Irish giant Cornelius Magrath has been included in the updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, published online today.
Magrath, from near Silvermines in Co Tipperary, was approximately 7ft 6in tall when he died in 1760 at the age of 23. He suffered from acromegaly, a disease which causes abnormal growth. He was said to weigh almost 32 stone.
Magrath became famous after he travelled to Cork to find relief for his growing pains. The 16-year-old orphan attracted considerable attention from passers-by and he decided he could make a living from his height.
The touring giant appeared at pubs and fairs around London, Paris and other European cities but when his health deteriorated he returned home.
The famous skeleton is now kept in the anatomy department museum at Trinity College Dublin, but there are still question marks over how it got there.
According to reports, when some very keen TCD anatomy students heard about his death, they decided they had to dissect the body. They went to the wake house, passed around drugged whiskey and stole the body when everyone fell asleep. They spent the night dissecting it at the college. So by the time the irate funeral party arrived at the college to claim the body, all that remained was the skeleton.
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography points out that reports of theft were disputed by several writers, but the story is accepted by the anatomy department at Trinity College, according to its chief technician Philomena McAteer.
She said the large skeleton was like "part of the furniture" at the college. "His skull is off at the moment because we are measuring and taking details of dimensions. Normally he's in his cabinet," she said.
The college receives occasional phone calls about their unusual resident, she said. The anatomy department is not open to the public, but if someone was particularly interested in the historic skeleton, staff would try to facilitate a viewing.
Magrath is one of 140 life stories added to the voluminous Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. It now contains the lives of 55,257 people. The print edition runs to 60 volumes and costs €10,900.
Other new entrants include Irish biscuit maker William Beale Jacob, for overseeing the invention of the cream cracker, and artist John Gilroy who was responsible for the workmen and zoo animals in Guinness advertising in the 1930s. Charles David Lucas, from Co Armagh, also joins the list as the first person to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his part in the Crimean War.
