A short item about Polar exploration on "Your Place and Mine" on Radio Ulster stated the the Irish hold title to more Polar explorers than any other nation.
On Wednesday 9th January the Irish President Mary McAleese, and the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, sent their congratulations to the Irish group who successfully reached the South Pole on Tuesday night. The four person Beyond Endurance Team was led by Pat Falvey, a 50-year-old Irish adventurer and Everest climber.
On Friday 18th January more than one hundred descendants and admirers of famous Polar explorers gathered for the first time in a hundred and fifty years to pay a special tribute to the men who died on the tragic Franklin expedition to the Arctic.
Journalist Michael Smith has produced a series of books on polar explorers. He wrote the first book in 2000 with
"An Unsung Hero", which was the story of Kerry iceman
Tom Crean. Since then, Michael Smith has published a biography of Captain Lawrence ‘Titus’ Oates, a book about explorer
Sir James Wordie from Scotland, an illustrated book about Crean, and two childrens’ books on Crean and Ernest Shackleton (born at Kilkea House, near Athy, County Kildare in 1874). His latest book,
"Captain Francis Crozier: Last Man Standing", tells the tale of the Irishman who explored the Arctic, Antarctic and North West Passage.
Other
Irish Antarctic explorers, mentioned in an article on ireland.iol.ie ... Edward Bansfield from Co. Cork, Henry Kellett from Co. Tipperary, Francis McClintock from Dundalk and Robert McClure from Co. Wexford.
The Beyond Endurance website mentions Mortimer and
Tim McCarthy from Kinsale who took part in the Antarctic legends created by Scott and Shakleton.
