Ernest Shackleton
Irish Born Explorer
15th February 1874 – 5th January 1922
Where was Shackleton born?
Ernest Shackleton was born in Kilkea in
County Kildare, Ireland. He was one of ten
children. When he was still a boy his
family moved to London and it was here
where he grew up.
Use your atlas to find Kilkea in County Kildare.
Early Life
Although his father wanted Ernest to
become a doctor like himself, the young
man had other ideas and decided to join
the navy. It was through his time in the
navy that he met Robert Scott. Scott and
Shackleton made an attempt to be the first
people to reach the South Pole in 1901.
Use the internet to find out something about Robert Scott. Make notes
and report back to the class.
South Pole Attempts
The expedition in 1901 was cut short for
Shackleton when he became ill and had to
return home.
He made a second attempt to reach the pole
in 1907 but this time severe weather
forced him to turn back.
Do some research to find out some
other event that happened in 1901.
Beaten to the Finish Line!
In 1911 a Norwegian explorer beat
Shackleton to the pole. His name was
Roald Amundsen.
Having seen his ambition defeated he set
himself a new goal – to be the first to cross
Antarctica via the South Pole.
Look up the 1911 Census on the internet. Can you find the name of any
of your ancestors on the census?
1st August 1914
On this date Shackleton left London on his ship,
the Endurance, determined to achieve his goal
of crossing the most inhospitable continent on
the planet.
In January the ship became trapped in the ice of
the Antarctic forcing the crew to leave the ship
and camp on the ice.
Use your atlas to find out information about the temperatures and weather
conditions endured by these men as they camped on the ice.
Escape from the Ice
In April Shackleton and his crew escaped from the
ice to a little island called Elephant Island with
the aid of three small boats.
With little hope of rescue Shackleton and five other
men set out in a boat for help.
He returned on August 25th and rescued all his
men. They had been stranded in the icy desert
for almost 2 years!
Use the internet to locate Elephant Island.
1921
In 1919 Shackleton published a book called
South, which told the story of his journey
and the survival of his crew.
In 1921 he set out again, this time to sail
around Antarctica. Unfortunately, he
suffered a heart attack and died on the
journey.
How old was Shackleton when he died? Use your atlas to find out
about life expectancy in various parts of the world today.
Click on the link below to return to
our school website:
 http://www.killeanps.com/explorers2.html