He began life at Fegan's at nine years of age. It was a life of discipline and order. Boys in the home were given a number. Tom was number 28. No names were used.

Tom left Fegan's at around 15 and until he was 17, worked around a building site and had some fun before joining the Parachute Regiment for 6 years. In 1960, while he was there he asked to see the commanding officer of the S.A.S. to see if he could be on the selection panel. This was not normally the way things were done but Tom is no ordinary person.

Life at Fegan's was good training for life in the world's toughest regiment and he was able to channel his talents into his career. His army days taught him survival training and an extraordinary capacity for succeeding against all odds. Tom's resilience was bred into him from childhood. He is a man with a remarkable taste for adventure, continuing to make world news with extraordinary feats of daring and endurance.

Tom McClean inhabited Rockall for 40 days 1985 - re-affirming Britain's legal rights.

Giltspur 9'9" 1982 , 7;9: 1983 The smallest yacht to sail the Atlantic