In Search of Giants: The Quest to Find the Genetic Giants of Northern Ireland

by Colleen Snyder, Brendan Holland

Overview

They said giants were only legends, but the truth is they are real.

A rare genetic mutation. A centuries-old mystery. A journey that spans folklore, science, and family.

In Search of Giants: The Quest to Find the Genetic Giants of Northern Ireland is a gripping blend of medical mystery, personal memoir, and Irish history. It follows Colleen Snyder, the first person in the United States identified with a rare Irish genetic mutation that causes gigantism, as she meets fellow giant Brendan Holland from Co. Tyrone and uncovers a forgotten legacy.

What's inside:

• Rare disease and genetic discovery - Learn how a mutation in the AIP gene causes life-threatening gigantism and how it can remain undiagnosed in many for years.
• True medical mystery - Explore the story of Charles Byrne, the 18th-century Irish giant whose body was stolen-and how his DNA cracked open centuries of scientific secrets.
• Irish history and folklore - Dive into the legends of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the rich mythos of giants in Ulster, where fact and folklore intertwine.
• Personal journey and identity - Follow Colleen's quest from a pandemic-era Google search to her discovery of ancestral ties, newfound Irish kin, and a global network of others with the same mutation that caused their gigantism.
• Genetic genealogy and ancestral connections - See how London researcher Professor Márta Korbonits traced this mutation back 2,000 years to a hotspot between Lough Neagh and the Sperrin Mountains, linking families from Mid-Ulster in Northern Ireland to Scotland, Canada, Australia, and beyond.
• Interviews and lived experiences - Hear the voices of modern-day giants, including co-author Brendan Holland, as they reflect on what it means to carry this condition, this history, and this legacy.

Perfect for readers who love:

• Medical nonfiction
• Rare disease memoirs
• Genetic genealogy
• Irish culture and ancestry
• True stories of science and identity

The giants are real. Their stories are unforgettable.

Join us in the search by scrolling up and ordering your copy of In Search of Giants to uncover the astonishing truth that links myth, medicine, and memory across generations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798990301511
Publisher:	Fairsing Publishing
Publication date:	09/01/2024
Pages:	202
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.46(d)

About the Author

Colleen Snyder lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. In 2020, she discovered that she had a rare AIP genetic mutation normally found in Northern Ireland that caused her childhood-onset acromegalic gigantism. Knowing that her ancestors came from that area in 1861, she contacted London physician Professor Márta Korbonits about her work with patients from Northern Ireland. Professor Korbonits told her that she was the first person in the United Stated identified with the Irish variant and introduced her to Brendan who has the same genetic mutation and shares her diagnosis of gigantism. A former college writing teacher, Colleen has been published in the Washington Post and Destinations magazine. www.colleensnyder.net, www.insearchofgiants.org

Brendan Holland has lived most of his life in the Dungannon area which is part of the genetic hotspot in Northern Ireland identified through Professor Korbonits' research. In 2009, he met Professor Korbonits during the filming of the documentary Charles Byrne, the Irish Giant directed by Ronan McCloskey in which Brendan played a prominent role. Brendan was also featured in the 2016 BBC documentary The Giant Gene. He has researched the history of gigantism in the geographic hotspot and has been interviewed on the NBC Today Show, BBC Radio 4, Irish Examiner, RTE Radio 1, and the BBC World Service. www.insearchofgiants.org