Kildare County Council wins with the Shackleton Experience at the IBDA Awards 2026 

Kildare County Council are delighted to announce that the Shackleton Experience in Athy has been awarded the Leisure, Tourism and Hospitality Project of the Year and the Heritage, Conservation Project of the year at the Irish Building and Design (IBDA) Awards 2026 which took place in the Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin over the weekend. 

The IBDA awards celebrate excellence in Irish building and design and acknowledge outstanding achievements in architecture, engineering, construction and design.

The Shackleton Experience carefully combines a process of best-practice building conservation, detailed building restoration with contemporary flair design to a high standard. 

An especially innovative piece is the striking glass extension to the building, the Iceberg, along with the cutting-edge exhibition design and interpretative methods.  

Reopening last October following an investment of €8.3 million, the conservation led redevelopment of the former 300-year-old town hall in Athy has transformed an historic town centre landmark into a world-class cultural and tourism destination.   

Visitors can book for a self-guided visit through 11 immersive galleries that bring Shackleton’s legendary Antarctic expeditions to life using their mobile phones or other devices. 

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The FREE downloadable AR (Augmented Reality) offers deeper immersion and storytelling at every step. Visitors explore at their own pace as each exhibit comes alive through rich narration, audio insights and fascinating artefacts.   

The project was co-funded through the Department of Rural and Community Development under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, and Kildare County Council and has become a cornerstone of Athy’s town centre regeneration.

It strengthens links with nearby attractions including the recently redeveloped Emily Square, the Barrow Blueway and the town’s emerging food and culture hubs. 

Photo: Pictured from L-R: Marian Dempsey, Kildare County Council; Seamus Dooley, JSD Contracting; Aline Fitzgerald, Shackleton Experience; Darragh Carey, Kildare County Council, Mark Kennedy, K-Design Studio; Annette Aspell, Director Of Service, Kildare County Council; Ciaran O’Brien, O’BFA; Annette Keaveney, Kildare County Council and Pamela Pender Kildare County Council.

Photo provided by IBDA.