Annascaul, a colourful village on the Dingle peninsula, has connections with the great Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and, more particularly, his second officer, Tom Crean, who was a native of Annascaul and has only recently achieved the recognition he deserved for his own part in Antarctic exploration.
Across the road from the South Pole Inn, there is a statue of Crean by the Irish American sculptor, Jerome Connor, who was also born in Annascaul (his famous work, the Nuns of the Battlefield, stands in Washington D.C.).
On retiring in 1920, Tom Crean returned to Annascaul, married and ran The South Pole Inn - and today it is not only a delightful, well-run pub, but also well worth a visit to view its fascinating collection of Shackleton and Crean memorabilia.
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