The Man Who Lived Underground: Mick Meaney's Bizarre Record
In an astonishing feat of human endurance that captivated the world in 1968, Irish labourer Mick Meaney voluntarily spent 61 consecutive days buried alive in a coffin beneath a London builder's yard. This remarkable story, largely forgotten for decades, is now being revived through a powerful new Irish-language documentary titled Beo Faoin bhFód (Buried Alive), scheduled for broadcast on TG4.
The Great Burial Stunt
Determined to escape poverty and make his mark, the 33-year-old Tipperary native set his sights on beating the unofficial world record for being buried alive, then held by American 'living corpse' Bill White at 55 days. With barely a pound to his name, Meaney saw this macabre challenge as his ticket to fame and fortune.
On 21 February 1968, a procession of well-wishers and television crews followed his specially-made coffin through the streets of Kilburn, the heart of London's Irish community. The 6ft 3in long, 2ft 6in wide coffin, lined with foam, was then lowered into a pit in a builder's yard owned by contractor Mick Keane.
Meaney teamed up with Michael 'Butty' Sugrue, a circus performer turned publican and impresario, who masterminded the spectacle. Sugrue staged a wake at his pub, the Admiral Nelson, before the burial and installed a telephone line connecting the buried coffin to the pub, where patrons paid to speak with the underground sensation.
The coffin featured a pipe for air and lowering food, plus a trapdoor leading to a small cavity that served as a toilet. From his confined space, Meaney maintained a surprisingly cheerful routine, telling a TV interviewer on his second day: "I had a great night's sleep last night." His days involved exercises, reading, and conversations with celebrities including boxer Henry Cooper.
Fleeting Fame and Bitter Aftermath
After exactly 61 days underground, on 22 April 1968, Meaney's coffin was excavated to great fanfare. Cheering crowds watched as the coffin was transported back to the Admiral Nelson pub, where the lid was removed to reveal a grinning Meaney, now bearded and wearing sunglasses to protect his eyes from the light.
"I'd like to go for a hundred days more," he told the assembled press. "I'm delighted to be the champion of the world."
Yet the fortune he dreamed of never materialised. His daughter Mary, who was three when her father returned to Ireland, reveals in the documentary that Sugrue allegedly swindled Meaney out of any profits. Planned world tours and a sponsorship deal with Gillette never happened.
"He came back without as much as the price of a bottle of milk in his pocket," Mary recalls. "In all walks of life there are people who just use you like a vampire."
Further diminishing his achievement, no Guinness World Records official witnessed the stunt, and rival 'burial artist' Tim Hayes disputed his claim. Later that same year, former nun Emma Smith spent 101 days buried beneath a Skegness fairground.
Mick Meaney eventually returned to Ireland and took a job with Cork County Council, living an ordinary life until his death in 2003. His daughter reflects that while he lived an ordinary working-class life, "he craved this extraordinary life. Breaking the world record made him feel, 'I'm somebody'."
Directed by Daire Collins, the documentary combines archival footage with interviews from Meaney's family and friends, ensuring that this bizarre chapter of Irish emigrant history is finally given its proper due.
