It is hard to imagine what a small Irish village and the great continent of Antarctica 15,000 kilometres away could have in common.
Connecting the two is the South Pole Inn in Annascaul, Co Kerry, a pub beloved by locals and international explorers alike thanks to its famous former owner.
Renowned explorer Tom Crean was born in the rural location and went on the buy the bar after his exploits in Antarctica.
The adventures of the Kerryman and his fellow explorer, Kildare man Ernest Shackleton, were brought to the fore again thanks to the discovery of Shackleton's lost ship.
The Endurance, which sank in Antarctica in 1915 after being crushed by sea and ice, was discovered at the bottom of the Weddell Sea after being missing for 107 years.
Tom Crean, who was part of the expedition that sought to achieve the first land crossing of Antarctica, came back to his home village after the voyage to settle for a life as a publican with his family.
The South Pole Inn is now in the hands of Gary Percival who has managed the world-famous pub for 23 years.
The premises was originally a one-storey thatched cottage that had a license attached to it before it was taken over by its notable first owner.
"Tom Crean bought it but there's a bit of debate around when it was actually opened as a pub," Gary told the Irish Mirror.
"We go by the history that says it was opened in 1927 by Tom Crean, the Antarctic explorer, and it has changed hands quite a few times since then.
"My story is that my mother comes from the village of Annascaul and we took over the pub in 1999."
Crean's connection to the pub had remained ever-present, even if it was only under his ownership for 11 years.
"Tom Crean went on three Antarctic expeditions with Scott and Shackleton," Gary explained.
"1901 was the first time he went and then he went in 1911 and again in on a third expedition on Endurance with Shackleton.
"When he retired from the Navy, he bought the pub, the cottage that was there, and when he moved back with his wife it became the pub.
"He, unfortunately, died when he was 61 so he was actually only here in the pub about 11 years.
"He named it the South Pole Inn and his name has always remained over the door
"His wife ran the pub after he passed away for a good few years and the pub was sold then in around 1953 by the Crean family."
The explorer's influence can be seen throughout the pub, with numerous photos adorning the wall depicting Crean's exploits.
The original images and memorabilia pique the interest of patrons, Crean and the exploration aspect of the bar "a massive draw" for visitors.
Gary said: "When we first took over, there were maybe a few people in the village and a few people around Kerry who knew about Tom Crean.
"It wasn't until the book came out, Michael Smith write a book called 'The Unsung Hero', that people started to learn about his exploits and what he did.
"All the centenaries happened around that period of Shackleton's expedition.
"There are three types of people who come into the pub: There are people who just come in because the name is funny and they want to have a look around, there are people who know a little bit about it and want to learn more, and then there are people who are completely obsessed with polar exploration of any kind and its more of a pilgrimage for them."
Gary is a self-professed Crean devotee, and he's not the only one, as in pre-Covid times, busloads of people would visit the pub for a tour of the bar.
"I'm mad about Tom Crean!", Gary said.
"He is, to me, the most famous person who's ever been in the pub.
"It's a bit of a gimmick but we have a South Pole view, it's a window and it has a recording of the Antarctic playing on a loop, it's meant to represent the sounds that you would hear in the Antarctic
"We don't tell anyone, they just have to find it themselves."
He admits that the last two years had a huge impact on the business, as without the brisk tourist trade, Gary feared the South Pole Inn could close for good.
However, he believes pubs will adapt after the pandemic and he is ready for the challenge.
"It was a very tough time, I didn't even think we would be able to continue," he said.
"The quiet times were very quiet, we rely on tourism, we're a rural pub in a small village that is known internationally.
"It has been very hard but we hope we're coming out of it...but really it will be next year when we're looking at some sort of normality.
"I think we're going to see a change, the days of the 50/60 seater busses coming in [are gone], we're going to have to find new ways to entertain people.
"I'm excited about the challenge but I don't know what it's going to bring."
