Tom Crean, 1877-1938, was a local Annascaulian who was better known as the Kerryman in the Ice, the Bold Adventurer and the Unsung Hero. In his lifetime, this intrepid sense of adventure involved him in several notable expeditions to the Antarctic.

In 1892, at the tender age of 15, Crean joined the Royal Navy, thus beginning his life and love of adventure. By 1900, Crean would have been to the Antarctic on two occasions with Sir Ernest Shackelton, a Kildare man, also with the Royal Navy.

It was in 1901 that Crean began working on the remarkable voyage of Discovery, which lasted until 1904 under the direction of Captain Robert Falcon Scott. Crean received the Antarctic Medal and the Royal Geographical Society Medal for his part in the Discovery adventure, which went the furthest south in 1904.

The second journey to the Antarctic began in 1910 and would last three years. On 14 April 1910, Crean was a petty officer onboard the ship Terra Nova, which had already navigated the Ross Sea, Cape Evans, Hut Point and McMurdo Sound. This journey was to be Scott’s coup de gras in this age of discovery. Scott was said to have personally selected Crean for this journey, not only because he had been to the Antarctic before, but because “Crean was the type of reliable, trusted character who would be invaluable to the venture.”

On 17 January 1912, Scott’s expedition party reached the South Pole, but in an ironic turn of events, the party ran into grave difficulty. Of the five in the party only one would return alive. Crean lead the relief party. Scott’s frozen body was found in the drifts, as were the rest of his party, save for Teddy Evans who barely clung to life. On Crean’s return to England he was decorate with sword at Buckingham Palace and was awarded several medals, including the Albert Medal for saving Teddy Evans’s life.

Crean’s last journey south was the voyage of Endurance, which was captained by Sir Ernest Shackelton. They never made it to the South Pole as the ship was crushed in the packed ice. The surviving crew was forced to make a treacherous journey on foot to Elephant Island. Once there, 22 of the crew remained while Crean, and several men set off in an incredible open-boat trek on the “James Caird” to South Georgia for help. Crean, Worsley and Shackelton then set out on foot over uncharted territory, marching

continuously for 36 hours, until they reached Stromness Whaling Station. There, they hoped to get help for the remaining crew, as there was none to be found in South Georgia.

After Shackelton finally secured a rescue ship, the Yelcho, he was heard in his thanks to say that he "could not speak highly enough of Crean and Worsley, who have seen this through with me".

In all of the journeys to the Antarctic, Crean never reached the South Pole. He came closest in 1912 on his rescue of Evans when he was a mere 180 miles from the Pole.

A few after the unfortunate expedition with Shackelton, Crean retired as a Warrant Officer with the Royal Navy and returned home to Annascaul as a hero. He lived out the rest of his days with his wife Nell and daughters Eileen and Mary. He died young, at 61, and was buried in Ballincourty Cemetery, near Annascaul. His grave is marked with a small Irish High Cross.

Crean built the South Pole Inn in the 1920’s, so in a way, perhaps he did reach the Pole after all.

Directly across the road from the pub is a small park. Take a moment to look at the monument dedicated to Tom Crean, which is a life-size likeness of the man himself.

~ Free car parking available at the church
~ Visitors center with cafe and gift shop
~ accessable area