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Tom Crean Book – 'Crean – The Extraordinary Life Of An Irish Hero'

Rediscover an Irish Hero

Tom Crean Book – 'Crean – The Extraordinary Life Of An Irish Hero'

Rediscover an Irish Hero

Tim Foley — Author & Foremost Authority on Tom Crean | tomcreanbook.com

tomcreanbook.com · About the Author

Tim Foley
Author & Researcher

Author of the definitive biography of Tom Crean, co-author of the Dictionary of Irish Biography entry for Crean, and described by the Royal Society as a foremost authority on his life and career.

Foremost authority on Tom Crean — The Royal Society
Credentials & Institutional Recognition
  • Co-author of the Dictionary of Irish Biography entry for Tom Crean — Royal Irish Academy
  • Described by the Royal Society as "a foremost authority on the life and career of Tom Crean"
  • Co-authored article on Tom Crean for the Royal Irish Academy website
  • Invited author of Tom Crean article on the Royal Society's History of Science blog
  • Commissioned by Scoilnet — Irish Department of Education — to revise national curriculum resources on Tom Crean
  • Research led to the official revision of the Dictionary of Irish Biography, 17th March 2021

"Crean: The Extraordinary Life of an Irish Hero documents six and a half years of Tom Crean's Naval career never previously recorded — and corrects inaccuracies that had gone unchallenged for over twenty years."

Tim Foley — author and foremost authority on Tom Crean

Tim Foley — author and researcher

Crean: The Extraordinary Life of an Irish Hero by Tim Foley — Merrion Press 2023

Merrion Press, 2023

The Story Behind the Research

From Kerry Roots to an Irish Hero's Story

I'm a Salford-born writer — and for those unfamiliar with the city, it's the subject of the popular folk song 'Dirty Old Town.' In fact, my father very probably did kiss my mother by the Gasworks wall, as it was the place he found his first job after emigrating from Ireland in 1947. Salford is also the birthplace of notable writers, artists and musicians — among them Mike Leigh, the playwright and director, whose father was the local doctor and who lived four houses down from where I was born. Then there's John Cooper Clarke, the bard of our city, who every morning would hop on the No.1 bus that took me to school and him to his work as a laboratory assistant at Salford Technical College.

After leaving school and qualifying as a plumbing and mechanical engineer, I spent much of my career in the building trade. I began writing via my own online consumer advice forum in 1999, which proved popular enough that I was commissioned by Granada TV as Project Consultant on ITV's Better Homes and Granada's 60 Minute Makeover, and later took a leading role in a two-part special for ITV's Tonight With Trevor McDonald.

But long before any of that, I had been left fascinated by the story of Tom Crean — an explorer from County Kerry who served under Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton on three pioneering expeditions to Antarctica. I first encountered his story as a boy during the long summers I spent near Castlemaine in County Kerry, close to my father's birthplace. That early fascination never left me.

"From a young age I had been captivated by the heroic tales of Tom Crean. What I didn't know then was that the story I'd grown up with was incomplete — and in some important respects, simply wrong."

In 2010 I set the wheels in motion to create a campaign to honour Tom Crean, an explorer who had been largely forgotten by the country he served. Seven years later, in 2017, I committed to turning years of research into a full biography. What I found during that research changed the historical record.

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The Research

Rewriting the Record

The digitisation of Irish civil records, parish registers, and Naval service documents in the years since the first biography of Crean was published in 2000 opened up possibilities for verification that simply hadn't existed before. When I began working through the primary sources, it became clear that a number of things presented as factual in the existing account were incorrect — in some cases significantly so.

The errors ranged from Tom Crean's birthdate and the number of siblings he had, to the opening date of the South Pole Inn, the name of the ship that brought the Endurance crew home, and the date of his mother's death. But more significant than any individual correction was the discovery of approximately six and a half years of Tom Crean's Naval career that had never been referenced in any published account — service on the Pacific Station covering the entire West Coast of the Americas, involvement in an international naval incident at Corinto, service in Sierra Leone, presence at the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow, and much more.

Official recognition of the corrections: After submitting my complete research folders and a 7,000-word document to the Royal Irish Academy, it was confirmed in March 2021 that the Academy had, in light of the sources I provided, substantially revised Tom Crean's story in the Dictionary of Irish Biography — the authoritative national biographical record for Ireland. Those changes were officially applied on 17th March 2021. I am listed as co-author of the revised entry.

The biography, Crean: The Extraordinary Life of an Irish Hero, was published by Merrion Press — an imprint of Irish Academic Press — in May 2023. It is the only biography of Tom Crean based on the fully corrected and expanded historical record. I also wrote an illustrated version for younger readers, Tom The Mighty Explorer, which was subsequently selected as the featured resource on the Scoilnet Tom Crean theme page, having been commissioned by the Irish Department of Education to revise their national curriculum materials on Crean.

· · ·
Institutional Recognition

Where the Research Has Been Recognised

Royal Irish Academy Co-Author — Dictionary of Irish Biography

Tim Foley is listed as co-author of the Dictionary of Irish Biography entry for Tom Crean, revised on 17th March 2021 following submission of his research to the Royal Irish Academy. The DIB is the authoritative national biographical reference for Ireland.

View the DIB entry →
The Royal Society Invited Author & Foremost Authority

Tim Foley was invited to write about Tom Crean for the Royal Society's History of Science blog. The Royal Society describes him as "a foremost authority on the life and career of Tom Crean."

Read the Royal Society article →
Royal Irish Academy Co-Authored Feature Article

Tim Foley co-authored a feature article on Tom Crean for the Royal Irish Academy website alongside RIA Deputy Librarian Meadhbh Murphy, drawing on the RIA Library's Antarctic expedition collections.

Read the RIA article →
Scoilnet — Irish Department of Education Commissioned Curriculum Author

Tim Foley was commissioned by Scoilnet, the official educational portal of the Irish Department of Education, to revise existing Tom Crean resources and provide new images and materials for Irish schoolchildren. His children's book Tom The Mighty Explorer is the featured source on the Scoilnet Tom Crean theme page.

View the Scoilnet page →
· · ·
The Campaign

Honouring Tom Crean — A Fifteen-Year Mission

The research and biography have always been part of a wider mission. In 2010 I created a Facebook page to support a campaign dedicated to achieving official national recognition for Tom Crean — a man who had been overlooked by the country he served for far too long.

2010
Campaign created

Facebook page established to campaign for official national recognition for Tom Crean. The initial aim was for Kerry Airport to carry Crean's name in its title.

2018
Petition presented to Government

A petition signed by over 10,000 supporters, calling for a new Irish Naval Flagship to be named in honour of Tom Crean, was formally received by the Irish Minister for Defence at Government Buildings in Dublin.

2021
National recognition achieved

In January 2021, it was announced that a government-funded research vessel would be named RV Tom Crean in his honour — a great victory for over 50,000 worldwide supporters. In the same year, the Dictionary of Irish Biography was officially revised to reflect the corrected record.

2022
RV Tom Crean comes home

On 6th October 2022, RV Tom Crean moored in Dingle, County Kerry — close to where Crean was born. A sailor, finally home.

2023
The definitive biography published

Crean: The Extraordinary Life of an Irish Hero published by Merrion Press — after five years of research, the most complete and accurate biography of Tom Crean ever written.

2024
Dan Snow podcast

Historian Dan Snow released a podcast drawing on Tim Foley's research to tell Tom Crean's story, extending the reach of the corrected historical record to a new international audience.

· · ·

Author School Visits

Tim Foley visits primary schools to introduce young children to Tom Crean's story through an educational and interactive slideshow presentation. The sessions are both entertaining and informative, bringing Ireland's greatest unsung hero to life for the next generation.

To arrange a school visit, contact Tim at timfoley50@googlemail.com or visit the school visits page for more information.

Published Work

Tim Foley's Research — Published & Recognised

🔬
The Royal Society Exploring Tom Crean Invited article on the Royal Society's History of Science blog. The Royal Society describes Tim Foley as "a foremost authority on the life and career of Tom Crean."
🏛
Royal Irish Academy "If you are to go out sir, then we'll all go out together" — The Heroics of Tom Crean Co-authored with RIA Deputy Librarian Meadhbh Murphy. Published on the Royal Irish Academy website.
📖
Dictionary of Irish Biography — Royal Irish Academy Tom Crean — co-authored entry The authoritative national biographical record for Ireland. Revised 17th March 2021 following Tim Foley's research submission. Listed as co-author.
🎓
Scoilnet — Irish Department of Education Tom Crean Theme Page Commissioned by the Irish Department of Education to revise national curriculum resources. Tom The Mighty Explorer is the featured source on the Scoilnet Tom Crean theme page.

The Books

Whether you are discovering Tom Crean for the first time or looking for the fully corrected and authoritative account of his remarkable life, both books are available to order now.

Find out more & buy the books Read the corrected historical record
Support the Work

If you enjoy my work and research on Tom Crean's story

Please buy me a beer. I can't reciprocate that, unless we meet in person one day, but any donation you make is reinvested to maintaining the Tom Crean platforms I operate and to keeping Tom Crean's name at the forefront.

☕ Buy Me a Beer

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