathering, drawing polar historians, family descendants and enthusiasts to a small south Kildare town for three days. The speaker line-up, the individual session times and the ticket prices for 2026 had not been published at the time of writing, so the practical step is to watch the Autumn School page or contact the museum directly on 059 863 3075. If you are travelling and need accommodation in Athy for the weekend, book that well ahead of the programme going live.

Good to Know

• Dates: Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October 2026, the 26th annual school.
• Venue: Shackleton Experience, Emily Square, Athy, Co. Kildare, R14 KW65.
• Format: lectures, workshops, documentary screenings with Q and A, and artefact displays.
• Speakers, session times and 2026 prices were not yet published at the time of writing.
• Booking and enquiries: 059 863 3075 or bookings@shackletonexperience.ie.
• The museum itself opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, last admission 4:00 PM.

Getting There

Athy is in south Kildare on the N78, roughly 70 km southwest of Dublin, 25 km south of Newbridge and 20 km north of Carlow. The Shackleton Experience is on Emily Square in the middle of the town, with public parking on and around the square. Athy railway station sits on the Dublin Heuston to Carlow and Waterford line and is a short walk from the square, which makes the weekend workable without a car.