June 2017 Amundsen Exhibition Opens at NUI Galway

To celebrate World Oceans Day, a unique exhibition on Roald Amundsen’s expedition to the South Pole will be officially opened at NUI Galway by Minister Seán Kyne TD, Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs and Natural Resources today, Thursday, 8 June at 6.30pm.

The exhibition Cold Recall – Roald Amundsen’s Reflections from the South Pole is based on images from the original lantern slides that Norwegian Polar Explorer Roald Amundsen used in public lectures about his expeditions through the Northwest Passage and to the South Pole.

Her Excellency Else Berit Eikeland, Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy to Ireland said she is delighted that the exhibition will be on display in Galway.

“Amundsen’s party had immense courage and determination to make the dangerous trek across the ice and snow to reach the South Pole. This exhibition offers a pictorial account of the expedition and of Amundsen, one of the greatest figures in the field of polar exploration and a national hero for a very young nation,” Ms Else Berit Eikeland said.

Amundsen was the first in the world to navigate the Northwest Passage and the first to reach the South Pole on 14 December 1911. Norwegian Polar history is closely connected to defining Norway as an independent state in 1905, and to Norway’s position as a state closely connected to the oceans and to polar regions.

Cold Recall – Roald Amundsen’s Reflections from the South Pole will be on display in the O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance at NUI Galway from Friday, 9 June to Saturday, 8 July.

Speaking in advance of the opening, President of NUI Galway Dr Jim Browne, said: “NUI Galway is delighted to host this interesting exhibition on the history of polar exploration.  Fascinating in its rich depiction of Amundsen and his endeavours it will be a great attraction for visitors and locals alike.  Polar exploration remains a rich source for academic researchers and here in NUI Galway our academics are engaged with polar research in a range of ways and in such diverse field as particle physics, climate change, marine biology and biodiscovery, and even the literary history of polar travel.  We are very pleased to work with the Marine Institute and the Norwegian Embassy to bring this exhibition to Galway for Seafest 2017.”

The exhibition will run in association with SeaFest 2017, taking place in Galway from 30 June to 2 July in Galway.

The exhibition is a collaboration between NUI Galway and the Marine Institute, in association with the Norwegian Embassy and the Fram Museum, Oslo.

Dr Peter Heffernan CEO of the Marine Institute said, “Thanks to the support of the Norwegian Embassy, the Fram Museum and NUI Galway, we are able to offer this exhibition as part of the SeaFest festival programme. The exploration and voyages across our oceans and particularly Amundsen’s extraordinary journey to the South Pole are important to our maritime history. Through this exhibition, visitors can remember and celebrate one of the most remarkable feats of exploration.”The Fram Museum in Oslo focuses on telling the story of Norwegian polar exploration.  It was inaugurated on 20 May 1936. It honours Norwegian polar exploration in general and three great Norwegian polar explorers in particular—Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen.

ENDS