Memorial, Kilbroney Graveyard, Rostrevor, Co.Down

This memorial, located in Kilbroney Graveyard in Rostrevor, County Down, was erected in 1896 to mark the grave of Patrick Murphy, known as ‘The Irish Giant,’ who died in 1862. Murphy was born in the nearby Killowen parish and was reputedly over 8 feet tall, although his actual height remains uncertain. He claimed to be 8 feet 10 inches and, at one point, 9 feet 3 inches tall, though accounts from close to his death suggest he was measured at 7 feet 3 inches. He joined a travelling show of curiosities in the mid-1850s, touring the UK and Europe, and reportedly earned enough income to purchase a small farm near Rostrevor, which he later lost. He died of smallpox in Marseille in April 1862 and, following his wishes, his body was buried at Kilbroney the following June. The grave remained unmarked until 1896 when a local committee, led by the Parish Priest Rev. Lynch, Captain O’Neill JP of Killowen, and Bernard Dunn of Rostrevor, organized a subscription to commission a memorial. The Celtic cross, sculpted by J. McAteer of Newry, was unveiled in September of the same year.