Shackleton Museum Athy

The Shackleton Museum is housed in Athy’s former Town Hall, a Protected Structure dating from the 1740s, originally built as a market and courthouse.

Following multiple alterations, including its 1980s conversion into a fire station, the building has been refurbished and extended to create a museum of international importance. The project delivered fully accessible, fire-safe facilities with climate-controlled exhibition spaces, enabling the Shackleton story to be told and the cabin where he died to be displayed. MCE were appointed as Fire, Access, Civil and Structural Engineers as part of a highly collaborative, integrated design team.

A key part of the project involved carefully removing unsuitable 1980s additions, including concrete staircases, a lift shaft, and the former fire engine access that had been cut through the original 1740s brick vaults. These elements were dismantled with care to reveal and protect the historic structure beneath.

A major contemporary feature of the project is the four-storey glass and steel atrium to the rear of the building, designed to resemble an “iceberg” form. MCE coordinated the integration of this striking new structure within the historic building, working closely with a specialist façade designer to meet all structural, climate and fire safety requirements.

Accessibility and movement through the building were significantly improved with the addition of a new lift, a wraparound steel staircase, and a cantilevered concrete switchback stair linking the ground and first floor exhibition spaces.

The building works and museum fit-out were completed in August 2025, with the official reopening taking place in October 2025.

The project was the winner of the SME Category in the ACEI in 2026 Engineering Excellence Awards.