Black Irish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
—: For the cocktail sometimes called a "Black Irish", see bolded entry in White Russian (cocktail) or for people of African descent in Ireland, see Black people in Ireland
The term Black Irish is a term used by some descendants of Irish emigrants to describe their ancestors. The term is found in Australia, Canada, Great Britain and the United States. It refers to the possessing of dark hair and eyes as opposed to the caricature of Irish people with red hair, pale skin, and blue or green eyes, a difference which is possibly due to less English ancestry being found in people on the west of Ireland) <ref name="Y chrom var">Y-chromosome variation and Irish origins (PDF File)</ref>. The term is often accompanied by a claim that the darker features are due to Iberian descent.
Contents |
[edit] Origin
Although the label is sometimes accompanied by a claim suggesting the physical traits to be the result of Iberian admixture originating with survivors of the Spanish Armada, the genetic contributions of the latter were likely to have been insignificant, as most Armada survivors were killed on the beaches, and much of the remainder were able to eventually escape Ireland after a short time. It is believed that a grouping of Spanish soldiers ended up serving as armed retainers (gallowglasses) for the Irish chiefs O'Rourke, Sorley Boy Macdonnell, and Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, perhaps living in Ireland long enough to father children. These ranks, however, were quite sparse in number.
The Armada myth is thought to have been a corruption of a story based on the Milesians (not to be confused with the ancient Greek people of the same name), the purported descendants of Míl Espáine (Latin Miles Hispaniae, "Soldier of Hispania", later pseudo-Latinised as "Milesius"), speculated to represent Celtic speaking peoples from the northern Iberian peninsula who began to migrate to Ireland and Britain in the 5th Century B.C., the supposed ancestors of the Gaels. New genetic research does show a strong similarity between the Y chromosome of Basque males and Irish males with Gaelic surnames,<ref> The Longue Durée of Genetic Ancestry: Multiple Genetic Marker Systems and Celtic Origins on the Atlantic Facade of Europe October 2004</ref> with a notable difference between the west and the east of Ireland, in that those in the west of Ireland owe less of their genetic makeup to Anglo Saxon and Scandinavian populations.<ref name="Y chrom var"/>. DNA testing has revealed that the black Irish do not receive their appearance from the Spanish Armada settling there but rather from people who were of ancient Iberian stock who arrived in both Ireland and Britain during the Paleolithic and also the Neolithic. Genetic marker r1b reaches frequencies of up to 98% in northwestern Ireland and 95% in southwestern Ireland [1] but only 73% in northeastern Ireland and 85% in southeastern Ireland. Darker hair and eyes are more common in the western half of Ireland. Genetic marker r1b averages between 89% and 95% amongst Basque Y-chromosomes [2] but only averages 69-73% amongst Spaniards [3] and thus it is unlikely that the Black Irish who live in the west of Ireland are of Spanish origin but rather descended from near homogenous paleolithic Europeans.<ref>Matching Niall Nóigiallach - Niall of the Nine Hostages. Family Tree DNA. Last accessed November 21, 2006.</ref> [4]
[edit] Other uses
Various descriptions, some of which have little to do with physical appearance, have also been affiliated with the so-called "Black Irish."
An alternate point of origin refers to the potato famine of 1847 which turned the blighted potatoes black and as a result drove thousands of Irish to America's shores. [5]
Yet another source has been used to denote the offspring of Irish laborers and African slaves in the Caribbean. Montserrat, by far, experienced the highest concentration of Irish immigrants, as it was forcibly settled by the English crown using indentured servants from Ireland. These Irish servants were eventually replaced by West African slaves who took on the surnames of the prior inhabitants, much as African slaves in the United States assumed the names of their owners. [6]
In the United States, whites with Native American, African American, or other non-white ancestry may historically have called themselves "Black Irish", "Black Dutch" or "Black German" to explain their coloring.[7]
The term "Black Scot" is also used, but to a lesser degree, to describe Scots and people of Scottish ancestry with dark features. As many Scots share ancestry with the Irish, a common Celtiberian ancestry is often cited. [8]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
<references/>
[edit] External links
- DNA shows Scots and Irish should look to Spain for their ancestry
- Genetic study that links the Irish to Basques [9]
- A Y Chromosome Census of the British Isles; Cristian Capelli, Nicola Redhead, Julia K. Abernethy, Fiona Gratrix, James F. Wilson, Torolf Moen, Tor Hervig, Martin Richards, Michael P. H. Stumpf, Peter A. Underhill, Paul Bradshaw, Alom Shaha, Mark G. Thomas, Neal Bradman, and David B. Goldstein Current Biology, Volume 13, Issue 11, Pages 979-984 (2003). Retrieved 6 December 2005.
- Discussion on the Black Irish
- Southern Methodist University's curriculum materialit:Black Irish
