Irish scientists in Antarctica are planning the continent's first ever St Patrick's Day parade.
Gráinne Keogh, a marine biologist from Belgooly in Co Cork, works on the Rothera research station in the Antarctic.
She, along with some of her Irish colleagues, is planning a parade made up of seven or eight floats to march this Sunday for Ireland's patron saint.
The floats are all being designed by different members of the roughly 135 staff at the station.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Keogh was unable to reveal what her float will be as there is strong competition on the base and the best float will win a prize on Sunday - made by one of the station's carpenters.
Ms Keogh, along with her colleague Sean McLaughlin, an ocean scientist at the station, explained why they decided to organise what they believe will be the first St Patrick's Day parade on the continent of Antarctica.
"It began as a joke, but we decided to make it real," Ms Keogh said.
There are several Irish people on the station which is run by the British Antarctic Survey.
On the float designs, Ms Keogh said that her colleagues on the station were "really getting into it".
"There's good enthusiasm from everyone. Everyone's keeping their ideas under wraps until Sunday," she added.
The station often unites for a weekend celebration.
Since Ms Keogh arrived on the station in late November of last year, she has already celebrated Christmas, Burns Night and St David's Day.
"It's a bit of fun and people here are usually up for anything," Ms Keogh said.
"It really is a case of the more you put into it, the more you're going to get out of it," Ms Keogh says of organising the celebrations.
For St David's Day, the chefs on the station made some Welsh cakes. Ms Keogh is hoping to "speak to them nicely" and ask for an Irish stew on St Patrick's Day.
Gaelic games in the snow
Not only will this weekend see Antarctica's first St Patrick's Day parade, but its first Gaelic football match as well.
Mr McLaughlin, who is working with Ms Keogh on the weekend's celebrations, is organising the match on Sunday afternoon, after the parade.
This will be the Donegal-native's first St Patrick's Day away from Ireland. However, he is keeping up with the GAA events at home and has even introduced some of his colleagues to the sport.
"People have found it fascinating," Mr McLaughlin said.
"Some people who watch the games with us now have adopted their own counties to root for," he added.
Having successfully taught some on the station to play rounders, Mr McLaughlin has been teaching them the rules of Gaelic football and believes he will have enough players for a full match on Sunday.
"I thought it would be really cool to have a game of Gaelic in Antarctica," he said.
Mr McLaughlin has looked through the station log and didn't find any mention of Gaelic football.
"When I was researching where Gaelic football had been played, I saw on Wikipedia that it says the sport has a team on every continent except Antarctica," he added.
Mr McLaughlin has already spoken to the GAA about the possibility of getting his Antarctic team recognised, even ceremonially, in the future so Antarctica won't be the only continent without a team.
