Celebrating 20 years in business, JSD Contracting Ltd is delighted to be a finalist in the Public Sector category of the upcoming Irish Construction Excellence Awards for its successful delivery of the new Shackleton Experience in Athy, Co. Kildare.
The high-profile project, which was completed last year following a €7.5 million investment by Kildare County Council and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, involved the meticulous restoration of a 300-year-old Town Hall, previously home to the Athy Heritage Centre, Athy Library and Athy Fire Service. The building underwent major refurbishment, preparing it for a new purpose.
A team of conservation experts worked together to ensure the integrity of the historic building was maintained, restoring the cabin from the ship Quest, installing modern climate control measures to preserve the building and its artefacts. The project successfully integrates old and new, showcasing the historic life stages of the building while delivering a modern building experience through cutting-edge technology.
The Shackleton Experience is designed for visitors to engage with the legacy of the famous explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, who was born in Kilkea near Athy in 1874. The museum features over 200 artefacts and a glass ‘iceberg’ extension that enhances the old Town Hall, housing interactive exhibits and a research studio for polar scholars. Exhibits include Shackleton’s cabin from the 1922 Quest expedition and replicas of the Endurance and James Caird lifeboat.
Since opening last October, the Shackleton Experience has made Athy a tourist destination and has been awarded the Leisure, Tourism and Hospitality Project of the Year and the Heritage, Conservation Project of the Year at the Irish Building and Design (IBDA) Awards 2026. The IBDA awards celebrate excellence in Irish building and design and acknowledge outstanding achievements in architecture, engineering, construction and design.
“We’re proud to be associated with the Shackleton Experience. We’re also thrilled to see this flagship project recognised with an ICE Award nomination,” JSD Contracting contracts director Colm Kennedy enthuses.
“Working in collaboration with OBFA Architects Ireland, McCrae Consulting Engineers, Bernard Smith Consulting Engineers and numerous other stakeholders, we delivered a world-class cultural and tourist destination for the client, Kildare County Council. It has brought huge pride and life to Athy, and has put the town firmly on the map.”
The vision for the Shackleton Experience was to build one of the world’s great polar museums, a national and international reference point for the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration, a hub for research and a must-see for polar enthusiasts, cultural tourists, international and domestic visitors alike.
Under the remit of the Heritage Centre Board, the Athy Heritage Centre-based in the historic Market House on Emily Square, previously offered an exhibition about the explorer and his expeditions. It was recognised that the centre did not fulfil its potential and that visitor numbers could be much higher. To draw visitors, a well-planned, clearly thought out and engaging interpretation would make for a richer experience.
The proposal for the project was to conserve, restore and extend the prominent Protected Structure in the centre of Athy, to energise the town centre and activate a place of culture, commerce, leisure and tourism. The new Shackleton Experience carefully combines detailed building restoration with contemporary flair.
The main purpose of the project was to:
The project reversed previous interventions made to the building to reveal features such as the spectacular brick vaulting to the undercroft. The introduction of the modern ‘iceberg’ to the southern façade was a striking addition which gives the building a new face, articulated in a clearly contemporary language. The project went to great lengths to repair and conserve the building, breathable lime-based materials, pointing the four street facades and applying a shelter coat to highlight the interior stonework returning some of the beautiful original fabric back to visibility.
Partnered with this was the need for the building to function as a museum space, with a controlled internal environment suitable for the long term and stable display of artifacts and objects.
The scope of works for JSD Contracting involved
The project was procured under the Capital Works Management Framework, using the restricted procedure and nomination of a specialist subcontractor to undertake the technical design, fabrication and construction of the iceberg piece.
The construction programme on site was 16 months in duration. Kildare County Council’s early engagement with the specialist iceberg contractor ensured a detailed design was well progressed by the time JSD Contracting were appointed. This avoided design development delays that could easily have been associated with such a specialist item.
The delivery of the Shackleton Experience has long been an ambition of local groups, supported by Kildare County Council, who sourced artefacts associated with Shackleton’s explorations and hosted the Shackleton Autumn School each year. A key objective in the Local Area Plan, the County Development Plan but also aligning with regional and national policy documents supporting heritage, tourism, economic growth and sustainability. The delivery of the project supports several objectives set out in National, Regional and Local Policy.
The integration of the Shackleton Experience into Athy has been positively received and is widely regarded as a significant enhancement to the town’s cultural and tourism offering. Overall, the Shackleton Experience has elevated Athy’s profile as a destination, broadened awareness of its heritage assets, and contributed meaningfully to local economic activity.
The Shackleton Experience is another example of JSD Contracting’s exemplary work. Established in 2006 by Seamus Dooley, the Portlaoise-headquartered company is a committed client-focused Mid-Tier building contractor providing industry-leading services with the highest levels of professionalism and customer service. Seamus is joined by fellow-directors Eddie Conroy, Colm Kennedy, Maria Whelan and 35-40 direct employees who are supported and supplemented by the same tried and trusted subcontractors.
Over the past two decades, JSD has earned an enviable reputation for the provision of a premium product with excellent timely service and competitive costs to all clients across the fit out & refurbishment, biomedical & pharmaceutical, commercial and energy sectors. Investment in modern business practices and management techniques ensures the company remains focused and competitive. Its experienced and driven team ensures that all projects are undertaken in the most professional and timely manner. Health & Safety and sustainability are key priorities for the team who always work towards the end goal of achieving the highest quality product for the client.
Furthermore, JSD holds a number of accreditations, including ISO 9001:2015 (Quality), ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental) and OHSAS 18001:2007 (Health & Safety).
Current / recent projects undertaken by the Co. Laois main contractor include the Athy Innovation Hub, Bective House five-star hotel in Co. Meath, Institute of Dermatologists in Ballsbridge, CJ Sheeran in Mountrath and Blender’s in Tallaght as well as ongoing fitouts at Kildare Village and for Circle K.
Here’s to the next 20 years!
JSD Contracting
Unit 3 Kea Lew Business Park,
Portlaoise,
Co. Laois,
R32 H210.
Telephone: 057 867 0646
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, July 2026, Vol 12 No 7
