If you are curious about where does Irish DNA come from, the good news is that you are not alone. In fact, a recent study by the University of Glasgow has found that a significant amount of the DNA found in the descendants of Vikings, Celtic and other European peoples comes from Ireland. This makes sense, since a lot of Celtic and other peoples were in the region in the Bronze and Norse ages.
Origins
The origins of Irish DNA have been reexamined in recent studies. These discoveries could help shed light on the history of Ireland and the birth of its nation.
A team of geneticists led by Trinity College Dublin have sequenced the first genomes from ancient Irish humans. Their results suggest that modern Irish genetic landscape was established around 3,500 years ago in the Irish Bronze Age.
Genetic analysis reveals that modern Irish have a more complex genetic history than previously thought. They have more in common with Middle Eastern people than previously believed. It has also been found that the early settlers of Ireland were part of two migrant groups. One group consisted of people from the Middle East and the other came from Anatolian regions.
Bronze age
A major new study of ancient DNA shows that during the Bronze Age, large numbers of people migrated into southern Britain. This migration is believed to have introduced a new language to the island. It also helped to fuel the Britons’ love of dairy products.
In the late bronze age, half of the genetic makeup of England and Wales was replaced by newcomers from somewhere in eastern Europe. These new migrants probably brought with them Celtic languages. But where did they come from? They were most likely from the steppe lands north of the Black Sea.
A team of scientists from the Natural History Museum and Trinity College Dublin have sequenced the genomes of five ancient humans. Three men and one woman were analysed, including an early farmer from near Belfast. The males showed close genetic affinity to modern Irish and Scottish genomes.
Vikings
In the 8th century, Vikings invaded Ireland. These seafaring settlers changed the course of Irish history. By the middle of the 10th century, Norse influence in Ireland had weakened, although it persisted until the Norman invasion in the 1170s. The ancestry of these raiders remains on the Irish gene pool, and new findings from the largest-ever Viking DNA study shed light on the identity of these Scandinavian invaders.
Despite previous estimates that the number of Vikings in Ireland was as low as two to six percent, the study reveals that there may have been up to 20 percent of the Irish population whose DNA had been derived from Norse and Norman invaders. It also provides new evidence on the history of Viking migration across Europe and demonstrates that the modern Irish genome carries strong and lasting signatures of historic migrations.
Norse
The latest DNA analysis of Viking remains in Ireland is providing scientists with some intriguing information. As part of the study, researchers sequenced the genomes of four Irish Vikings. The result is a new understanding of the identity of these seafarers.
During the Viking age, these invaders from Scandinavia were a major player on the Irish Sea. The Vikings made their mark on Irish history by raiding, settling and stealing from inland religious settlements. They also stamped a certain code on Irish DNA. Some of these invaders were accepted and integrated into the community while others simply took to raiding.
French
The Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century was a key event in Irish history. This invasion changed the way people lived and how they were perceived. It also introduced new habits into the gene pool. These changes can be seen in the modern Irish genome.
The results show that the largest proportion of the ancestry of most Irish clusters is from French ancestry. However, the ancestry profile of the British and European clusters is not very different.
The Irish and the British Isles have been subjected to large population shifts. These are often caused by the adoption of local new practices.
Scottish
The first genome study to examine the population structure of Ireland found some interesting results. Specifically, it uncovered a corridor of gene flow between two sampled regions in Scotland. It also provided evidence of a pronounced effect of the Norman invasion of the 12th century on the contemporary Irish DNA landscape.
In fact, this region of genetic diversity may be the best place to look for answers to questions about the history of Ireland. That is, it may offer an opportunity to gain insight into the evolution of the Vikings.
Similarly, the study found that a genetic link existed between the Scots and the Norse Vikings. This was also the first time such a connection was demonstrated in the entire British Isles.