Explorers Museum Gains Patron In Sir Ranulph Fiennes

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Last week, representatives from the Explorers Museum announced that it had gained a patron in the form of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the British adventurer who has been called the “greatest living explorer” for his various exploits in the Arctic, Antarctic, and beyond. The museum, which was just announced this past January, will hold a gala event on September 6, at which Sir Ran will give the keynote address.

The Explorers Museum is a wonderful project being spearheaded by Lorie Karnath, the former President of the Explorers Club. Headquartered in Charleville Castle, located in Tullamore, Ireland, the museum looks to serve not only as a place to celebrate exploration throughout history, but also as a modern base of operations for explorers in the field today. There are plans afoot to create an explorers hall of fame, a world-class research library, and a base camp of sorts, outfitted with latest in modern technology. Exhibits are expected to open this summer.

If anyone deserves a spot in the Explorers Museum Hall of Fame, it is Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Over the years, his expeditions have taken him on unsupported journeys to both the North and South Pole, to the summit of Everest, and up the Nile by hovercraft. He was also instrumental in the discovery of the lost city of Ubar in Iran, and he once ran seven marathons, on seven continents, in seven days.

In speaking about the Explorers Museum, Fiennes said:

“The Explorers Museum is a commendable institution with the expressed aim of recognising our global – yet often overlooked – heritage of adventure and exploration, wherever these journeys may have taken place and by whatever means. It is great that at last there is a physical space by which the most-impressive undertakings of the exploring world can be showcased to the public and I am very privileged to become the museum’s patron.”

I’m happy to see this project coming to fruition. It sounds like it is going to be a wonderful place for those of us who are fans of adventure and exploration, while also offering some great resources to explorers across the globe. I hope to visit someday.

Kraig Becker