Enduring tale of Harry McNish

Fergus Dennehy talks to actor Malcolm Rennie who will be performing in Siamsa Tíre for the very first time this Friday October 26; Malcolm will be performing as Harry McNish in the play ‘Shackleton’s Carpenter’. Harry served as the on-board carpenter on Shackleton’s ‘Endurance’ expedition to the Antarctic and was famously one of the few people to stand up to Shackleton.

THE enduring tale of Antarctic carpenter Harry McNish might not be one of the better known tales from polar exploration era, but that does not mean it is not a story worth telling.

Scottish actor Malcolm Rennie is the man tasked with bringing the story of this highly outspoken man to the stage and it is a task that he has taken to with gusto - describing the character and story of McNish as one which appealed to him greatly.

Describing him as “extremely religious” and “a bit of an oddball within the company”, the story of how and why Harry McNish was one of the few people involved in the heroic exploits of the expedition to be denied a polar medal is an intriguing one

“Shackleton’s carpenter was a man called Harry McNish and he volunteered to go with Shackleton on his 1914 ‘Endurance’. McNish became quite notorious because he became the only man who publicly questioned the decision making of Shackleton and stood up to him on the ice cap. He called a spade a spade and he was not afraid to speak his mind,” said Malcolm, speaking on Monday morning.

“They had a blazing row about whether it was possible to drag the boat across the ice flows. McNish said that it was impossible because it would damage the boats beyond repair but Shackleton insisted that it be done and of course, they tried to do it and the carpenter was proved right,” he continued.

“For that, Shackleton felt that he had lost a great deal of face in front of the whole company of men and so when it came to distributing the polar medals, he made sure that McNish did not get one,” said Malcolm.

There is currently an ongoing campaign to posthumously award McNish with a polar medal.

Crushed by the ice of the Weddell Sea, the Endurance sank and 28 men were stranded on the Antarctic ice cap. Their subsequent survival and rescue was down in part to Harry McNish, the ship’s carpenter who ingeniously adapted the 3 remaining life boats to withstand the extreme rigours of polar sea travel.

The play begins in 1930 with McNish, ill and destitute, sleeping in an old lifeboat on the wharf in Wellington NZ. He awakes and re-lives his Endurance experiences, conjuring up the ghosts of his past. In his fevered mind he recalls his shipmates, McLeod, Green, the hated Orde-Lees, his cat, Mrs Chippy, shot by Shackleton, and most tellingly, the Boss himself and their fateful quarrel.

As with almost all actors looking to sink their teeth into a juicy role, the rough and ready characteristics of this unflinching man were enough for Malcolm to jump at the chance to take the chance.

“The script appealed to me because when I was a little boy growing up in Aberdeen, I remember men who were exactly like McNish, Tough men. Men who didn’t open themselves up too easily but who were still capable themselves of deep and sincere feelings,” he said.

“McNish seemed to me to fit exactly into this mould for me and so I felt that I could bring something from myself and my own experiences that would help the production,” he said.

Of course, when anything Antarctic related is mentioned in Kerry, it is only right that the name of our very own polar hero is brought up and knowing this, Malcolm reassures me that Crean is not forgotten in the play.

“Of course, everyone is familiar with Crean and his heroics. He is mentioned in the play of course. There were six of them who sailed from Elephant Island to South Georgia to get relief, McNish and Crean would have been in the boat together for almost two weeks together,” he said.

Malcolm Rennie has been an actor for over 50 years, and has appeared in over 20 West End shows. His TV & film appearances include Midsomer Murders, Taggart, Ransom, Pride & Prejudice, The Lenny Henry Show, The Accountant, Monarch of the Glen, Coronation Street, Sherlock and as Fraser in four series of Mr Selfridge.

The play ‘Shackleton’s Carpenter’ is written by multi-award winning playwright Multi-award winner Gail Louw.

McNish became quite notorious because he became the only man who publicly questioned the decision making of Shackleton and stood up to him on the ice cap.