Dooley not responsible for raising ghost of Crean

No disrespect to Aidan Dooley, but he did not “single-handedly raise the ghost” of Tom Crean (Artslife, May 18).

Aside from the fact that commemorations were planned in Kerry and South Georgia in the late 1990s, the main job was done by Michael Smith, 15 years ago, with the publication of An Unsung Hero, a successful book that gave rise to a children’s version and to spin-offs, like plays.

When Crean’s polar exploits ended, his life was not one of “slow decay”. He and his wife, Nell, ran a successful pub — The South Pole Inn — in Annascaul, and they were extremely popular in the town, earning the nickname of Tom and Nell the Pole.