BEYOND ENDURANCE

The Irish Horse Board certainly attracts adventurous types!

Last November Irish Horse Board shareholder and television producer, Karen Rodgers, (who produces the Irish Horse Board-sponsored coverage of International Eventing) headed down to Antarctica to direct the final stage of a series she is making for RTE. 11 months later (rather like the gestation period of a horse) she has delivered a four-part series that will entertain, amuse and amaze. Irish Horse Board Director Kate Horgan took time off for a holiday with a difference when she took part in the expedition as a member of the support team. If you are looking for something quirky, attention-grabbing, and visually stunning, this is it!!!

In February of last year, an advertisement appeared in the press. 'Ordinary men and women wanted for an extraordinary adventure.' 700 hopefuls turn up in Killarney for the first of a series of strong challenges in which they must prove themselves if they are to win one of just 24 places available on the Expedition. Their efforts to succeed appear hilarious, humiliating, punishing, and at times, seemingly impossible. People the length and breadth of the country try their best to be selected in what must surely be the ultimate in 'reality TV meets serious endeavor'. It is all set against the beautiful landscapes of Kerry, Norway and Antarctica.

The participants include a barrister, truck-driver, fireman, student, social worker, wrought iron gate maker... most have little experience, all want to live out their dream.

The series charts their progress from armchair travel enthusiasts to bonafide expedition members who tackle the antarctic terrain of South Georgia. In 1982, the British SAS had to be rescued from South Georgia due to bad weather, at a cost estimated at Stg £8 million. Our mixed bag of Irish expedition members, ranging in age from 27 to 62, take on the forbidding glaciers and attempt to follow the route taken, 90 years ago, by Kildare man Sir Ernest Shackleton, and Kerry man Tom Crean.

In 1916, Sir Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to Antarctica to reach the South Pole. His expedition fell foul of the treacherous conditions of the Weddell Sea. His ship was trapped and crushed by pack-ice and the crew were stranded with no hope of rescue. Their attempt to reach civilisation turned into an epic battle for survival in one of the harshest environments in the world.

For those following in Shackleton's footsteps, the expedition is a leap into the unknown. For a start, anyone wanting to take part has to hand over €15,000. Then, they have to make it through the trials.

A number of unlikely candidates step forward. Mary Casey, a 56 year old mother of four, from the Innishowen Peninsula of Donegal. They say a women of my age should know better, I say that it’s because I’m a woman my age I know better, do it better, and relish the challenge!
Cliff Reid from Athy, Co Kildare, a student with serious fundraising needs. “I come from Shackleton’s home town, and felt we should have a representative. No one came forward so I gave up the fags and the drink, and decided to see if I could make a go of it myself…”
Retired fireman Jerry Aherne, from Cork. Sporting a handlebar moustache and a copy of ‘Unsung Hero’, the book about the life of explorer Tom Crean, he leapt at the chance to emulate his heroes. “Reading about their exploits made the hair stand up on the back of my head. I was determined to find a way to get to Antarctica to experience it for myself. “

Expedition leader Pat Falvey started out life in the construction industry, eventually swapping his concrete mixer for a set of crampons. He has summitted Everest twice and completed 30 expeditions across the world. Falvey has put his house on the line to guarantee the huge costs associated with this madcap scheme. He has made commitments. A ship capable of withstanding the most inhospitable seas has been chartered and now Falvey must run a successful expedition to cover his costs. He needs to recoup over half a million Euro, or he goes bust.

This will be the ultimate reality TV show that sends people quite literally to the end of the earth…

Watch RTE, Tuesday nights, 7pm on RTE 1.