Tom Crean Walking Tour 2004

A Historical Walking tour of Tom Crean's Homeland

Saturday-Day 1: Collection from Shannon  at 12noon or Kerry airport  at 3.00pm and transfer to The Old Anchor Guesthouse in the village of Annascaul birthplace of Tom Crean.

The proprietor of the guesthouse is Marie Kennedy whose father John Jerry Kennedy was a second cousin Tom Crean.

After dinner we will talk about the planned week ahead and then adjourn to the famous South Pole built by Tom in 1920.

Sunday-Day 2: Today's walk will follow the Tom Crean trail starting from The South Pole to Minard Castle. Here on the 10^th of July 1893 Tom enlisted in the Royal Navy as a boy second class leaving Minard on a cargo boat bound for Cobh  in Co. Cork and then to England. From here we will walk to Gurtuchrane  where tom was born the 20^th of July 1877.Following this road we will walk follow Tom’s footprints back to Annascaul.

Dinner at The Old Anchor, followed by lecture with guest speaker.

Monday-Day 3: This mornings walk, weather permitting will bring us for the first time along some of Tom’s favourite hills overlooking Minard and Annascaul.

A short drive to Lispole then after a steep climb to the top of Banoge north  we will follow the ridge to Coolnapogue with spectacular views down into

Annascual lake.

Retracing our steps a bit we will come off the hills into Tom Kennedy's land yet another relation of Tom Crean and present owner of The South Pole.

We can visit the South Pole at the end of the walk for refreshment.

Dinner at The Old Anchor.

Tuesday-Day 4: A shorter  hill walk in the morning nearer the village over Brackloon hill with amazing views of Dingle Bay, Inch Beach and Annascaul valley.

Lunch at The Old Anchor:

After lunch we will visit the Kerry Museum and have a guided  tour of the Antarctica exhibition which was officially opened in April 2002.

  Dinner will be in one of Tralee’s finest restaurants followed with a visit to Siamsa Tire, The National Folk Theatre of Ireland, where we see a superb performance of Irish music and dance.

Wednesday-Day 5: After a short drive to the north side of the peninsula we will start our hill walk in the Maghnabo or Glenahoo valley.

This is a beautiful  U- shaped with waterfalls and ruins of cottages of times past.

The path will take us steeply to the top of the valley along side a stream and down the other side into Annascaul lake place of legend and stories.

We will continue into the village via an Sean Rochid, the old road.

Dinner in The Old Anchor and visit some of the other local pubs in the village. Also optional drive to Dingle for a session of traditional Irish music and ‘Craic’

Thursday-Day 6: An easier day today, we start off with a walk along the famous Inch beach, three miles long.

This beach was the location for scenes from two major films  The Playboy of the Western world in the 60’s and Ryan's Daughter, directed by David Lean.

Lean bought a pile of stones from the old forge which was on the site of the South Pole. These stones had been collected by Tom Crean in the 1920’s while he was building the South Pole pub, where  then used by Lean to construct authentic  Irish cottages for the set of Ryans Daughter.

Lunch in Dingle: After lunch we will visit the local library to view some more of Tom’s memorabilia.

Free time for the remainder of the afternoon in Dingle to sample its colourful  craft shops, galleries, pubs, and a chance to soak up the West Kerry atmosphere.

Dinner at The Old Anchor.

Friday-Day 7: We will walk from the village to Ballincourty graveyard to visit Tom’s final resting place.

Many years before his death Tom constructed his own tomb for all his extended family and relations.

Presently there is a wreath made of white porcelain flowers, sent 63 years ago by lieutenant Teddy Evans which was delivered to Tom’s funeral in a Rolls Royce.

The simple message read,' in affectionate remembrance from an Antarctic comrade’.

Evans was the man who was on the point of death from scurvy on the Terra Nova expedition, Crean saved his life by walking 30 miles alone with three biscuits and two pieces of chocolate.

Lunch in The South Pole  where Tom lived out his days with his wife Nell and two daughters Eileen and Mary, until his  untimely death at the age of 61 years on 27^th of July 1938  from a perforated appendix with Nell by his side.

His funeral was one of the biggest ever seen in the village.

His coffin was carried  on the shoulders of friends and Naval comrades to lie beside his other daughter Kate.

Afternoon scenic drive  to see the sights of the western tip of the Dingle Peninsula.

Farwell dinner at The Old Anchor followed with an evening of traditional music and song.

Saturday-Day 8: Slan Abhaile, Safe home, return to Shannon for 3.00pm or Kerry airports at 12noon.