On Saturday 20 June 2026, the Spirit of Shackleton will cross the start line off Wicklow Head as part of the 2026 Round Ireland Race, marking the beginning of an ambitious year of Irish ocean exploration, leadership and adventure.
At 1400 hrs, with Minister of State for Fisheries and the Marine, Timmy Dooley TD, aboard the naval vessel LÉ Samuel Beckett, the start gun will sound for one of offshore sailing’s great endurance challenges.
For the 70-foot Spirit of Shackleton, this is much more than a race.
She will join more than 60 sailboats taking on the 704-nautical-mile challenge around Ireland’s coastline, with an all-island crew of 16 led by Skipper Enda O’Coineen and Sailing Master Bobby Beggs.
The Round Ireland Race is renowned as a true test of seamanship, skill, teamwork and resilience. For Spirit of Shackleton, it provides the perfect launchpad for a wider mission: to connect young people with the ocean, adventure, leadership and the spirit of exploration.
The Foundation is especially proud to have four bursary participants joining the crew for this campaign: Simone Daranyi, David O’Reilly, Max Rauniomaki O’Bairéad and Luca Kavanagh.
Their places represent what the Spirit of Shackleton programme is designed to achieve, opening the door to real ocean adventure for the next generation of Irish sailors, leaders and explorers.
The Round Ireland Race is only the first chapter.
Following the race, Spirit of Shackleton will begin an extraordinary 12-month programme of training voyages through Irish waters, Spain, the Canaries and the South Atlantic, taking in the Falklands, Antarctica, Argentina, Chile, Peru, the Galápagos, Panama, Antigua Week, Bermuda and the Azores before returning home to Ireland in June 2027.
The journey will be divided into 14 legs, with crew changes along the way, creating opportunities for more people to take part. Participants can apply to join a leg, contribute towards the programme, or access bursary support to help them get on board.
“The Round Ireland Race is the toughest and most rewarding way imaginable to begin this journey,” said Skipper Enda O’Coineen.
“We’re not just racing, we’re opening a doorway. Over the next year, this crew, and the many who will join us along the way, will sail in the true spirit of Shackleton, with courage, leadership and a sense of shared adventure. To have four outstanding young bursary sailors with us from day one is exactly what this is all about.”
The Atlantic Shackleton Global Foundation invites individuals, organisations and supporters to join the Spirit of Shackleton journey, to sail, to support or to help create opportunities for young people through bursary places.
To get involved, email naomh@atlanticshackleton.org
