Her earliest surviving works are pencil drawings of Grisemount and Ballitore, dated 15 November 1848.

[1] She shared her knowledge and skills with her younger brothers and sisters, and also later taught her nephews and nieces as well.

Her attention to detail was such that she helpfully taped a pressed flower or leaf to her work for comparison with her painted study.

[6] Her portrayals at the Botanic Gardens include a significant number of examples of Helleborus, Paeonia, and Sarracenia.

[3] Shackleton was forced to stop painting in 1907 as her sight deteriorated, affecting her ability to execute the fine detail in her work.

[3] She died completely blind, and a spinster, on 10 November 1914 at her home in Rathgar, Dublin.