Experts believe that a majority of Irish people have Celtic roots; however, a study published on Thursday found they may also have a great deal of influence from the Vikings, Anglo-Normans, and British.
The Irish have Viking and Norman ancestry in similar proportions to the English. A comprehensive DNA map of the Irish has for the first time revealed lasting contributions from British, Scandinavian, and French invasions.
Yes, the Irish do have Viking DNA and are also more prone to certain diseases, DNA tests show. A “DNA map” of Ireland reveals that the Viking raiders intermingled with local women far more than was previously thought.
They were also found to have most similarity to two main ancestral sources: a 'French' component (mostly northwestern French) which reached highest levels in the Irish and other Celtic populations (Welsh, Highland Scots and Cornish) and showing a possible link to the Bretons; and a 'West Norwegian' component related to ...
If we are speaking ethnically, the closest people to a Viking in modern-day terms would be the Danish, Norwegians, Swedish, and Icelandic people.
As descendants of the Vikings, people from Scandinavian countries—Denmark, Norway, and Sweden—are the most likely to carry Viking DNA. However, their genetic footprint extends far beyond Scandinavia due to the Vikings' extensive exploration, raiding, and colonization during the Viking Age (around 793-1066 AD).
“It's pretty clear from the genetic analysis that Vikings are not a homogenous group of people,” says Willerslev. “A lot of the Vikings are mixed individuals” with ancestry from both Southern Europe and Scandinavia, for example, or even a mix of Sami (Indigenous Scandinavian) and European ancestry.
The Irish are a northwest European ethnic group who originated in Ireland. People of Irish ethnicity outside of Ireland are common in many western, especially commonwealth and North American, countries.
Perhaps the greatest shift in the DNA of Irish people happened between 500 BCE and 400 CE with the Gaels/Celts. These populations had Germanic roots, so it makes sense that the modern-day Irish would also have German ancestry.
Irish ethnicity developed from multiple groups such as the Gaelic Celts and the Anglo-Normans, which included the English, the Vikings, and the French.
Experts believe that a majority of Irish people have Celtic roots; however, a study published on Thursday found they may also have a great deal of influence from the Vikings, Anglo-Normans, and British.
Proving your Scandinavian DNA
If you're an American with an interest in Viking culture and potential Scandinavian heritage, a DNA test might be just the thing to satisfy your curiosity and learn more about your ancestry.
But it is William the Conqueror that gives the modern Royal Family their Viking roots. William I, Duke of Normandy, was the great-great-grandson of the mighty Viking Hrolf Ganger, a.k.a. Rollo. Rollo (or Hrolf) was called “Ganger” (the Walker) because he was allegedly too tall to ride a horse.
“In general, Irish Viking genomes harbour high levels of Norwegian-like ancestry. This is a real contrast to what we see in England during the same period, where there is stronger Danish influence.” The Viking Age generally refers to the period from 800 AD, a few years after the earliest recorded raid, until the 1050s.
Irish is a Celtic language (as English is a Germanic language, French a Romance language, and so on). This means that it is a member of the Celtic family of languages. Its “sister” languages are Scottish, Gaelic, and Manx (Isle of Man); its more distant “cousins” are Welsh, Breton, and Cornish.
Even in Ireland, people aren't 100 percent Irish, according to O'Brien's doctor. "You will find that the most Irish-looking people are like 86 percent, 94 percent Irish.
She said the hunter-gatherer Irish not only had dark skin, but also bright blue eyes – a combination rarely seen today. They operated mostly along the coast of the Burren gathering shellfish, and then moving inland to hunt wild boar and gather hazelnuts.
They are the Sidhe (pronounced “shee”) – mystical fairy-like people who supposedly inhabited Ireland prior to the arrival of the Celts (the Milesians). The Tuatha de Dannan are credited with naming Ireland.
Scotland and Ireland are close neighbours, and it is no surprise that commercial ancestral Y-DNA testing and the resulting hundreds of Y-DNA Case Studies conducted at Scottish and Irish Origenes have revealed lots of shared ancestry among males with Scottish or Irish origins.
Although the term 'Vikings' might be associated with the Scandinavian homelands from which these raiders and traders originated, after the first half of the ninth century it is likely that most of those who partook in Viking activity in the British Isles and Ireland were in fact permanent residents of those islands.
Viking rule in Ireland was ultimately short-lived. The Vikings initially settled in Ireland around 795 AD, where they continued to invade and establish settlements for the next two centuries until 1014 AD.
Yes, Vikings did have red beards. According to sources, red hair and beards are a genetic trait that is specific to Nordic tribes. It's even thought that some Norsemen would dye their red hair and beards to look blond using lye soap.