Kerryman Mike O'Shea finds fame ahead of Shackleton-type polar adventure

Irish adventurer Mike O’Shea has become an overnight celebrity in the unlikely setting of the Falkland Islands, where he is preparing to lead a team on a daring, Ernest Shackleton-inspired polar expedition.

Kerryman O’Shea, 45, and five fellow explorers have based themselves on the remote South Atlantic archipelago ahead of of an ambitious 28-day mission to complete the crossing of South Georgia via the so-called Shackleton route and to scale two previously unclimbed mountains.

However, stormy weather over the past few days has delayed the start of their adventure, as they bid to set sail across treacherous, iceberg-strewn waters onboard a specially-designed 60ft yacht.