Tim Foley · tomcreanbook.com · March 2021

It's Official: Substantial Revisions Made to Tom Crean's Story

March 17th, like every St Patrick's Day, is cause for celebration — but on a personal note, this one marked something more. It was the day official validation arrived for a number of facts and missing details I had incorporated into my account of Tom Crean's story. The sources I uncovered while researching his life have brought about substantial revisions to the entry for Crean in the Dictionary of Irish Biography.

The Dictionary of Irish Biography

A chronicle of the lives of prominent men and women born on the island of Ireland, the Dictionary of Irish Biography is a collaboration between the Royal Irish Academy and Cambridge University Press. Its volumes are an indispensable work of reference for scholars, journalists, broadcasters, genealogists, diplomats, and the general reader interested in Ireland's past — an educational resource respected the world over.

After many months of correspondence, throughout which I submitted all of the source material I had discovered and used in writing Tom Crean's biography to the Royal Irish Academy, the inaccuracies and missing information I had highlighted — in a 7,000-word file and accompanying folders of source material — gave rise to a substantial and significant revision of the dictionary entry for Tom Crean.

Years of Research Behind the Correction

Since early 2017 I had dedicated myself to deeper research into Tom Crean's story for the purpose of writing his biography. I had already written hundreds of posts about Crean before that, in my role as a campaigner attempting to secure him recognition from Ireland — so I was as familiar as anyone with the story we had all digested since the turn of the millennium.

I never imagined, as that book-writing journey began, that I would discover so much additional information about Crean. There was a greater shock in store, too, when I found that a number of inaccuracies of real significance had populated existing accounts of his life.

To see some of those inaccuracies and missing events set out, I have detailed a number of them in a blog post separating fact from fiction.

17 March 2021 — the day the revisions were confirmed

Preventing the Spread of False Information

Continuing to misinform the public, schoolchildren and students of all ages, without full examination of the facts on offer, is irresponsible. Now that these alterations to Tom Crean's timeline have been validated, publishers and media platforms have a duty to ensure their output reflects the changes made, and to acknowledge the work done in uncovering the sources. I am always happy to provide the evidence I submitted to the Royal Irish Academy, if requested.

Tom Crean's Birthdate

One further note: I recently submitted additional evidence relating to Tom Crean's date of birth, which shores up the conviction that he was born on or before 16 February 1877 — the date entered in the baptismal register. There has long been a need to address the rather absurd situation whereby Crean's birthdate is marked on three separate occasions each year. I believe this new evidence confirms that his baptismal date of 16 February is the most accurate, and most appropriate, date on which to mark his entry into the world. The full evidence is set out in Tom Crean's True Birthdate.