Irish Antarctic explorers remembered with special commemorative stamps

Tom Crean from Co Kerry was one of Ireland's most famous Antarctic explorers. 

Eight Irish Antarctic explorers are being celebrated by An Post with a series of commemorative stamps. 

The stamps highlight the contributions of eight Irish men towards Antarctic exploration and Cork explorers feature prominently. 

Five of the eight explorers recognised are from Cork along with Co Kildare's Ernest Shackleton, Co Kerry's Tom Crean, and Co Down's Francis Crozier. 

Edward Bransfield, from Ballincurra, Co Cork, Patrick Keohane from Courtmacsherry, Co Cork, Robert Forde, from Bandon, Co Cork, and brothers Mortimer and Tim McCarthy from Kinsale, Co Cork are all included.

An Post has issued four stamps celebrating eight Irish men who played a significant role in the epic Antarctic expeditions of the 1800s and early 1900s.

Tom Crean may be one of the best-known Irish Antarctic explorers after his service with Ernest Shackleton and Robert Scott but it was Edward Bransfield who made one of the first Irish contributions to Antarctic exploration. 

In 1819, Mr Bransfield was tasked with exploring reports of unchartered land. His 12-month expedition uncovered King George Island, the Bransfield Strait, and the Trinity Peninsula, the northernmost point of the Antarctic mainland. The Corkman's mission began an era of Antarctic exploration for decades to come. 

The "forgotten Irishman of Antarctic exploration," Patrick Keohane served with Tom Crean on Robert Scott's fatal Terra Nova expedition in 1910. For the expedition's return, different support parties needed to return to base. Mr Keohane was among the first group to return, a decision he was disappointed with but that ultimately saved his life.  

Antarctic exploration was dangerous and could lead to disaster. 

Brothers Mortimer and Tim McCarthy had contrasting fates. Mortimer served on three Antarctic explorations including the Terra Nova expedition. He served on ships into his 80s and became one of the oldest people to visit the Antarctic in 1963-as one of three surviving members of Scott's 1910 voyage. He retired in New Zealand. 

Tim McCarthy served on Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition and took part in the rescue efforts to save the crew with Tom Crean after the journey ended in jeopardy. 

The first land crossing of the Antarctic deteriorated into a survival mission after the expedition's ship Endurance sank. Stranded, Mr McCarthy, Crean and Shackleton, and three others set out in treacherous waters in a lifeboat vessel to find help for the remaining crew. 

Successful, the expedition's survival became legendary. However, Mr McCarthy later died in service during WW1 after a german submarine sank his Navy vessel. 

Mr Crozier was little recognised in his lifetime for his contributions to Antarctic exploration. 

Irish Illustrator David Rooney designed the stamps and said it was "fascinating" to learn about his adventures. 

“Like most people I was aware of the Shackleton and Crean expeditions, it was fascinating to delve into the adventures of a figure like Francis Crozier, who set out in 1839 as commander of HMS Terror on the Ross expedition. 

"Crozier, his ship and all of his crew were subsequently lost, along with Sir John Franklin, on their ill-fated search for the North West Passage in the Arctic just a few years later,” he said.