Where did the rumor originate that western Irish people are Basque-like?

[HoboJim]

The part about your 2.3% 'Iberian' coming from 16th century Basque fisherman in Ireland. Makes no sense.

How so?

[Creoda]

How so?

There's no evidence of such a mass migration in history or genetics, and if you're 1/4 Irish you're implying that many Irish people are up to 9-10% Iberian.

[Daco Celtic]

It's a dirty rumor that was started by street hooligans.

[Grace O'Malley]

How so?

Most fully Irish people hardly get any Iberian. Neither me nor any of my family get it that have been tested. With updates now on Ancestry and 23andMe it is even less likely. 2.3% Iberian is on the high side (for an Irish person) so I would say getting it from an Irish grandmother is not likely. Irish get less Iberian than the English for example so it's odd that people have this sort of connection. It's very easy to dispel if people look at Irish genetic results.

Anyway people take these small amounts too literally. How many people lose these small amounts on updates. 23andMe nor Ancestry etc are looking at older ancestry anyway as they match people to modern people that they have that have long term ancestry in countries. The dna companies appear to be improving over time because the science is getting better and also they have more areas that they match people to. It's all to do with the science and their population panels.

Most Irish, for example, match the British & Irish category on 23andMe and the Ireland and Scotland on Ancestry very well. These are very Irish shifted categories and most Irish get nearly 100% now with these companies.

What's your full ancestry?

[HoboJim]

Most fully Irish people hardly get any Iberian. Neither me nor any of my family get it that have been tested. With updates now on Ancestry and 23andMe it is even less likely. 2.3% Iberian is on the high side (for an Irish person) so I would say getting it from an Irish grandmother is not likely. Irish get less Iberian than the English for example so it's odd that people have this sort of connection. It's very easy to dispel if people look at Irish genetic results.

Anyway people take these small amounts too literally. How many people lose these small amounts on updates. 23andMe nor Ancestry etc are looking at older ancestry anyway as they match people to modern people that they have that have long term ancestry in countries. The dna companies appear to be improving over time because the science is getting better and also they have more areas that they match people to. It's all to do with the science and their population panels.

Most Irish, for example, match the British & Irish category on 23andMe and the Ireland and Scotland on Ancestry very well. These are very Irish shifted categories and most Irish get nearly 100% now with these companies.

What's your full ancestry?

Interesting. I took the 23andme test in 2015 and my Iberian results haven't changed. I should mention that my grandmother is not directly from Ireland, but of Irish descent.

There has always been an awareness of a connection to Spain on her side though. There is also history of Basque fishing around Ireland which is thought to be the connection.

[HoboJim]

Perhaps it's circumstantial. Where Irish people in regions of Ireland connected to the Basque fishing trade are more prone to possessing dna from that history.

[Grace O'Malley]

Perhaps it's circumstantial. Where Irish people in regions of Ireland connected to the Basque fishing trade are more prone to possessing dna from that history.

I've explained where I think these myths come from in my earlier post. You might have other ancestries that would explain your Iberian better. I share with many fully Irish people on 23andMe and Iberian is very scare for Irish. There is really no "special" connection between these populations as anyone that looks into the genetics side of things knows now. Even historically the people that the Irish interacted with where of course British i.e. Scots, Welsh and English. The other groups they have interacted with are the Vikings and Normans. That's basically the major groups that have went to Ireland.

Even with deep ancestry Irish are an extremely Northwest European population and are connected genetically to their neighbours i.e. the British, Scandinavians and Benelux areas.

Also specifically with your 2.3% Iberian it is most likely not real if you have no known actual ancestry from Spain and Portugal. Did you get your result on Ancestry or 23andMe? Both these companies have updated their Ancestry Compositions. It would be interesting to see what your full ancestry breakdown is? It could give some clues if you posted this.

[HoboJim]

I've explained where I think these myths come from in my earlier post. You might have other ancestries that would explain your Iberian better. I share with many fully Irish people on 23andMe and Iberian is very scare for Irish. There is really no "special" connection between these populations as anyone that looks into the genetics side of things knows now. Even historically the people that the Irish interacted with where of course British i.e. Scots, Welsh and English. The other groups they have interacted with are the Vikings and Normans. That's basically the major groups that have went to Ireland.

Even with deep ancestry Irish are an extremely Northwest European population and are connected genetically to their neighbours i.e. the British, Scandinavians and Benelux areas.

Also specifically with your 2.3% Iberian it is most likely not real if you have no known actual ancestry from Spain and Portugal. Did you get your result on Ancestry or 23andMe? Both these companies have updated their Ancestry Compositions. It would be interesting to see what your full ancestry breakdown is? It could give some clues if you posted this.

Yeah, it's still at 2.3%.

[Dna8]

In a more general sense, you folk don't see some parallels in Britsh and Iberian aesthetics, beyond their mutual European identity?

[Cristiano viejo]

There is also the event of the Spanish sailors from the Armada landing in Ireland. There is a mythic assumption that they settled there but most or all of them were killed.

Most of them returned to Spain but a tiny minority remained in Ireland, so that is not a mythic assumption.
What is a myth is that dark haired Irish descend of those sailors and soldiers.