Post by hi224 on Jul 14, 2021 0:05:50 GMT
During the Stone Age, approximately 10,000 years ago, the earliest known settlers came to Ireland. Proof of their existence is still scattered around Ireland today such as Mount Sandel in Coleraine in the North is the oldest known. There are remnants of woven huts, stone tools and food like berries and hazelnuts that were discovered in 1972. As the ice melted, rising sea levels meant Ireland and Britain were cut off both from each other and from mainland Europe. It’s not known whether the first Irish settlers were able to walk across before the seas rose or whether they arrived later by boat.
What is almost certain is that they arrived first in the north. The north east coast of Ireland is only about 12 miles from the southern tip of the Mull of Kintyre in the south west of Scotland.
The myth of Irish history is that the Irish are Celts. Many people still refer to Irish, Scottish, and Welsh as Celtic culture and the assumption has been that they were Celts who migrated from central Europe around 500 BCE. Keltoi was the name given to them by the Ancient Greeks to a 'barbaric' people who lived to the North of them in central Europe. While there are some similarities of style in their early art, there are many differences between the two cultures.
Recent DNA research at the beginning of this century suggests that the early peoples of Ireland were not directly descended from the Keltoi. Genome sequencing performed on remains of early settlers by researchers at Trinity University in Dublin and Queens University has revealed at least two waves of migration to the island in past millenia. Analysis of the remains of a 5,200 year old Irish farmer suggested that the population of Ireland then was closely genetically related to the modern populations of southern Europe, in particular Spain and Sardinia. The farmer's ancestors, however, originally migrated from the Middle East - the cradle of agriculture.
Examination of the remains of three 4,000 year-old men from the Bronze Age revealed that another migration to Ireland had happened, this time from the edges of Eastern Europe. A full third of their ancestry came from the Steppe Region of Russia and the Ukraine, so their ancestors must have spread west across Europe. The remains were found on Rathlin Island also shared a close genetic affinity with the Scottish, Welsh, and modern Irish, totally unlike the earlier farmer. This indicates that many people living in Ireland today have genetic links to people who were living on the island at least 4,000 years ago.
The Leabhar Gabhla, the Book of Invasions, speaks of semi-mythical peoples who came to Ireland in the earliest times. It states that the first were the Fir Bolg, a small dark people who were followed by a magical race called the Tuatha de Danaan, translated in the people of the goddess Dana. It is interesting that the book says the next group to come and establish themselves as rulers were the Milesians, or sons of Mil, a soldier from Spain. DNA research into the male Y chromosomes found that the R1b haplogroup has very high concentrations in Western Ireland and the Basque country in Northern Spain. The matrilineal descent is more complex but it appears that the Northern Spanish and the Irish might have common male ancestors.
Cultural similarities that stretch from Spain up to Ireland has been written about by archaeologist Barry Cunliffe. Although surprising, one should remember that long ago, the seas were the fastest and easiest way to travel long distances. Coastal settlements were common and people travelled around the seaboard of Europe freely. An interesting finding about Irish DNA is that many men in NW Ireland (and their descendants worldwide) are descended from a single man in Ireland who lived approximately 1600-1700 years ago. This coincides with the famous Irish king Niall of the Nine Hostages, who legend says brought St. Patrick to Ireland as a slave.
The latest research suggests that the Irish are most closely related to people in NW France (Brittany) and in Western Norway. Earlier studies didn't find much impact of Viking DNA among modern Irish but a recent study suggests there may have been more than previously thought. The Irish males have the highest incidence of the R1b haplogroup in Europe. While other parts of Europe have continuous waves of settlers from the east, Ireland's remote geographical position means that the gene-pool has been less susceptible to change, for thousands of years. This male chromosome is mirrored in the Basque region.
Many surnames in Irish are Gaelic, suggesting that the holder is a descendant of people who lived in Ireland long before the English conquests. Men with Gaelic surnames, showed the highest incidedences of Haplogroup 1 (Rb1). This means that those Irish whose ancestors pre-date the English conquest are descendants in the male line of people who likely migrated west across Europe to Ireland in the North and Spain in the South. Some scholars thing that the Iberian peninsula was once heavily populated by Celtiberians who spoke a now extinct Celtic language. The thought is that some of these people moved northwards along the Atlantic coast bringing Celtic language and culture to Ireland and Britain, as well as France. This is not conclusive, but the similarities in the DNA do provide some support.
Studies into British and Irish DNA suggest that people on the two islands have much genetically in common. Males in both have a strong predominance of the Haplogroup1 gene, meaning that most of the people in the British Isles are descended from the same stone age settlers. The main difference is the later migrations of people to the islands. Parts of Ireland have been almost untouched since early times. However, London, for example, has been multi-ethnic for hundreds of years. Later arrivals created more diversity between the two groups.
Irish and Scottish people share similar DNA. Obvious similarities of culture, pale skin, tendancy to red hair are long long known to have been a result of sharing a common Celtic ancestry. The MC1R gene is the gene responsible for red hair, fair skin and tendency towards freckles. Genes for red hair first appeared in humans 40,000-50,000 years ago. They were thought to have been brought to the Isles by the original settlers who would have been relatively tall, with little body fat, athletic, fair-skinned and with red hair.
The term "Black Irish" and the people it describes are debated. It is mainly used outside of Ireland to describe dark-haired people of Irish origin. Dark hair is common in Ireland, while dark complexions are rare. One theory is that they are the descendants of the survivors of the Spanish Armada. Other idease, mostly placing Irish ancestors on the Iberian peninsula or the traders that sailed between Spain, North Africa, and Ireland around the Connemara region.
owlcation.com/stem/Irish-Blood-Genetic-Identity
www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17124-4
ireland-calling.com/history-stone-age-mesolithic-people/
What is almost certain is that they arrived first in the north. The north east coast of Ireland is only about 12 miles from the southern tip of the Mull of Kintyre in the south west of Scotland.
The myth of Irish history is that the Irish are Celts. Many people still refer to Irish, Scottish, and Welsh as Celtic culture and the assumption has been that they were Celts who migrated from central Europe around 500 BCE. Keltoi was the name given to them by the Ancient Greeks to a 'barbaric' people who lived to the North of them in central Europe. While there are some similarities of style in their early art, there are many differences between the two cultures.
Recent DNA research at the beginning of this century suggests that the early peoples of Ireland were not directly descended from the Keltoi. Genome sequencing performed on remains of early settlers by researchers at Trinity University in Dublin and Queens University has revealed at least two waves of migration to the island in past millenia. Analysis of the remains of a 5,200 year old Irish farmer suggested that the population of Ireland then was closely genetically related to the modern populations of southern Europe, in particular Spain and Sardinia. The farmer's ancestors, however, originally migrated from the Middle East - the cradle of agriculture.
Examination of the remains of three 4,000 year-old men from the Bronze Age revealed that another migration to Ireland had happened, this time from the edges of Eastern Europe. A full third of their ancestry came from the Steppe Region of Russia and the Ukraine, so their ancestors must have spread west across Europe. The remains were found on Rathlin Island also shared a close genetic affinity with the Scottish, Welsh, and modern Irish, totally unlike the earlier farmer. This indicates that many people living in Ireland today have genetic links to people who were living on the island at least 4,000 years ago.
The Leabhar Gabhla, the Book of Invasions, speaks of semi-mythical peoples who came to Ireland in the earliest times. It states that the first were the Fir Bolg, a small dark people who were followed by a magical race called the Tuatha de Danaan, translated in the people of the goddess Dana. It is interesting that the book says the next group to come and establish themselves as rulers were the Milesians, or sons of Mil, a soldier from Spain. DNA research into the male Y chromosomes found that the R1b haplogroup has very high concentrations in Western Ireland and the Basque country in Northern Spain. The matrilineal descent is more complex but it appears that the Northern Spanish and the Irish might have common male ancestors.
Cultural similarities that stretch from Spain up to Ireland has been written about by archaeologist Barry Cunliffe. Although surprising, one should remember that long ago, the seas were the fastest and easiest way to travel long distances. Coastal settlements were common and people travelled around the seaboard of Europe freely. An interesting finding about Irish DNA is that many men in NW Ireland (and their descendants worldwide) are descended from a single man in Ireland who lived approximately 1600-1700 years ago. This coincides with the famous Irish king Niall of the Nine Hostages, who legend says brought St. Patrick to Ireland as a slave.
The latest research suggests that the Irish are most closely related to people in NW France (Brittany) and in Western Norway. Earlier studies didn't find much impact of Viking DNA among modern Irish but a recent study suggests there may have been more than previously thought. The Irish males have the highest incidence of the R1b haplogroup in Europe. While other parts of Europe have continuous waves of settlers from the east, Ireland's remote geographical position means that the gene-pool has been less susceptible to change, for thousands of years. This male chromosome is mirrored in the Basque region.
Many surnames in Irish are Gaelic, suggesting that the holder is a descendant of people who lived in Ireland long before the English conquests. Men with Gaelic surnames, showed the highest incidedences of Haplogroup 1 (Rb1). This means that those Irish whose ancestors pre-date the English conquest are descendants in the male line of people who likely migrated west across Europe to Ireland in the North and Spain in the South. Some scholars thing that the Iberian peninsula was once heavily populated by Celtiberians who spoke a now extinct Celtic language. The thought is that some of these people moved northwards along the Atlantic coast bringing Celtic language and culture to Ireland and Britain, as well as France. This is not conclusive, but the similarities in the DNA do provide some support.
Studies into British and Irish DNA suggest that people on the two islands have much genetically in common. Males in both have a strong predominance of the Haplogroup1 gene, meaning that most of the people in the British Isles are descended from the same stone age settlers. The main difference is the later migrations of people to the islands. Parts of Ireland have been almost untouched since early times. However, London, for example, has been multi-ethnic for hundreds of years. Later arrivals created more diversity between the two groups.
Irish and Scottish people share similar DNA. Obvious similarities of culture, pale skin, tendancy to red hair are long long known to have been a result of sharing a common Celtic ancestry. The MC1R gene is the gene responsible for red hair, fair skin and tendency towards freckles. Genes for red hair first appeared in humans 40,000-50,000 years ago. They were thought to have been brought to the Isles by the original settlers who would have been relatively tall, with little body fat, athletic, fair-skinned and with red hair.
The term "Black Irish" and the people it describes are debated. It is mainly used outside of Ireland to describe dark-haired people of Irish origin. Dark hair is common in Ireland, while dark complexions are rare. One theory is that they are the descendants of the survivors of the Spanish Armada. Other idease, mostly placing Irish ancestors on the Iberian peninsula or the traders that sailed between Spain, North Africa, and Ireland around the Connemara region.
owlcation.com/stem/Irish-Blood-Genetic-Identity
www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17124-4
ireland-calling.com/history-stone-age-mesolithic-people/
