The Resume

(1761-June 1, 1783)
Born in Littlebridge, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Exhibited in Edinburgh and London as ‘the Irish giant’
Skeleton displayed at the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in London for over two centuries (1799-2023)

Why he might be annoying:

The local villagers attributed his great height to having been conceived on top of a haystack.
He was billed as 8’4” tall, but his preserved skeleton is 7’7”, suggesting a maximum height in life of 7’10.
His initial popularity in London prompted several other giants to put themselves on show there (including a second ‘Irish giant,’ Patrick Cotter, who at 8’0” was taller than the original), forcing him to cut his exhibition fees from half a crown to a shilling.
He drank large amounts of gin and whiskey every day, resulting in several shows being cancelled due to drunkenness.
He kept the money he earned exhibiting himself on his person, losing his savings when his pocket was picked during one of his drinking bouts.

Why he might not be annoying:

He would amaze night watchmen by directly lighting his pipe from a streetlamp.
When he first arrived in London, a newspaper declared, ‘The wonderful Irish Giant... is the most extraordinary curiosity ever known, or ever heard of in history; and the curious in all countries where he has been shewn, pronounce him to be the finest display of Human nature they ever saw.’
Wanting to avoid having his remains dissected and placed on display, he offered some fishermen his remaining money if they would bury him at sea.
Anatomist John Hunter got his mitts on Byrne’s remains anyway, either by offering the fishermen a larger bribe or by paying the mortician to deliver the body directly to him.
After studying his remains, Harvey Cushing concluded that his gigantism was caused by a pituitary tumor (1909).
After an extended ethical debate in the British Medical Journal, the Hunterian Museum agreed to remove his skeleton from display while keeping his remains for future research (2023).

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 91]
• I Died Before My 30th Birthday (Ranked: 22)
• Look at Me, I'm Dead
• Look at Me, My Picture Is Art
• Look at My Skull
• My Remains are on Display
• Profiles 56751-57000 (Ranked: 56979)
• Seven Footers
• Side Show Freaks

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying