Irish Giant Charles Byrne Finally Finds Privacy 200 Years After His Skeleton Was Put on Public Display

Charles Byrne will finally find peace and solitude after being put on public display for 200 years following his passing.

Irish Giant Skeleton Removed from London Museum

Byrne, popularly known as the Irish Giant, is being removed as an exhibit from the Hunterian Museum in London. He has been featured in the museum due to his 7-foot, 6-inch tall skeleton, which paved the way for his moniker, the "Irish giant."

The museum decided to get rid of the skeleton due to "sensitivities." However, they said it will still be available for "bona fide medical research," BBC reported.

There have been calls for the repatriation of Byrne's remains. Author Hillary Mantel had called the Royal College of Surgeons to send back his remains to his country because he asked to be buried at sea when he was alive. Mantel fictionalized Byrne in her book "The Giant O'Brien" because his real name was Charles O'Brien.

Unfortunately, his wish hasn't been granted because following his death in 1783, his remains were acquired by the pioneering Scottish surgeon and anatomist John Hunter, who paid an undertaker to switch corpses. His skeleton appeared in Hunter's private collection four years later and stayed on public display for the next 200 years.

In an email to the Guardian, Mantel said it's time for the Irish giant to go home.

According to Mantel, Byrne was a suffering soul in real life, unlike the fabulous storybook giant she created. His gratifications were reportedly fewer and very grim.

She believed that science had already learned what they needed from his bones. So, she believes that the most honorable thing to do is to lay him to rest. She added that there was no reason for delay because he had already waited long enough.

Why Charles Byrne Was Called The Irish Giant

Charles Byrne was born Charles O'Brien in mid-Ulster in 1761. His height earned him the "Irish Giant" moniker.

He became one of London's greatest celebrities. He was paid to entertain the audience by displaying his body under Charles Byrne.

Byrne had an undiagnosed benign tumor of his pituitary gland, an adenoma, which caused acromegaly and gigantism.

When he was 22, he said he wanted to be buried at sea because he didn't want his body to be seized by anatomists.

Charles Byrne Should Benefit the Living

While the Irish Giant seemingly wanted to be at peace following his death, some of his family supported the call to study his body.

Brendan Holland, a distant relative of Byrne, spoke with BBC. While there was debate over his skeleton being on public display, Holland said he supports its use for medical and teaching purposes.

For him, it has benefitted living in the same condition as him. Through Byrne's body, they found treatment. He believed that if the Irish giant were alive, he would agree with it as their condition can be life-threatening.

Holland said among Byrne's biggest fears was being dissected because those who were dissected were criminals. However, Byrne has helped many after researchers examined his body.

Holland also suffered from gigantism. He was always tall; at age 20, he stood 6 feet and 9-and-a-half inches tall. Like Byrne, the cause of his condition was a benign tumor in his brain. His pituitary gland was producing too much growth hormone.

He underwent radiation and stopped growing at 6 feet and 10-and-a-half inches.

Nearly four decades later, Dr. Márta Korbonits, a world-leading expert in growth hormone conditions, who had been working on Holland and Byrne's DNA, said they grew so tall because of a "rogue" gene that mutated.

Subsequent tests showed that Holland and Byrnes shared a common ancestor.

Holland, 70, is the oldest living person with gigantism. According to him, putting the Irish Giant's skeleton on display shows what gigantism can do.

He noted that gigantism affects one's bone structure and frame. Holland clapped back at those asking for Byrne's burial and repatriation by asking them whether they would still make the same request if they were also suffering from gigantism.

Check out more news and information on Gigantism in Science Times.