The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-01-07
THE CHlLDREN'S HOUR.
FAMOUS IRISH GIANTS.

Irish traditions abound in stories OF
famous giants, such as Finn McCOol,
Cucullen and others, whose eXtraOr
binary deeds Of valor and strength
were the themes of bards and story
tellers for centuries. The description
given of those ancient giants pre-
scented them as mighty. OF the
ancient giants it is said that they
were mighty men of valOr, their
strength being in proportion to their
size.
But the modern giants do not keep
up this reputation. A memorial tab
let in the Catholic church, Trenchard
street, Bristol, informs us that:
Here lie the remains of Patrick Cot
ter O'Brien, a native of Kinsale, in
the Kingdom of Ireland. He was a
man of gigantic stature, exceeding
eight feet three inches in height, and
proportionately large"
He was born in the year 1851 of
parents of ordinary stature When IS
years of age, Snowman paid his
father for three years $50 per annum.
He showed himself, and was so sue
cessful that in three days he made
$50. The following is the substance
of one of the handbills of the time,
circulated to advertise the appear
ance of this giant:
Just arrived in town and to be
seen 49,. the celebrated Irish giant,
Mr.. O'Brien of the Kingdom of Ire
land, indisputably the tallest man ever
shown.
This freak of nature seems to have
had less imbecility of mind than other
giants, but all the weakness of body
by which they are characterized. He
walked with difficulty and felt con-
siderable pain when rising up or sit
ting down.
Patrick Cotter .O'Brien was not the
only Irish giant. The following prod.
igies of nature appeared before or
after him: Edmund Malone born at
Port Leicester, County Meath. Ireland
in 1865, and when II years old, with
his shoes off, measured Z feet, Z
inches in height.
In the philosophical Transaction
We find DR.. VIM. Musgrave writing
thus of Malone: "The measures OF
some parts of Malone, shown at Ok
ford, were communicated Ibya DR.
Plotr. One of his fingers. was 81
inches long, and the length of his span
IA inches
The two subjoined handbills are
from the British Museum, 1884 and
1885: 1. Irish Giants-'the most sur
prising gigantic twin brothers are jus,
arrived in Newcastle .............
These truly amazing phenomena arc
indisputably the most astonishing pro
duction of the human species ever be
held since the days of Goliath. %.
These modern Colossi are about 2;
years of age, and very near eight fee
high, nor does their amazing size
more .agreeably surprise the curious
spectator than their proportion in ev
cry respect to that stupendous height
a circumstance seldom to be found il
any extraordinary production of ma
ture" 49,.
2. Irish Giants-'The most SUI
| prising twin brothers are just arrived
......... These wonderful Irish giants
are but "A years Of age, and measur,
/ worry noor1v oiohf foaf r,
| short, the sight of them is more thai
the mind can conceive or the tongu,
| express or pencil delineate, and stand
without parallel in this or any othe
country"
| Among the Sloan manuscripts il
the British Museum is found the. fol
lowing certificate: Il, James. Paris
have seen in London, an Irishmar
born near Dublin, who was seven fee
eleven inches high, without his shoes
or with anything on his head A
SO, 81, James Paris, saw woman
in Ireland in 1896, who was born a
Portrush,. not far from the wonderful
causeway. She was then % years ole
and stood seven feet high withou
shoes, very well shaped, with a hant
some face
In the London Daily Advertiser q
January 81, 1853, we find this al
nouncement: Just arrived in thi
city from Ireland, Cornelius M'Gratl
the youth mentioned lately in tn
newspapers as the most extraordinar
production in nature. He has tn
most stupendous and gigantic form a
though only a boy, and is the onl
representative in the world of the al
Gent and magnificent giants of tina
Kingdom. He is seven feet thre
4 inches in hnioht - riflaol1t sl,1,nc