Shackleton statue unveiled in Athy today

A memorial sculpture of explorer Ernest Shackleton has been unveiled in a Co Kildare town this afternoon.

The famous explorer was born in the village of Kilkea, 10km from Athy, on 15 February 1874.

His family moved to England when he was 11, but Shackleton's connection with south Kildare can be traced back over 300 years and five generations.

This afternoon his granddaughter Alexandra Shackleton was on hand to unveil  sculpture of the Antarctic explorer in front of a large crowd  at Emily Square, Athy.