New Scottish research has found that the Celts flaming red hair can be put down to the weather. With ten percent in Ireland and 13 percent of people in Scotland boasting of glorious red hair, there could be something to it.
The experts believe that the gloomy climate in Scotland has seen a deliberate genetic adaptation. Essentially this means that red hair helps to take advantage of sunny days and allows the body to absorb more vitamin D.
Managing director of the ScotlandsDNA project, Alistair Moffat, explained that the new research will be used to make a “ginger” map of the British Isles. They plan to map the number of possible carriers of the gene in Scotland to try and explain why there are so many redheads up north.
He told the International Business Times his theory. I think it’s to do with sunshine. We all need Vitamin D from sunshine but Scotland is cloudy,” Moffat said.
“We have an Atlantic climate and we need light skin to get as much vitamin D from the sun as possible.”
Sadly redheads also receive a great deal of abuse. The Centre for Equality Policy Research think tank recently claimed that redheads suffer more discrimination per head of population than ethnic minorities.
Having carried out an experiment they said, “A job applicant with ginger hair is seven times more likely to be rejected than a dark-haired applicant, and eight times more likely than a fair-haired applicant.”
Barbara McNulty, a lecturer in psychology at the University of the Western Isles, said that red hair still gives out deep cultural signals.
“Women, for example, are wild and quick-tempered, while ginger-haired men are unattractive and geeky.”
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.STEVENSTAR | Apr 23, 2013, 08:36 AM EDT
ID LIKE TO KNOW IF KFC AND BIG MACS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS BEEN OVER WEIGHT AND OBESE ??
Ms.Gail | Apr 17, 2013, 11:46 AM EDT
I didn't know there was prejudice against redheads!
STEVENSTAR | Apr 15, 2013, 09:05 AM EDT
@@mccrawf | Apr 15, 2013, 08:43 AM EDT >>>>>>>>> NO DEAR NOT BEEN JILTED AT ALL.. I VE BEEN TO AMERICAN MANY TIMES AND IM SORRY TRY CHICAGO AND 5 MONTHS OF SNOW FROM NOVEMBER TO APRIL??? THEN TORNADOS IN SUMMER.. ALL AMERICANS ARE FAT AND PLEASE DONT TRY DENY THAT..PLEASE DONT THINK ITS OK TO STEREO TYPE IRISH PEOPLE ALL HAVING RED HAIR DUE TO THE BAD WEATHER.. TAKE A LOOK AROUND AND COME BACK AND TELL ME THAT MOST AMERICANS ARENT OVER WEIGHT FAT AND EAT LIKE PIGS ?? I SAW IT ALL AROUND ME FOR TWO YEARS WHEN I LIVED TEHRE..!! COULDNT WAIT TO GET OUT OF THERE TO BE HONEST!!
mccrawf | Apr 15, 2013, 08:43 AM EDT
Seriously, what is your problem, STEVENSTAR ? (Other than your keyboard being stuck on caps). My teenage niece has been living in NY for the past 5 years and is always trying to lose weight because she complains all the girls in her high school are so thin. I take it you haven't been to the US especially the northeast. 5 months of cold and snow? We usually dont see any snow until late December and not much after mid march. You need a hobby. why are you so angry and hateful towards Americans (and you say we like to stereotype?).Possibly jilted by an American girl at some point in your life? Time to let it go.
STEVENSTAR | Apr 07, 2013, 06:57 PM EDT
IM IRISH AND I LIVE IN IRELAND AND TO BE HONEST NOT MANY IRISH HAVE RED HAIR !!! THE ONLY RED HAIR IRISH I SEE ARE IN AMERICAN MOVIES WHERE THEY HAVE THE RED HAIR, FRECKLES AND DOWN THE PUB FIGHTING AND SHOUTING JUST LIKE AMERICANS LOVE TO STEREOTYPE IRISH CITIZENS !!!! ... SO LETS SEE THE 5 MONTHS OF DREADFUL COLD BITTER MISERABLE SNOW ON THE AMERICAN EAST COAST EVERY YEAR,, IS THAT THE REASON THAT YOU GUYS ARE ALL FAT ??? CAUSE YOU HAVE TO STAY IN DOORS AND NOT GET OUT AND EXERSICE!!!!
Blodwyn | Apr 04, 2013, 01:37 PM EDT
News flash! There are different hair colors! There are a mix of attractive and unattractive people with that hair color! News at ten. I'm a red head. I'm ugly. Not because I'm a red head, I'm just ugly. My housemate's a red head. She's bloody gorgeous. Not because she's a red head, but because she's bloody gorgeous. We both have bad tempers because we have to put up with chavs shouting at us in the street and comments like 90% of those on this article. We're just people, there's no great mystery. It's all very unexciting. Can we move on now?
dek72 | Apr 01, 2013, 02:35 PM EDT
I love female redheads they are beauty full
CitizenWhy | Mar 30, 2013, 12:01 PM EDT
Red hair was always prized, and still is, among everyone I know. The red haired kids I knew growing up were very smart but hardly geeky. They were the best athletes and had great senses of humor. But yes, sunshine had to be avoided. The immediate health problem was not cancer, but blood poisoning, a very dangerous and potentially fatal condition. The redheads always had to wear baseball caps way before wearing them became a universal custom in the USA. And they never ever played basketball shirtless.
Stiofain | Feb 21, 2013, 06:52 PM EST
Neanderthals were red haired, that explains me. What doesn't explain is when hair becomes popular I turn grey?!
ttommygunn | Jan 04, 2013, 07:55 AM EST
Believe it or not, that's not a picture of a girl. It was done by an artist using ball point pens. I have a better pic. it's actually amazing.
goodsooth | Nov 13, 2012, 06:27 PM EST
I'm wondering about the Irish women and girls who were sent bt the BRITS as slaves to the West Indies islands to work in the sugar cane fields in the 17th century. They must have suffered terribly working in the tropical sun. I am hoping to go to the West Indies to do research on this. Does anyone have any knowledge of this?
Therearedays | Nov 13, 2012, 04:32 PM EST
The photograph is by a Russian named Kristina Tararina and the model being her compatriot Любовь Ансимова(not sure of the translation). It was relatively famously photorealistically drawn by a Portugal based attorney named Samuel Silva using only eight differently coloured standard Bic ballpoint pens on paper.
johnshiel | Nov 12, 2012, 09:27 AM EST
parents of redheaded children should encourage their offspring to seek out browner mates so that those redheaded children might have kiddos with more of a fighting chance against skin cancer here in sunny amerikay... and I was truly surprised and impressed by the frequency and the beauty of blonde women on my first visit to Ireland; was what I pictured would be the reward of visiting Sweden or Norway... (didn't really notice blonde men, one way or the other...)
WoundedKnee | Nov 11, 2012, 04:27 AM EST
Stiofain: Why do you hate diversity? You want a monochrome globalized world. Lots of us value difference and variety, especially the diversity brought by small nations and minority cultures. You don't.
Towngate | Nov 10, 2012, 04:45 PM EST
A GARDA SPOKESMAN said: "Shur ders no mysthery here atall atall. Dey has rid hair becos it dus go rusty in de mist and rain. Dey is bad timpered becos peeple does be takin' de pish outa dem all te time far been so ugly!" Then he added: " Mind 'ooo, I wouldn't mind 'shifting' yer wan above in da fotah". He then concluded the Press statement, declaring he was on his was to arrest her.
bonjouryall | Nov 10, 2012, 07:35 AM EST
Stiofain, sounds like you don't appreciate diversity. What would your fellow liberals think of you? And you're intolerant of religious people.
patnorth | Nov 10, 2012, 06:53 AM EST
I think: these type of "scientifically founded" articles mainly are there to generate interest and feedback, regardless if true or senseless. it certainly has been successful in its main purpose, nevertheless of its absolutely stupid content. the readers of these "semi-scientific" articles should be aware of that they are there to entertain and attract attention, but unfortunately there are plenty of people who take this for serious. I demand Irish Central to be more vigilant about their responsibility and not spread half-truths or simply bullshit. end of comment.
thetint | Nov 10, 2012, 04:33 AM EST
I'm a redhead and can't go out in the sun - even in Ireland!
Stiofain | Nov 09, 2012, 11:24 PM EST
Krisdaly: Has anyone ever told you your a racist? But, you would take that as a compliment.
Stiofain | Nov 09, 2012, 09:25 PM EST
stephenhession ~ then how do you explain these Jewish rabbis with full red beards/hair?
aloistmartin | Nov 09, 2012, 05:57 PM EST
The Unforgettable Fire ~
stephenhession | Nov 09, 2012, 05:53 PM EST
Scotland is inhabitated by two distinct races the indeginous Pict and the Celts from Ireland, One of the oldest names for Ireland was Scotia. Kings of Ireland invaded and ruled large parts of Scota Land, hince the name Scotland, most notable of these clanns were the Dal Cassins, they hailed from the south, and south east of Ireland and inhabited Scotland in huge numbers, The red hair is puely celtic
MOTOPAC | Nov 09, 2012, 05:40 PM EST
What a gorgeous gal in the photo!
Jesus Faraulo | Nov 09, 2012, 05:10 PM EST
For the people that are keeping the viking invaders theory for the red hair in irish and scottish people, I have a doubt: if it is true, why the scandinavian themselves (swedish,danish,norwegian and the rest)don't show the same percentage(or higher)of redheaded people than Scotland or Ireland? (Because I always see these two countries in the top positions of the countries with most redhaired individuals; but never see the scandinavian countries in the lists)
barnie4001 | Nov 09, 2012, 04:29 PM EST
they say the devil had red hair
barnie4001 | Nov 09, 2012, 04:27 PM EST
you must be joking
krisdaly | Nov 09, 2012, 04:20 PM EST
The gene for naturally red hair is going to disappear within the next 20 years because of inter-breeding between the races. Our Creator wanted human beings to marry within their own race, otherwise mankind will become one race and one people. Many beautiful races of human beings are like the many beautiful flowers on the earth.
Pittsburghkid | Nov 09, 2012, 01:07 PM EST
No it is in the DNA. My family has had red hair for generations. It probably comes from Viking Blood. My real question is why do red heads have such tempers. The temper increase with the deepness of the red. I was a brownish red, and my temper is managable, but family members with the red red have tempers.
Moirann16 | Nov 09, 2012, 12:21 PM EST
katiemac, not all genes work totally for the betterment of the carrier! Red hair and pale skin do up the ability of the body to absorb Vitamin D. And yes, it does have a downside, just like African-Americans have more protection against skin cancer but are at higher risk for heatstroke. Another example is sickle cell; it protects against/reduces the severity of malaria but can also kill. The Vikings may have brought red hair but that doesn't preclude the gene from hanging around in cloudy countries!
Deidra47 | Nov 09, 2012, 11:36 AM EST
What happened to the theory that the red hair gene came from the Vikings when they came to the countru? That makes sense to me.
bonjouryall | Nov 09, 2012, 11:27 AM EST
There was a public TV show recently that said it was documented that at least some of the neanderthalls had red hair. They put neanderthall features and red hair on the moderator and walked him around in New York City. The police on horseback did not give him a second glance! It said Neanderthall genes compose 4-12% (if I remember right) of modern Europeans. And these people, I would speculate, may have lasted longer or perhaps assimilated more in Ireland. I'll missed some of that part on redheads but perhaps CATHY!!! can try to locate it (but I will too). WoundedKnee has a good point. Redheads seem relatively common in the American South and I rarely saw any in Ireland. Right or wrong, I attributed it to the exodus during the Famine, which I understand hit western Ireland much harder. Perhaps, there were more redheads in the west back in the day but left? The problem I see with this idea is that many Southerners are descendents of Scotch-Irish, which I assume are more northern Ireland.
joan1954 | Nov 09, 2012, 10:56 AM EST
I live in Texas and my grand-niece is a redhead with freckles born in Canada while her dad was getting his P.hD. Mom is blond and dad is black haired. Mendel's Laws of heredity here as her great-grandmother was a redhead. Her little sister is brown haired almost light auburn.
katiemac | Nov 09, 2012, 10:43 AM EST
Then why are these same red-heads so susceptible to sun related skin cancers? I will wait for this theory to be proven or not. Personally, I think it has more to do with the genetic combination of dark Celts with blond Scandinavians. My father's people were deep red-haired McDonalds and McCloskeys from the North of ireland where there was more Scottish and Scandinavian influence. My generation was browned out by our black-haired mother, but 2 of my sisters married blond men, one German descent, the other Polish, and each had a blond and a red-head child. It is a recessive gene not some form of evolutionary mutation.
WoundedKnee | Nov 09, 2012, 10:23 AM EST
The article is based on a fallacy. Very few Irish people have red hair. Hence the article is nonsense.
Portia777 | Nov 09, 2012, 10:05 AM EST
No.
hermitTalker | Nov 09, 2012, 09:31 AM EST
It is from Scandinavian invaders.
carrickcourt | Nov 09, 2012, 09:30 AM EST
The weather? I thought it was because of Viking lads taking up with Irish lasses.