Roe Valley Arts Centre, Limavady, NI
Image credit | Artists own 2025
The installation INTERRUPTED JOURNEYS is inspired by a story of duty and courage by local Limavady men with others at the start of the 20th century. These men showed heroism and perseverance rescuing adventurers who were unexpectantly trapped in ice in the most treacherous place on the earth - Antarctica.
The Ross Sea party was a component of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914–1917 doomed Imperial Trans- Antarctic Expedition. Ten beleaguered men were trapped on the ice in Antarctica for 199 days until January 1917, before the Aurora, which had been repaired and refitted in New Zealand, arrived to rescue them.
William Ferguson Massey from Limavady was the then Prime Minister in New Zealand who commissioned the repair of the Aurora and then its rescue of Shackleton’s men. Upon this whaling ship, The Aurora, was another Limavady man Edgar Wilson Smith (Ted) serving as a Fireman. Along with the crew Ted battled the elements and darkness to rescue the Shackleton’s men trapped in ice who were left to blindly trust that they have not been forsaken.
This story inspired a group of people living with brain injuries who attend Brain Injury Matters NI to create this installation to communicate how life will always be a journey disrupted by unforeseen circumstances. Led by artist Rachel Fitzpatrick the group have collaborated to create an intricate installation of origami whales highlighting courage, survival and hope. Just like the white ice interrupting the journey of the adventurers, a brain injury can also strike unexpectantly leaving you feeling trapped. The colours of the aurora act as a beacon of hope guiding you back into a journey of reframing your life.
Rosemary Gifford, who attends Brain Injury Matters with her son Stephen inspired the group with this story of determination and courage. We will be forever grateful for her tales of Limavady hero’s and her patience and enthusiasm in answering all our unending questions on the topic. Further information on this story and other forgotten histories of Limavady can be found in her book ‘It seems like yesterday: Rosemary and Friends’, edited by R Gifford and J Martin, published 2025.