Shackleton

Definitely a “the man behind the legend” alternative narrative of Shackleton. The title needlessly makes reference to Ireland, as this isn't particularly focused on Shackleton's Irish heritage or even life (I put off reading this book because I was worried about it being only nominally about the explorer). I will warn readers that it (fairly, given the intent of the book) TOTALLY glosses over the cool, exciting, unbelievable stuff of Antarctic exploration. So you also need to read “South”, “The Worst Journey In The World”, etc. to really appreciate the Shackleton legend.