Sir, – The discovery of Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance in deep water off the Antarctic coast more than a century after it was abandoned as part of his doomed expedition to traverse the continent via the South Pole has been widely and warmly welcomed around the world and at home in Ireland.
It is worth recalling that in 2016 a decision to erect a monument in honour of the explorer in Athy, near his birthplace at nearby Kilkea, was actively opposed by Ireland’s most popular party Sinn Féin on the grounds that Shackleton was “a British climber” and the statue “a monstrosity”. People of Athy were asked to boycott the unveiling.
Even in death Shackleton had to deal with very cold fronts but happily the bronze statue was erected and stands tall in Athy’s Emily Square.
Surely Endurance!
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– Yours, etc,
CHARLIE FLANAGAN TD,
Dáil Éireann, Dublin 2.