• An Unsung Hero

  • Tom Crean - Antarctic Survivor
  • By: Michael Smith
  • Narrated by: Gerry O'Brien
  • Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (44 ratings)

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An Unsung Hero  By  cover art

An Unsung Hero

By: Michael Smith
Narrated by: Gerry O'Brien
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Publisher's summary

An Unsung Hero is an unforgettable story of triumph over unparalleled hardship and deprivation.

Tom Crean was the farmer’s son from Kerry who sailed on three major expeditions to the unknown Antarctic over a century ago. He served with both Captain Robert Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton, spent longer on the ice than either and outlived them both. 

But Tom Crean returned to Ireland and never spoke about his exploits, taking his incredible story to the grave - until the publication of An Unsung Hero, which unearthed his story and saw him rightfully placed amongst the annals of the great explorers.

©2009 Michael Smith (P)2021 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"Michael Smith has written a splendid biography." (The Nautical Magazine)

"The epic struggles, heroics and the unbelievable hardships of the voyages are wonderfully told." (The Irish Times)

"Wonderful Kiplingesque yarn about a great Irishman who didn't have to die to become a hero." (Irish Independent)

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What listeners say about An Unsung Hero

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Well told account of this shy hero

Tom Crean is a legendary Irish explorer to Antarctica. Unsung Hero does a good job of telling his story and helping the reader understand the political, environmental and cultural issues that impacted the attempts to explore Antarctica in the early 1900’s.

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Tom Crean: Modern day Bear Grills

Wow... I loved the book Endurance, which is phenomenal in it's own way. This takes you to the beginning, of how it all started w. Robert F. Scott and the Golden age of Arctic Exploration. Highly recommend! Crean deserves glory... what a life he lived.

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Incredibly Engrossing

It was excellent. I loved how much detail was shared and provided. Definitely a must read.

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Great Book!

Once in awhile there comes along an individual with the determination to endure unbelievable hardships in exploration with an attitude that can inspire others to succeed and that person is well written about in this book. Certainly worth reading!

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Excellent!

Can’t think of anything I didn’t like, great book overall and good narration. Word word word word word

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Great adventure story.

Great writing and great research on a truly unsung hero. I recommend this book to anyone that likes true adventure stories, which IMHO should be everyone. I rated the performance low because the reading of every measure in both imperial and metric measurements is just brutal to hard to listen to. Very distracting.

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Riveting

I was captured from the very first. A compelling story with a focus not on Scott, Shackleton, or Amundsen, but on Irishman Tom Crean and his courageous contributions to the Discovery, Terra Nova, and Endurance Antarctic expeditions.

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Magnificent Man, Unbelievable Adventures

The world needs more Tom Creans. A loyal friend and comrade, capable of seemingly superhuman feats while maintaining his humility and equanimity. This story is beautifully written and wonderfully narrated. I learned much that I did not know about the incredibly arduous trips made by the early adventurers to Antartica. Will I be visiting earth’s nether regions? Probably not in this lifetime. The next stop for me will be the South Pole Inn and surrounds in Kerry. Land Ho! Slainte!!!

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Must listen for all polar exploration aficionados

Wonderful narrator and refreshingly different from most of the other books about Scott, Shackleton, and others like them. You will love getting to know Tom Crean better, I sure did. Thumbs way up.

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Well read, compelling for Shackletonians

Liked the reading and this particular lens on such a lovely sounding man. Great life, great story, great audiobook.

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