About Jonathan Shackleton
Author and Historian
Jonathan Shackleton is cousin of the Irish Kildare-born Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton. He is the family historian for the Irish Shackletons whose ancestor founded a Quaker school in Ballitore, County Kildare, in 1726. Jonathan is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, in Natural Sciences and was awarded his Masters Degree from Ohio State University for work in Arctic Alaska.
As a lecturer and guide, Jonathan has accompanied 30 groups on trips to the Antarctic in the past 15 years as historian, guide, photographer and Zodiac driver. Highlights of Jonathan’s visits have been landing on Elephant Island at Point Wild, visiting Ernest Shackleton’s grave on South Georgia, traveling to the Ross Sea, landing at Cape Adare, and visiting two of the largest emperor penguin colonies in the world. Jonathan was a member of the first group to visit the emperor penguin colony at Snow Hill. Many of these visits have been made whilst working with Quark Expeditions. Jonathan has been involved in many Shackleton and Antarctic activities including films, TV documentaries, television and radio interviews, exhibitions and has given many talks in Antarctica, Canada, England, Ireland, Tasmania and the United States.
Most recently, Jonathan was a consultant to Sir Ranulph Fiennes for his recent biography “Captain Scott.” Jonathan is co-author of “Shackleton-An Irishman in Antarctica” about Ernest Shackleton with emphasis on the Shackleton family and the explorer’s Irish background. Jonathan is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, London; was recently elected member of BAS (British Antarctic Survey) Club, and is a member of the James Caird Society.
