The granddaughter of Ernest Shackleton has told of how she was due to be on the recent successful expedition to find the Quest – the ship the renowned polar explorer died on - but was not fit enough for the journey.
A team of researchers in Atlantic Canada found the Quest on Sunday.
In a statement including video footage of the search, it said the Quest, a schooner-rigged vessel, lay at a depth of 390 metres (1,280 feet) off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada's easternmost province.
The ship, which was damaged by ice and sank in 1962 when being used by seal hunters, was found intact on Sunday.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Alexandra Shackleton said she received a phone call two days ago with the news that her grandfather's ship had been found.
"I was meant to be onboard the expedition because I'm the joint patron, but I was not fit enough, so it was even more important to me that they should find her," she said, adding that she had not seen images yet but believes it is in good condition.
She said the event that "really defined him as a leader" was his decision to turn back while attempting to reach the South Pole because his men were "in a bad state".
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"So he took a decision - which is described as one of the great decisions in polar history - to turn back," she explained.
"It really defined him as a leader and as a person. We're all defined by our decisions and our priorities, and his priorities were his men."
Shackleton, preparing for his fourth journey to the Antarctic, died of a heart attack aboard the Quest on 5 January 1922, near the remote island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. He was 47.
After his death, a Norwegian company bought the Quest and used it for expeditions.
It was also put into service with the Royal Canadian Navy during World War Two.
The Society's announcement marks the second time in two years that one of the Irish explorer's ships has been found.
In March 2022, search teams discovered the remains of the Endurance, which was crushed by Antarctic ice and sank some 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) in November 1915.
Shackleton is regarded as a quintessential British hero, but was born near Athy in Co Kildare on 15 February 1874.
