Escape the confines of the classroom with Ireland’s EPIC explorers
From the Antarctic to the Caribbean, the Irish have made their mark on the world far and wide! Come along to discover all about EPIC’s courageous figures, who forged their own path to travel to some of the most remote and fascinating places on earth.
Explore the stories of figures like investigative journalist Nellie Bly, who travelled around the world in 72 days, Ernest Shackleton, the courageous Antarctic explorer, to the Irish-born Anne Bonny, who is better known today as the pirate queen of the Caribbean, in our Adventurers themed workshops.
Investigate the impact these Irish Adventurers have made around the world, exploring their fascinating adventures and exciting endeavours, through a variety of interactive activities, all tied to the SESE, The Arts and History curricula.
TOURS AND WORKSHOPS
Emigrant’s Suitcase
This Adventurers-themed Emigrant’s Suitcase workshop explores how objects tell people’s stories. Enjoy skills-building tasks that span a range of curricula including English, History, Drama, Art, and Geography. Discover EPIC figures, forging their own path to the most remote AND fascinating places on earth, including Anne Bonny, pirate queen of the Caribbean, Ernest Shackleton, world-famous Antarctic explorer, and Nellie Bly, the journalist who travelled around the world in only 72 days!
EXPLORERS – CLASSROOM PACK
Unearth the world of Irish Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, concoct your own Arctic snowstorm and uncover the Irishwoman who became Britain’s first female commercial pilot. Includes puzzles, quizzes and games for children 8+.
EPIC CHARACTERS
Ernest Shackleton
Shackleton made 3 expeditions to Antarctica where he climbed an active volcano, survived the sinking of his ship and camped for 3 months on an ice floe. Here’s the incredible story of one of Ireland’s greatest explorers.
Captain Francis Crozier
An interview with Dr David Murphy of Maynooth University on Captain Francis Crozier, one of the most experienced Polar Explorers of the 19th century who was largely forgotten about after a fated expedition in 1845.
STORIES OF ADVENTURE
Browse through our online collection and follow the fascinating stories of Irish adventurers around the world.
The Influence of the Irish during Polar Explorations
The contribution that Irishmen made to polar exploration is massive. Among them were officers, lieutenants, scientists and sailors seeking adventure, scientific breakthroughs and commercial opportunities.
Cynthia Longfield – ‘Madame Dragonfly’
Not only was Cynthia Longfield a skilled entomologist – a scientist who studies insects – and a seasoned world traveler, she also had what is probably the coolest nickname ever: Madame Dragonfly.
The Irish Explorer Who Disappeared 173 Years Ago
Crew members aboard the aptly named HMS Terror were fighting for survival. The two ships that made up their expedition had been stuck in Arctic ice for nearly two years. But, inside, the conditions were even worse.
The Irishwoman who was the world’s first female stockbroker
Dubliner Oonah Keogh overcame number of barriers to become the first woman stockbroker in 1925 – barriers that her male contemporaries never had to deal with.
The Waterford woman who put Ireland on the international fashion map
Born in Wales to an Irish father, fashion designer Sybil Connolly dressed some of the world’s most glamorous women from Jackie Kennedy to Elizabeth Taylor.
An Irishwoman has guts and stands up for what she believes in
“I didn’t take discipline very well. I would never be slapped in school. If a teacher had slapped me I would have bitten her. I guess I was a bold, bad child, but it was exciting”
INSPIRING STORIES
Cynthia Longfield
The international dragonfly expert and intrepid explorer also known as ‘Madame Dragonfly’.
Annie Besant
Trade unionist, socialist, Indian nationalist leader and one of the first women to endorse birth control.
Fanny Durack
Irish-Australian record-breaking swimmer who won the first women’s Olympic swimming medal.
Dr. Isabel Mitchell
The Ulster missionary doctor who devoted her career to saving the lives of countless Machurian women.
Eileen Gray
Irish architect and designer from Co. Wexford who would later become a pioneer of modern design.
Eva Gore Booth
The sister of Constance Markievicz who became an icon of suffrage, nationalism and LGBTQ+ defiance.
