Posted on 12/27/2005 12:10:30 AM PST by neverdem
Legend has it that, while raiding England around 500 C.E., the Irish warlord Niall of the Nine Hostages took a young St. Patrick prisoner and brought him to Ireland. Historians disagree about whether Niall was really the kidnapper, but one thing is for certain: This ancient king went on to found the most powerful ruling dynasty in Irish medieval history, the Uí Néill (literally "descendants of Niall"). Now, a study reveals that this royal lineage may be imprinted in the genes of roughly a tenth of Irish men living today.
Although most of our genetic makeup comes from both parents, men inherit their Y chromosome exclusively from their fathers. As such, geneticists can trace paternal lineage by studying genetic markers on this chromosome. Small mutations creep in over generations, so the number of differences in the markers of any two men can reveal how long ago their common forefather lived. In 2003, a population study in East Asia discovered a set of Y chromosomes with very similar markers among men living in what had been the Mongol Empire. The scientists speculated that some 16 million men with these markers were all descendants of Genghis Khan (Science, 23 February 2003, p. 1179).
In the same spirit, geneticist Daniel Bradley and his colleagues from Trinity College in Dublin analyzed the Y chromosomes of 796 Irish men. Interestingly, quite a few shared the same markers--more than would be expected by chance. Looking for a historical explanation, the team realized that many of the men with this Y signature had family names that traced back to various offshoots of the Uí Néills. "Our research shows that these dynastic groups did have a common ancestor," Bradley says, thus providing a genetic underpinning to Ireland's rich genealogical tradition. This ancestor appears to have lived approximately 1700 years ago--consistent with the period of Niall's reign--the team reports 8 December in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
Some experts remain sceptical. Although the findings are compatible with the Niall hypothesis, geneticist Chris Tyler-Smith of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, U.K., warns that the conclusion rests on uncertain assumptions about mutation rates and time between generations. He thinks the main significance of this work is that it shows--as did the earlier Genghis Khan study--how power and status can affect genetics. The Uí Néill Y chromosome owes its success not to a particular evolutionary advantage, he says, but rather to the fact that the high-ranking Uí Néill males in medieval Ireland could father many sons who later did the same.
Guinness tastes better when it's a properly pulled pint in a genuine Irish pub! Slainte!
Smithwick's is the best!
I have never seen it outside of Ireland!
A pint of Smittick's and a Woodbine... aaahhh...
Got to see this, this past May. My Parish Priest always talks about the "magical land of Tara" in his homilies. It is a beautiful area. I would love to go back.... sigh
Smithwicks? All over the place here in Massachusetts, including two in the back of my refrigerator.
Check with a beer store that carries Guinness. There's a good chance they will have Smithwicks too.
Guinness in the states is brewed in Canada.
Reminds Me of that line in braveheart when one of Wallaces crew asks the Irishman "why do you irish pray so much?" To which the reply was "it's the only time We can speak to our equals"
Slainte,
CC
WHAT THE H*LL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!!!
Oh,sorry, guess I overreacted
CC
CC
Canada! Indeed!
Actually WoofDog made me aware that my info was a bit dated in post #36. I'll have to sample a pint of Guinness to determine if it has infact improved.
As far as I know, Smithwicks is still imported from Ireland.
As far as I know Smithwicks, brewed by Guinness (Diageo, actually), is still brewed in Eire.
I was at the Fitzgerald's Hotel in Chicago last week and there were a few Micks drinking it and loving it. Distribution seems to be spreading throughout the U.S.
Guess I've got to try some since half the blood running through my veins came from a McCarthy.
So this is saying that men with the same last name, in a homogeneous society with tribal traditions are likely to be genetically related. Duh.
One of the reasons why cranberry juice is so good for the digestive tract is because it contains a fundamental version of quinine.
You can't get a girl pregnant with cigars ...
I have never cared for beer, but Smithwick's is delicious.
This is the "winning" topic I believe, the first of Nine (appropriately enough). And now, without further ado, a message #2 from one of the duplicate threads, also appropriate, depending on one's age group of course...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1560189/posts?page=2#2
To: voletti
Letterman Top Ten Punchlines to Dirty Irish Jokes 1998
10. She's out in the barn making Bailey's Irish Cream.
9. I thought 'Dublin' was having sex with twins.
8. Here's one snake St. Patrick didn't chase out of Ireland.
7. That's not the Blarney Stone, but don't stop kissing it.
6. I saw Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche practicing their Gaelic.
5. Lord of the Dance? More like 'Lord of my pants'!
4. These lucky charms are magically delicious!
3. Keep looking -- I know there's a shamrock in there somewhere.
2. That is my thick Irish brogue, and yes, I'm happy to see you.
1. Ted Kennedy.
2 posted on 01/18/2006 5:09:28 AM PST by Vaquero
LOL!
Sounds like they were likely Northern Irish heathens. Lots of defective genes and inbreeding among them.
It's also said that God gave us whiskey because he didn't want the Irish to rule the world, but he sent the great famine, because he wanted America to rule the world.
" It's my experience that the Irish blood boils at a slightly lower temperature than most."
You must be talking about my wife. Luckily she's married to a humble, even tempered, scots/Irish man.
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