the black irish and my love of spain explained
Scientists have concluded that the Celts did not invade Ireland en masse, nor did they replace an earlier group. Despite the widely held belief that the Irish are descended from Celts who invaded Ireland about 2,500 years ago, a genetic research study at Trinity College, Dublin (TCD) appears to argue against it.
The Celtic cultural heritage in Ireland is prolific and informs the common perceptions and beliefs about the national identity and its origins – from traditional sources in language, legend and literature the Celtic influence is strong in contemporary. The research however suggests that our blood and also some of our culture can be attributed to wider origins: Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia and North Africa.
Scientists compared the DNA samples of 200 volunteers from around Ireland with a genetic database of 8,500 individuals from around Europe, knowing that the Celts came from Central Europe stretching as far as Hungary. They found that the Irish samples matched those around Britain and the Pyrenees in Spain, as well as Scandinavia and parts of North Africa.
The scientists concluded that ‘the Irish’ genetic makeup stems from the onset of an ice-age around 15,000 years ago that forced prehistoric man back into Spain, Italy and Greece, which were still fairly temperate. When the ice started melting again around 12,000 years ago, people followed the retreating ice northwards as areas became hospitable again.
Some archaeologists also doubt that there was a Celtic invasion because few of their artifacts have been found in Ireland. The primary genetic legacy of Ireland seems to have come from people from Spain and Portugal after the last ice age. The findings are published in The American Journal of Human Genetics at the University of Chicago.
