Ulster really is the land of the giants

acromegaly – also known as gigantism – developing abnormally large feet and hands.

If the defect is discovered early enough, it can be treated using medication or brain surgery. Scientists hope the

‘Passing on the gene’

research, led by London’s Queen Mary university, will help find those at risk of passing on the gene – believed to date back to a common ancestor 2,500 years ago.

Many of those tested did not realise they carry the mutation. one of the participants, 64year- old carrier Brendan holland, is 6ft 9.5in.

As a teenager, he grew an inch taller in a single month. had he not received radiotherapy to halt the effects, experts believe he would have reached 7ft 7in and died in his early twenties.

The grandfather of two said: ‘Some people look upon people who are giants and … they think about them in a fairytale way.

‘But the reality is much more brutal. It is not just about being tall. I had a constant throbbing dull pain in my head and suffered a blackout in school one day.’ he added: ‘I’ve been lucky, I’ve actually been cured and had the best treatment availa- ble. My mother passed the gene to me and she never knew that.

‘Many people still to this day are passing the gene on without knowing it.’

Mr holland’s ancestor Byrne, of Drummullan, caused a sensation in London in 1782. he was the star attraction at Cox’s Museum, where he was known as ‘The Irish giant’, and soon amassed a fortune. But he took to heavy drinking and died barely a year after his arrival in the city.

The giant’s Causeway consists of 40,000 basalt columns up to 40ft tall, forming stepping stones down the cliff which disappear under the sea.

The structure was created by an ancient volcano.