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Celtic origins of Irish now disputed by new DNA results - POLL

Were Ice Age survivors from Spain first to arrive in Ireland?

MIKE O'LAUGHLIN,

IrishCentral Columnist

Published Thursday, November 10, 2011, 9:25 AM

Updated Thursday, November 10, 2011, 12:10 PM

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20 Comments

Painting entitled 'Celtic Princess' - Could it be that the Irish really aren't Celtic after all?

Photo by Google Images

IrishCentral.com Poll

Milesians Not Irish Founders

We have been taught for a few generations that the Irish descend from the Celts. The King of one wave of Celts was Milesius. Milesius is the most famous Celt in legend I think. Some call him the founder of the Irish people - but it looks like it is mostly a fanciful story.

First Irish Families

DNA studies are now telling us that Ireland was settled centuries earlier than thought. It was not first settled by the Celts of legend.

Ice Age Survivors

It was actually those who survived the last ice age about 10,000 years ago, holding out in northwest Spain. As things warmed up, they found their way to Ireland. In fact, the closest DNA match with the Irish in all Europe is with the Basque.

Take a look at the film 'Blood of the Irish' and you'll become a believer.

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How They Got Here

Current theory is that they came by boat to Ireland, which was settled much later than Britain, which was connected by land to the continent. They did not come from Scotland, but from Basque country.
So, at least they came from around Spain like some of the Milesian legends speak of.

Our New Ancestors

We still have to double check all the findings but it seems pretty convincing. The Irish and the Basque are brothers, so to speak. As far as we can see, our earliest ancestors were the Basque people. So there is the point to start your genealogy in Ireland!

Books

If you want to see some of the legend that came from the story of the Celts and Milesius there is a book. It is titled 'A Genealogical History of the Milesian Families of Ireland' that I published several years ago.

Book of Invasions

If you want to see a real classic, take a look at the 'Book of Invasions', one of our oldest written stories about who settled Ireland. This book gives that the Irish originally came from Spain. This is the ancient book that O'Donnell took to the court of Spain, trying to strengthen the ties between the two countries.

Looks like there was some truth there.....All of this should make doing current day research on your Irish family history seem a lot easier....

Just remember, Every Day is a holiday....

www.Irishroots.com

About the author

Mike is the most published author in his field, and also founded the first audio show on the internet, on Irish Families and genealogy.

Originally published in July 2010.

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20 Comments

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TTrain | Mar 10, 2013, 01:13 AM EST

Truth be told, and from all I've learned, dreamt, studied and absorbed, I now firmly believe that the Irish are direct descendants of this vibrant, eclectic and bizarre hodge-podge of leprechuans, goblins, space aliens, these knuckle dragging, squat stone age goons and this narrow assortment of other, equally enigmatic and by now thoroughly absorbed creatures, all of whom had and still have this bad drinking problem, love to hold petty grudges, and often display this pathological loyalty towards family members who have killed and maimed innocent people. This fine and exquisite hodge-podge of various stone age and ET goons Basquing in centuries of self perpetuating misery, wrath, violence and brilliantly eloquent ramblings ((I believe the GREAT Irish writer Joyce had this term for it--stream of consciousness!))! Though truth be told, I know through years of continuous research and reading that at least 60-65% of the DNA of the average Irish person is pre-Celtic, and up to 90% in certain parts of Ireland ((pre-Celtic as in stone age!)). So by and large, and racially and biologically speaking, the Irish are this mostly descended from several older Neolithic, stone age tribes, those that settled and occupied Ireland way before the Celts arrived 500 years the Christ! Yes, the Irish are this stone age race ((I mean just look at the giant heads that most of em have!)), descended from several Cro-magnon tribes, though blessed with this touch of Celtic to em, the very race from which they derived and still derive much of their culture, traditions and ancient Gaelic language! Though ancient Cro-magnon they most certainly are!

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ciaradexy | Jan 14, 2012, 11:22 AM EST

Wow our georgie was insulting people back as far as November when he didnt have a decent response to someones post! Stereotypical septic tank!

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Cernunnos | Jan 13, 2012, 07:34 PM EST

The Irish are not descended from Basques they just "possibly" share the same ancestors. Celtic is not( as such ) a race but tribes that shared similar languages and culture. This is not the 1st time the Celtic peoples identity has been dismissed and it wont be the last...

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STEPcoach | Nov 16, 2011, 11:40 AM EST

I appreciate the articles about ethnic histories, but I enjoy even more the arguing/bantering/bashing that erupts in the comments! George and "idiot" are always good for a laugh! Ta!

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Dunkelly1 | Nov 16, 2011, 11:38 AM EST

As regards Milesius and the Milesians, I have read that Milesius had two sons: Io and Ir. He first sent Io to conquer Hibernia, but he was captured and killed. This enraged Milesius, so he sent his other son Ir, who was successful in conquering Hibernia, hence the name IR-Land.

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GeorgeDillon | Nov 11, 2011, 05:34 PM EST

I note that the idiot naughtius is incapable of making even one cogent point. All he can offer is empty abuse. You're a stupid fool, naughtius. Go back to your National Front racist buddies, you're incapable of rational expression.

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ancavker | Nov 11, 2011, 11:01 AM EST

bend: Celt Is a term used to describe people whose languages are related, as in Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Manx, and Breton. So there is a relationship there. No one knows what these people called themselves, and for all we know they may not have called themselves any name. As far as th Greco-Romans naming the Celts, what is your point, they did it for all the different tribes that they encountered. It was just a way of categorizing people. The point is that Mr. Mc Laughlin's article assumed that many people thought the Celts/Gaels/Milesians were the first to arrive in Ireland, and the fact is that many people know that was not the case.

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naughtius | Nov 11, 2011, 10:52 AM EST

George, what you don't know would fill a million libraries.

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bendingtheboyne | Nov 11, 2011, 10:28 AM EST

"Celtic" should be abandoned from popular usage. There is no empirical evidence for it being useful to describe anything. It was a Greco-Roman term imposed from outsiders--people in the Isles did NOT refer to themselves as "Celts". For the most recent in archaeology, genetics, and linguistics research; see the authoritative nonfiction, CELTIC FROM THE WEST, by Barry Cunliffe and John Koch, editors ( Oxford Press, 2010). For bang-on fiction using the new paradigm of Gaels and Gaelic see BENDING THE BOYNE, J S Dunn, publ. 2011.

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GeorgeDillon | Nov 11, 2011, 08:52 AM EST

The striking thing is that we are now in the last generation in which it will be possible to speak of the DNA of the Irish people in a coherent way. Within a couple of decades Mass Immigration will have destroyed the Irish as a distinct national and ethnic group. As someone who values diversity and opposes globalization, I find the death of any nation very sad, all the more so when it is the death of the nation of my forefathers, the place where countless generations of my ancestors made their homeland. Ethnosuicide is as tragic as any other suicide.

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conorpatrick | Nov 11, 2011, 07:05 AM EST

Leinster's historical records show that Heremon, descendent of King Milesius was King of Leinster. Brian Boru's ancestry is traced back to King Milesius. No doubt our links with the Basques are also true and perhaps older. Celt is a broad term which has applied to many different waves and incursions and settlements all over Europe - some ancient historians reckon we, Irish, are descendent of the Greeks. We are a mixed bag like all races perhaps a more mixed bag in early than more recent times - today we suffer from being inbred!!! Too low a gene pool.

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Molaughlin | Nov 10, 2011, 11:14 PM EST

I wrote this article in July of 2010. A lot of hub bub coming in. In point of fact: 1) Most N. Americans do not know the ancient origins of the Irish. 2) Many folks do consider 'celtic' as an ethnic term. (despite academic definitions). 3) Many believe the Celts & Milesians were the first in Ireland, from stories & legends. 4) I have not written a book on this topic. I have published early works. It's a big world out there, with a lot of opinions, and levels of knowledge. That is worth keeping in mind. The point is, legends aside, there were people who settled in Ireland before the Celts and 'Milesius'. Some will find that helpful, some will not.

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naughtius | Nov 10, 2011, 03:50 PM EST

Celt is a linguistic term, Gaelic is a q celtic language so by default irish people are celts. It was never meant to be an ethnic term but there were other celtic langauages on the continent at one point around the bronze age. For example the river Danubes name may have the same origin as Danu. Back then more than likely people speaking similar languages shared the same ancestry as languages would have to move with people. The first settlers to ireland probably arrived via Scotland and Iberia after the ice age but DNA analysis now shows the main R1b male lineage that is predominant in ireland arrived in the bronze age replacing the original settlers. The basque ancestry idea is way out of date at this stage, Blood of the Irish clung to it but about 9 months after it aired a new discovery was made that basically rubbished it.

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mcbreen | Nov 10, 2011, 03:45 PM EST

The term "Celt" as used today is a colonial word meaning British peasant. Scottish, Welsh, Irish, or folks from the midland plain of England are included. "Celt" de-nationizes Irish identity by suggesting some kind of kinship that the Irish are supposed to have with the above mentioned groups.

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sirpeter | Nov 10, 2011, 02:37 PM EST

How in the name of God could we be pure Celtic.We are a mixture of loads of different people

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