New documentary digs up the past
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Michael Meaney raises his hand from his coffin as he is paraded through the streets of Kilburn in 1968. Jim GrayImage 2 of 3
Michael Meaney sits in his coffin after completing 61 days underground, his manager Butty Sugrue embracing him.Image 3 of 3
Mary Meaney, the daughter of Mick Meaney.A film telling the story of a Cork man who was buried alive for 61 days in search of fame and fortune will air on national television this month.
‘Beo Faoin bhFód’ is a new Irish language documentary telling the fascinating story of Mitchelstown man Mick Meaney who, in 1968, was voluntarily buried six feet beneath a builder’s yard in London in a simple wooden coffin.
Meaney’s goal was to break the world record of Longest Time Spent Buried Alive and escape poverty. The stunt became an international media event, and hundreds came to see the Cork labourer’s burial and toast him on his way.
Afterwards, there were claims that organiser Butty Sugrue had swindled Meaney out of profits. Meaney eventually returned to Mitchelstown where he passed away in 2003.
Meaney was not the first to attempt the record. The film’s story begins in 1920s California and ends with a Dutch nun buried under a fairground in Skegness. Using never-before-seen archive, animation, and interviews with people who personally knew Meaney, the story is brought to life through the eyes of his loving daughter who grapples with her father’s bizarre legacy.
The film presents a unique look at a bizarre event, largely forgotten from the history books. The programme uses unseen archive, bespoke animation, and first-hand accounts to tell the story in the form of a yarn by the fire in a warm pub.
‘Beo Faoin bhFód’ will air on TG4 on 26 November. Commissioned and funded by TG4 and Coimisiún na Meán, the film premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh and was screened at the IFI Documentary Festival and the Kerry International Film Festival.