Why do Irish people look so different from Scandinavians if they're so close genetically?

[Charlemagne7]

The Irish and Scandinavians are very similar genetically and yet they don't look similar at all, and I'm not only talking about facial features but also pigmentation. There was a study done here by a member (Xenophobic Prussian) on hair color and he found Scandinavians to be THREE times blonder than Irish people. And in terms of facial features they also look very different, you would just never mistake for Irish someone like Dolph Lundgren for example. Why is it that they're so different in facial features and hair colour despite being so close genetically?

[Grace O'Malley]

The Irish and Scandinavians are very similar genetically and yet they don't look similar at all, and I'm not only talking about facial features but also pigmentation. There was a study done here by a member (Xenophobic Prussian) on hair colour and he found Scandinavians to be THREE times blonder than Irish people. And in terms of facial features they also look very different, you would just never mistake for Irish someone like Dolph Lundgren for example. Why is it that they're so different in facial features and hair colour despite being so close genetically?

Irish are also more likely to be freckled and paler than Scandinavians also. Anyway they aren't the same populations and Irish are nearly wholly descended from Bell Beakers that were L21 and differences in populations can easily happen. There's also most likely to be differences in the HGs. Lots of reasons at any rate why a population can have close distances genetically but still be different populations. There is even differences between the Scandinavian populations themselves. Interesting question though.

https://www.google.com/search?q=iris...n-GBAU933AU933

https://www.google.com/search?q=swed...w=1536&bih=754

[Septentrion]

The Irish and Scandinavians are very similar genetically and yet they don't look similar at all, and I'm not only talking about facial features but also pigmentation. There was a study done here by a member (Xenophobic Prussian) on hair colour and he found Scandinavians to be THREE times blonder than Irish people. And in terms of facial features they also look very different, you would just never mistake for Irish someone like Dolph Lundgren for example. Why is it that they're so different in facial features and hair colour despite being so close genetically?

Scandinavians are predominantly Northern Germanic people, while the Irish are predominantly Insular Celtic or Northern Celtic people. So they do have facial features differences, but also similarities. Scandinavians are about twice as blonde not thrice! Are you all there? While the Irish are about four times more red - haired, as red hair is even rarer than blond in general, and are paler, more freckled ( even the much darker - haired Irish). Genetically, they share a common Northern European root, this is why they are so close.

[Grace O'Malley]

Scandinavians are predominantly Northern Germanic people, while the Irish are predominantly Insular Celtic or Northern Celtic people. So they do have facial features differences, but also similarities. Scandinavians are about twice as blonde not thrice! Are you all there? While the Irish are about four times more red - haired, as red hair is even rarer than blond in general, and are paler, more freckled ( even the much darker - haired Irish). Genetically, they share a common Northern European root, this is why they are so close.

I don't think Irish have much Celtic blood to be honest. They are mostly a Bronze Age people. Also all the Germanic people aren't close distance wise. People need to think past the Celtic/Germanic thing. These language groups came later. For instance the Irish have been where they are since the Bronze Age. It's not like a group of Celts came in at a later date and changed the population drastically.

[Creoda]

Because they've evolved mostly separately for 4500 years, that's not much less time than Northwest and Northeast Europeans have been separated.

[Grace O'Malley]

Because they've evolved mostly separately for 4500 years, that's not much less time than Northwest and Northeast Europeans have been separated.

Any opinions on the Celtic question? There is still some overdue papers that need to come out such as if L21 Bell Beaker is an offshoot of Single Grave Corded Ware. It appears obvious that L21 Bell Beaker is from Corded Ware but it would be great to get some research and a paper on this.

[Grace O'Malley]

Because they've evolved mostly separately for 4500 years, that's not much less time than Northwest and Northeast Europeans have been separated.

Something I've just thought about is why do they not have separate clusters if that is the case? Any group that is separated for even shorter periods form separate clusters. Northwestern Europeans don't.

[Davystayn]

Swedes have Baltic influence and Dolph Lundgren is Faelid which isn't really typically Scandanavian. Norwegians probably look closest to Irish.

[Creoda]

Any opinions on the Celtic question? There is still some overdue papers that need to come out such as if L21 Bell Beaker is an offshoot of Single Grave Corded Ware. It appears obvious that L21 Bell Beaker is from Corded Ware but it would be great to get some research and a paper on this.

Well I think Celtic input is one thing that has shifted Irish and British away from Scandinavians, but as I've said before I think it is a minority influence.

Maybe there was a larger Celtic influence in Britain from Northern Gaul, and then early Celtic British/Caledonians (who for whatever reason remained mostly L21) colonised Ireland, meaning that Ireland has a large 'Celtic' influence to explain language change, but a smaller Continental Celtic influence, and a very small proto-Celtic influence. It wouldn't be that much different to the spread of Germanic language, which was carried on by people who weren't fully Germanic themselves.

[Creoda]

Something I've just thought about is why do they not have separate clusters if that is the case? Any group that is separated for even shorter periods form separate clusters. Northwestern Europeans don't.

Possibly:

1 - The Bronze Age/Late Neolithic ancestors of both were so close, basically brothers
2 - There has been very little non-NW influence in both places to shift them apart
3 - Fairly significant Germanic influence in Ireland since the migration era (around 20% according to some figures), and some Insular Celtic influence in Scandinavia too, that draws them back together
4 - The populations were larger and remained relatively outbred, at least compared to the ancestors of NE Europeans/Slavs, who must have been a very small isolated group for a long time.