Irish Examiner view: Museum did the right thing in removing 'the Irish Giant' from public view

Having removed Charles Byrne's skeleton, the Royal College of Surgeons should now consider his wish to be buried at sea

A 2011 photo of Charles Byrne's skeleton being viewed by Prof Márta Korbonits and Brendan Holland, who has the same 'gigantism' gene as his distant relative, 'the Irish Giant'. File picture: Hunterian Collection/PA

Much publicity has been given to the arguments for returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece but there is another case in which the moral imperative seems even stronger. It involves the 18th century remains of an Irishman from Littlebridge, Co Derry.

In his day, Charles Byrne was world famous as the “Irish Giant” with a height variously recorded as 7ft 7in to 8ft 4in . Byrne, 1761-1783, who suffered from the hormonal imbalance that produces gigantism, was the marvel of his age.