Crean: The Extraordinary Life of an Irish Hero

Since 2010, Foley has been the driving force of a campaign to honour a man with a remarkable story. Tom Crean, the subject of this book, was born and raised a few miles away from the author’s father, on the breathtaking Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.

Foley’s narrative is based on years of research and study into the life of Crean, who joined the Navy at 16 years old and embarked upon a career that saw him become a member of three major pioneering polar expeditions of the 20th century.

The story commences in Ireland under the governance of the British Empire and continues through Crean’s career in the Royal Navy whilst serving under the leadership of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton over three Antarctic expeditions, Discovery (1901-04), Terra Nova (1910-13), and Endurance (1914-16).

We are then taken through to Crean’s retirement and his return to a changed country in the aftermath of rebellion and in the midst of a War of Independence that came at great personal loss to Tom Crean.

The book goes on to question why and how Crean’s story was lost during his lifetime and after his death and then takes us up to the efforts now being made to earn him national recognition.

Born the son of a farmer into an impoverished life in late 19th century Ireland, Crean’s tale is one of suffering and sadness but above all, it’s a story of an unassuming man who displayed unparalleled bravery to save the lives of others whilst subject to the harshest conditions on the planet.