The Shackleton of his day, Leopold McClintock (1819-1907) from County Louth was the leading Arctic explorer of the Victorian era. He undertook four major voyages, epic sledge journeys, and was the first to bring definite information on the lost Franklin party. He then rose to admiral and advised Robert Falcon Scott before the Discovery expedition in 1901. After his death a memorial plaque was unveiled at Westminister Abbey, portraits were hung in the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the McClintock Channel in the Arctic was named after him.
close this panelDavid Murphy is an editorial assistant at the Royal Irish Academy's Dictionary of Irish Biography, specializing in political, military, naval and polar figures. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and other prestigious societies and associations. The author of many papers and journal articles, his latest book is the critically acclaimed Ireland and the Crimean War (Dublin 2002).
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