Black Irish

Black Irish – From Wikepedia

The first clear evidence of human habitation in Ireland has been carbon dated to circa 7000 B.C.^[4]Book of Invasions, refer to a number of historical ethnic groups, including the Fomorians, Nemedians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha Dé Danann, and Milesians. Despite the lack of empirical data linking them to the Irish, one or more of these races have been acknowledged in previous and current ancestral studies, such as Dennis O'Mullally's History of O'Mullally and Lally Clan, or The history of an Irish family through the ages entertwined with that of the Irish nation,^[5] wherein the author points to the Fir Bolg as "the aboriginal people of Ireland, smaller in stature than the Gaels, with jet-black hair and dark eyes, contrasting with unusually white skin." Likewise, while such observations remain devoid of scientific backing, recent advances in genetics continue to offer more clues. Written records authenticating the existence of primordial peoples have yet to be discovered, but legends, such as those described in the

The term 'Black Irish' is also sometimes accompanied by claims suggesting the aforementioned physical traits to be the result of an Iberian admixture originating with survivors of the Spanish Armada. However, the genetic contributions of the latter are likely to have been insignificant, as most Armada survivors were killed on the beaches, and many of the remnants eventually escaped from Ireland. Some believe that a group of Spanish soldiers ended up serving as armed retainers to the Irish chiefs Brian O'Rourke, Sorley Boy MacDonnell, and Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone. Consequently, these soldiers may have lived in Ireland long enough to father children, although they did not constitute a very large number. The genetic evidence is that the survivors of the Spanish Armada probably left no legacy, as the Irish have only minute amounts of Neolithic Near Eastern Y chromosome genetic markers such as E3b and J, both of which are present in significant levels throughout Spain (with the exception of the Basque Country).^[6]

Black Irish comes from social and political biases as well as genetic history. In the 1800s, many Caucasian people believed that the Irish were somehow related to Africans. Africans and individuals of very dark features were held in distaste and considered to be inferior peoples. Therefore, the term Black Irish was born and upheld. In 1862, John Beddoe, an esteemed ethnologist, published Races of Britain in which he described those of Celtic descent as having features similar to those of African descent.