The English town is as much a tourist hub as a centre of learning, and has lots to do

The great white, swirling wonder of the toilet bowl is to my baby what the South Pole was to Ernest Shackleton

From Macnas parades and the Bram Stoker Festival to Guinness Cork Jazz Festival

Explorer Arved Fuchs tries to engage people emotionally with what he has seen

Debut by Catalan multimedia artist is brisk philosophical narrative with sharp set pieces

The Scottish capital is known for its castle and festivals but the quieter corners are alive year round

Druid’s unmissable Waiting for Godot embarks on national and international tour, while Antarctic adventurer Ernest Shackleton is back in Blue Raincoat’s intrepid production

Shackleton among those who showed there are valid alternative ways to recruit

Shackleton, Crean, Crozier, Hart: Irish names are all over the North and South poles

For Irishman Jeff Dunne, knowing so few people have seen what he sees is worth the challenges

Explorer to be a ‘tailfin hero’ on transatlantic aircraft from Ireland

A cure for leprosy? The Connemarathon? The home of Botox, or Viagra? Birthplace of the MGM lion? Whatever its claim to fame, know your county’s bragging rights

From ‘Dress suitably, and buy a revolver’ and 'A terrible beauty' to 'We all partied'

Schools to reopen, Garda vote of no confidence and ‘balls of fat’ appear on Mayo beach

Move to lease space comes after go-ahead for cruise ship berth

‘This team is hardened enough and steely enough, and the appetite will be there’

The 500 Irish people who live in the Chinese city form a close-knit circle of expats. We start a series on Asia’s Irish communities by meeting some of them

Tribute in home county comes on centenary of famous Antarctic rescue

Shackleton museum in Kildare fails to match bid for award to Irish Antarctic adventurer

Tim McCarthy survived Shackleton journey but died off southwest coast in first World War

An Irishwoman was the first female to break the glass ceiling of the ultimate old boys’ club. The tradition lives on in the one freemasonry order open to women as well as men

A seafaring jaunt buoyed with plenty of humour has an unusual take on history

A diary for March 25th, 1916, and March 25th, 2016

100 years on from voyage, Dominick Chilcott says Irish adventurer still has ‘resonance’

Death of an explorer: ‘No one conquers the Antarctic – it’s always in charge’

Former army officer was 30km from becoming first adventurer to cross region unsupported

‘A gradual grinding down of my physical endurance finally took its toll’

Recreation of last Christmas dinner on board ‘Endurance’ takes place in Dún Laoghaire

Auction record for book as Ernest Shackleton’s ‘Aurora Australis’ sells for £122,500

Gift from Norwegian owner to be displayed at Athy Heritage Centre-Museum with artefacts

Paperback Review

Sotheby’s in London is selling rare books on polar exploration by Shackelton and Scott

Your travel dilemmas solved

There’s a literary feast awaiting the country in the coming week, with three festivals taking place. We’ve rounded up some places to fill your belly while you fill your brain

Innovation is often associated with creativity, but that is only a small part of it

Michael Smith’s book is a rich volume that sorts ‘the Shackleton myth from reality’

Writer says absence of Shackleton memorial in country of his birth is ‘extraordinary’

The adventurer led his crew through extremes. A workshop analyses his management style