The mummified arm of boxer Dan Donnelly used to be the leading attraction at the Hideout pub in Kilcullen. It is now travelling the US as part of an Irish boxing exhibition. Donnelly is one of Ireland's most famous bare knuckle boxers. Most of his big fights were against the English, turning him into a symbol of Irish resistance to English rule. He had a reputation for being a gambler, a womaniser and a drunkard. Donnelly was the proprietor of a succession of four Dublin pubs, all of them unprofitable. Fallon's pub in the Coombe is the only one still in existence. When he died in 1820, a surgeon paid graverobbers to steal the body so he could study Donnelly's unique muscle structure. Donnelly's admirers tracked the body to the home of the surgeon and threatened him with death. There was a quick negotiation and he agreed to give the body back as long as he could keep the right arm, the one that slew the English champions, for medical observation. The arm was preserved in red lead paint, and traveled to a medical college in Scotland where it was used by medical students for a number of years to study how all the bones worked together. From an Edinburgh classroom, the arm became an exhibit in a Victorian travelling circus, and it journeyed around Britain many times. In the early 20th century, it finally came back to Ireland. In 1904, a Belfast bookmaker, Hugh "Texas" McAlevey,, acquired the arm and displayed it in his pub. It has since been on display in a number of pubs in Ireland and the US. Over two centuries after his death, Donnelly remains the subject of urban legend. It is said that he had the longest arms in boxing history, with the ability to touch his knees without bending down. If you are ever in the Curragh, you should stop at Donnelly’s Hollow. Over 200 years ago Dan Donnelly defeated British bareknuckle champion George Cooper here before 20,000 fans. The fight ended in the 11th round when Donnelly smashed Cooper's jaw apart with his right arm. As Donnelly proudly strode up the hill, exiting the natural auditorium towards his carriage, fanatical followers dug out imprints left by his feet which remain to this day.
