Who were the Black Irish?

Wearing the term "black Irish" as a badge of honor is a stretch . I grew up in Ireland and was taught the dark Irish were descendants of the Vikiings/Danes and some were from inter marrying the Spanish survivors from the wreck of the Spanish Armada.

I always thought black Irish meant black hair and blue eyes, but I have no idea where I picked up that description. Probably some unreliable source.

Posted by EphraimKibbey on Nov 05, 2011, 02:12 PM EDT Great article and great comments! Two notes: 1. The French got tired of Paris being raided up the Seine by the Vikings in their shallow draft longboats so the king bribed some of these Norsemen-Northmen-Normans to settle in what became Normandy along the french coast and let them fight future bands of their brother vikings. They then intermarried with the native french. Note the viking shapes of Duke William's ships in the Bayeau tapestry showing the Norman Invasion of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066. 2. Since the Irish celtic group called the Scotti left Ireland, invaded what came to be called Scotland and subjugated the indiginous Pics, should the Scotch-Irish be called the Irish-Irish? The Irish Bagpipe? The Irish celtic plaid Highlander Regalia? Shouldn't we give credit where credit is due? I wrote regarding the last bit of this comment, as to why there should be no credit where credit is due, the myth of the Scotti and no recorgnisation that they were just a small populace that influenced a part of Britain that came to be called Scotland, the fact that Lowland Scotland is basically the same as Northern England, and why there should be an apology from Ireland to all the Britons. The comment did not appear.

All 4 of my grandparents came to the States from Ireland. My father's father from Cork & my father's mother from Donegal. My mother's father from Galway & my mother's mother from Dublin. Both of my grandmothers were considered "black Irish" because of their appearance; black hair & a darker complection. Both granfathers had light colored (blondish) hair and a fair complection. The grandmothers considered themselves as primarily spanish influenced decendants while my grandfathers considered themselves as viking decendants. Each sides brothers & sisters had similar appearances. Neither side considered one decendancy to being superior to the other because of ancestry. That's just the way things were.

I have always felt that the Black Irish ARE the Celts. I cite Sean Connerly as an example. From all depictions, Connerly resembles a Celtic Chieftan. All the fair and red haired Irish are from other foreign influence. I am a Nolan whose ancestry is from Galway. My Great grandfather was black haired, blue eyed and a Celt from top to bottom. I ,his great grandson, resemble Connerly except I have a full head of hair. Bite it Sean.

I thought the connection to Spain had been genetically validated? This book I read a couple years ago, "Saxons, Vkings & Celts: the Genetic Roots of Britain & Ireland," written by a geneticist, syas the Milesian legend is true. The "Black Irish" migrated to Ireland from the Iberian peninsula.

@DomPedro .. To access the New bYork Times article, Google this string of key words: Basque Irish English New York Times

Ah well we might never know the true meaning, but all those invaders to our tiny island, over hundreds of years, why?

I am a product of McCatherine,Corkery,Devine,and Amlaw...I am also black haired, brown eyed, medium complected. Most of my family is brown haired or blond, with blue or hazel eyes. My mother once told me "Black Irish" (as in coloring) skipped every other generation... anyone else heard of that? The brown haired in my family have red highlights in their hair and beards.

The term Black Irish is only used outside Ireland.In the southern United States,mixed-race descendants of European and Native Americans,or European and African Americans, sometimes called themselves "black Irish" or "black Dutch" to explain their colouring and conceal their minority heritage.This was particularly the case during the Indian Removal era of the 1830s.The forced removal of the Cherokee and other nations from native land to the Indian Territory,accompanied by laws that forbade Natives to own land,and denied them the right to vote,led Native Americans and people of mixed race to hide their ethnic heritage.This spurious identification as "black Irish" or "black Dutch" has persisted among the descendants of these people for over 100 years.To use the term Black Irish in Ireland would be rather silly as that would include the vast majority of the people.In Ireland the use of the word Black,Dubh,Dark ect refers to something been bad or someone to be wary of.Nothing to do with complexion at all.How could it??The Norman invasion consisted of less then a thousand men and they had to conquer real quick or your army would starve and be disease ridden within six months.These immigrant groups which were very small in number(Vikings/Normans ect where made up of men who took conquered land and married Irish women.Whose sons and daughters married Irish men and women.And the trickle of these immigrant groups was over a period of hundreds of years.

Aye, but Barack Obama is half Irish, and it is the white Zionists that control him, not the blacks.

Once upon a time in this country the Irish were worse off than the blacks. Blacks were referred to as "smoked Irish" and that a black man was an Irishman turned inside out. In Louisiana, they used the Irish on the shrimp boats. They didn't want to use slaves, for if they fell overboard, they'd have to rescue them. Not so if you used and Irishman. If he fell overboard, there were plenty more back on shore. Slaves were valuable, the Irish were not. When the Irish moved into the south side of Chicago, the blacks moved out. Ultimate insult. What made the Irish successful was their faith and their ability to learn. And out of the hole they came and they put one of their own in the White House. Without the help of the lamestream media that put the present president there.

I think that Barack Obama is black Irish. Since his mother's name is Ann Dunham, surely Obama has an Irishman in the woodpile.

Well i know way back my Great Grand Mother told my Father her Mother was half spanish the Forde Family came from county Cork. I'm only a 1/4 Irish myself I'm Irish, German Italian & French But Born in the U.S.A MAKING ME A 100% American by Birth.

Those Spanish Eyes! Ali (Stewart) Hewson is said to be black Irish. it doesn't get any more ROYAL than this classy lady!