Michael "Mick" Meaney was an Irish barman and burial artist who gained notoriety for being entombed alive in an underground coffin for 61 days in 1968.
He and Sugrue developed the idea of the publicity stunt, enlisting local friend Mick Keane who would provide the land for the burial as well as the truck to transport the coffin.
[3] On February 21, 1968, Sugrue hosted a final dinner and "live wake" at the Admiral Nelson pub, inviting press and general public to attend.
Irish tenor Jack Doyle sang and spectators watched as Meaney was transported in a coffin from the pub to Keane's yard where he was lowered into the ground.
Meaney's fame was fleeting; a supposed deal with Gillette and a world tour never came to fruition and his name never made it to the Guinness Book of Records because no judge was present at the event.