free the irish giant! - a case of body snatching

or yet another instance of museums body snatching

Trigger warning: there will be discussions of bodies and skeletons in this piece so please be aware.

Recently I was out for dinner with friends when the conversation turned to strange things that have happened in history. Usually when this topic comes up (as it often does) we normally talk about cults or strange crimes in history that one of my friends had recently heard on a podcast or a Netflix documentary. This time when my friend started talking about the fantastic book that came out last year called A History of Ireland in Ten Body Parts he said he was surprised to read about the Irish Giant Charles Byrne. Our other friend had never heard the story whereas the first time I had ever heard about it was during one of my classes in my Museum Studies Masters when we were studying about human remains. Every time I hear about Charles Byrne or read articles about him I still feel a sense of outraged horror. My friend was also rightly horrified when we explained to her who he was and what happened to him. All of us agreed that in the time that we live in it’s hard to believe that Charles Bryne is still being treated against his wishes.

So who was the ‘Irish Giant’?

First and foremost, Charles Byrne was not the only tall man considered to be an Irish giant. His death unfortunately has made him more famous than his life and sadly his situation was not singular. For this essay I’m mostly focusing on him while I may do another piece on his contemporary Patrick Cotter O'Brien who experienced similar treatment in the name of science and knowledge.

William Richardson; Andrew Bell; Mr Knipe; Lord Monboddo; Charles Byrne; Mr Knipe; Baillie Kyd, by John Kay, 1784. National Portrait Gallery.

Charles Bryne (though his name was possibly really Charles O’Brien) was born in 1761 in Ulster in the North of Ireland. Early in his life his family began to notice his unusually fast growth and it was soon said around the town that his parents must have conceived him on a haystack as he was so tall. It was in his teens that he decided to move across the water where he could showcase his 7ft 7in height, first exhibiting himself in Scotland. He had experienced some fame before he arrived in London at the age of 21 in 1782 and soon had paying audiences in venues across the city. He was viewed as a living curiosity and quickly inspired a play called Harlequin Teague, or the Giant's Causeway. At this time in history people were fascinated by strange and unique places and things that defied imagination. One of these places was the Giant’s Causeway along the North Coast of Ireland where the myth of the giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill (or Finn McCool) is said to have taken place. Bryne lit people’s imaginations and the public grew fond of his apparently gentle nature.

However his good fortune was not to last forever. His great height was caused by a growth disorder called acromegaly which came with a number of different health issues. His health rapidly declined when he was just 22. He unfortunately was robbed after drinking in his local pub, his life’s earnings of £700 was stolen and this traumatic event put even more strain on his health. He sadly passed away two months after on the 1 June 1973 at age 22.

George Fairholme; John McGowan; Charles Byrne; Alexander Watson; Geordie Cranstoun, by John Kay, 1784. National Portrait Gallery.

During Bryne’s fame in London he came to the attention of the surgeon and anatomist John Hunter. Hunter was known for his fascination with strange specimens and had created his own private museum to keep them in. So naturally he offered to give Bryne money if he would leave his body to Hunter after his death. Byrne refused, abhorring the idea of his body being dissected. Knowing that his health was getting worse Byrne had worried that his body would be stolen by Hunter and so arranged with his close friends that his body would be placed in a sealed coffin before being buried at sea. However, Hunter found out about these plans and arranged for Byrne’s body to be intercepted and brought to him. Hunter reduced Bryne’s body to a skeleton and displayed him in his museum, the Hunterian Museum. Byrne’s body was later put on display in the Hunterian Museum in the Royal College of Surgeons in London where it has been looked upon for two centuries.

In the last few decades there have been many public appeals for Bryne’s body to be removed from display, most vocal of which was Hilary Mantel who wrote a novel about Bryne. Many scientists believe that all knowledge that can be garnered from Byrne’s body has been acquired or can be extracted so that they no longer need his body. Eventually in 2023 the Hunterian Museum announced that they would remove Bryne’s body from public display after their refurbishment. However, the Hunterian Museum continues to hold his remains despite many calls for Byrne to be put to rest in his hometown or near the Giant’s Grave where locals believe Byrne would want to be buried.

There are others who say that Byrne’s body should be kept by the Hunterian Museum so that it can continue to tell us more about growth genes and improve the health of those currently living with the same condition he had. There’s an interesting BBC article about a man who discovered he is a distant cousin of Bryne and whose life was saved by the examinations of Bryne’s body. He believes that Byrne shouldn’t be buried and that his remains should continue to help throw light onto this condition.

I can see his point though I don’t agree with it. The specimen was once a human being who was afraid of this happening to him and I can’t see beyond that. Let him rest.

What do you think? Should the Hunterian Museum finally free the Irish Giant?