Patrick Cotter O'Brien (19 January 1760 – 8 September 1806) was the second of only 23 people in medical history to stand at a verified height of . O'Brien was born in

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 (a ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, Ireland. His real name was Patrick Cotter and he adopted O'Brien as his stage name in the sideshow circus, claiming descent from the legendarily gigantic

Brian Boru Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domi ...

. He was also known as the ''Bristol Giant'' and the ''Irish Giant''. Another giant of this period, Charles Byrne, also claimed to be an O'Brien. He made enough money to retire in 1804 and lived in

Hotwells Hotwells is a district of the English port city of Bristol. It is located to the south of and below the high ground of Clifton, and directly to the north of the Floating Harbour. The southern entrance to the Avon Gorge, which connects the docks ...

, Bristol until his death. It is believed that he died from the effects of the disease

gigantism Gigantism ( el, γίγας, ''gígas'', "giant", plural γίγαντες, ''gígantes''), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. In humans, this condition is caused by ove ...

. No hearse could be found to accommodate his casket encased in lead, and his remains were borne to the grave by relays of fourteen men. In his will, Cotter left £2,000 to his mother and a request that his body be entombed within of solid rock (to prevent exhumation for scientific or medical research). His grave remained undisturbed for just short of 100 years until March 1906 when workmen accidentally discovered his coffin whilst laying drains. His remains, after being measured and photographed, were reburied. In 1972 his remains, exhumed again, were examined and it was determined that, whilst alive, he stood approximately tall. This made him the tallest person ever at that time, a record that would be surpassed by the next 'eight-footer',

John Rogan John William "Bud" Rogan February 12 – September 11, 1905; some sources indicate 1867, 1868 and 1871 as his birth year) is recorded as the second-tallest person ever at , behind only Robert Wadlow. Biography John Rogan was born in Hende ...

, who died almost a century later. Patrick Cotter's giant boots are on display in the Kinsale Museum. An arm of Cotter's is currently preserved in the Medical Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, London.

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Images
at thetallestman.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Patrick Cotter People with gigantism People from Kinsale Sideshow performers 1760 births 1806 deaths

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