Inside The Irish Giant:
History, Medicine,
edicine, and the
Performing Arts
Saturday 28 May
Gigantism, Genetics and History - Panelist
Brendan Holland (Pituitary Patient)
58-year-old
old Irish businessman Brendan Holland was involved with TV documentary-maker
maker Ronan McCloskey on the BBC
project, ‘The Irish Giant’. Holland,, like other members of his family, was affected by a pituitary tumor as a teenager. It was
removed but left its mark: Holland is 2.06m [6ft
[ 9in] tall (still
still a foot shorter than Byrne, whose real hei
height was 2.34m [7ft
8in]). Holland comes from Tyrone and is fascinated by the number
number of actual giants in the area. Tested by Professor Márta
Korbonits (also filmed for the BBC Irish Giant production), Holland was found to have the AIP mutation, the same mutation
as Charles Byrne.