A summary and update on the Irish Mapping DNA Project has been completed. Within the Project, Y-DNA results are grouped based on the Y SNP Phylogenetic Tree branches deemed important in the Irish context. Assignment to these groups is limited to those who have taken SNP-based Y DNA tests. STR-only results are not assigned to these groups. For participants with detailed knowledge of the location within Ireland of their earliest known paternal ancestor, maps have been rendered using the FTDNA Member Distribution Map tool. Samples for participants who do not have detailed knowledge on their ancestral geography are separated into an ‘Imprecise Geography’ out-group so as to not distort the plots of those locations which are known. No personally-identifying data is included in this report.
Using the criteria above, 204 ancestral locations were plotted on the island of Ireland using data drawn on 22 March 2020. The resulting maps for each Y genetic group branch do display some regional distinctions. Some of the findings fit previously discovered trends, while others are show new information.
1. The most numerous branch, R-M222 [Group R1b-L21-Z39589-M222], shows a spread not just in northwest Ireland but also spread into the Irish midlands and Connacht. It is scarce in far southwest and southeast Ireland.
2. The 2nd most mapped branch was for haplogroup I2 [Group I2 / I-P215]. This map primarily shows two north-south distributions. One along the east coast of the island and one along the west coast and Limerick city.
3. The 3rd most mapped branch was R-Z39589 (with M222 negative) [Group R1b-L21-Z39589*]. It’s distribution was exclusively in the northern half of the island of Ireland.
4. Haplogroup R-Z253 [Group R1b-L21-ZZ10-Z253] which includes the Irish Type III, R-L226 subbranch is found most frequently towards southwest Ireland but also had some dispersal into the northern third of the island of Ireland.
5. Haplogroup R-U106 [Group R1b-L23-U106] shows a north-south distribution along the eastern side of Ireland and then reaching northwest towards Sligo.
6. [Group R1b-L23-DF27] shows a thin dispersion surrounding the city of Limerick and another around County Antrim in the north.
7. Haplogroup R-DF21 [Group R1b-L21-DF21*] and [Group R1b-L21-DF21-Z3000] shows a diffuse distribution with DF21* in south and east Ireland and R-Z3000 (aka Clan Colla) in southern Ulster as expected.
A summary of all groups is in the table below. See the attached report for the maps.
| Subgroup Name | Current Count | Irish Map Plot | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group R1b-L21-Z39589-M222 | 125 | 43 | Members with haplogroup R1b SNPs L21, DF13, Z39589, and M222. |
| Group I2 / I-P215 | 66 | 25 | Members of haplogroup I2 with SNP M438 or one of its descendants. Includes I-M223 as a subbranch. |
| Group R1b-L21-Z39589* | 172 | 21 | Members of one of the many branches of haplgroup R1b with SNPs L21, DF13, and Z39589 but who are negative for SNPs M222, Z254, etc. Includes DF49*. |
| Group R1b-L21-ZZ10-Z253 | 44 | 16 | Persons in haplogroup R1b with SNPs L21, DF13, ZZ10, and Z253 or one of its descendants such as L226. |
| Group R1b-L23-U106 | 56 | 13 | Members of haplogroup R1b with SNP U106 or one of its descendants. |
| Group R1b-L21-DF21* | 43 | 12 | Persons in haplogroup R1b with SNPs L21, DF13, and DF21 or one of the descendant nodes except Z3000 which is broken into it’s own subgroup. |
| Group R1b-L23-DF27 | 52 | 12 | Members of haplogroup R1b with L23 and DF27 positive (L21 negative). |
| Group I1 / I-M253 | 46 | 10 | Members of haplogroup I1 with SNP M253 or one of its descendants. |
| Group R1b-L21-FGC11134 | 34 | 10 | Members of haplogroup R1b with SNPs L21, DF13, and FGC11134. Includes CTS4466 aka Irish Type II. |
| Group R1b-L21-ZZ10* | 64 | 10 | Members of haplogroup R1b with SNPs L21, DF13, and ZZ10 excluding Z253. Includes prominent group Z255. |
| Group R1b-L23* | 143 | 7 | Members of haplogroup R1b with SNPs M269, L23 and descendants but excluding, DF27, L21, U106, and U152. Includes L238 Norse descendants. |
| Group R1b-L21-L513 | 13 | 5 | Members of haplogroup R1b with SNPs L21, DF13, and L513 or one of its descendants. |
| Group R1b-L21-DF21-Z3000 | 12 | 4 | Persons in haplogroup R1b with SNPs L21, DF13, DF21 and Z3000. Believed affiliated with the Clan of the Three Collas of Ireland and having DYS425 value of null on traditional STR tests. |
| Group R1b-L23-U152 | 15 | 4 | Members with SNPs M269, L23, P312, U152 and subgroups. |
| Group R1b-L21-FGC5494 | 10 | 3 | Members of haplogroup R1b with SNPs L21, DF13, and FGC5494. Sibling branch to DF21, ZZ10, Z39589. |
| Group E | 9 | 2 | Members of haplogroup E. |
| Group J | 6 | 2 | Members of haplogroup J. |
| Group R1a | 9 | 2 | Members of haplogroup R1a with SNP M420 or one of its descendants. |
| Group C | 1 | 1 | Members of haplogroup C. |
| Group R1b-L21-Z39589-L1335 | 4 | 1 | Members in hapolgroup R1b with SNPs L21, DF13, Z39589, and L1335. Includes major group L1065 Scots Cluster. |
| Group R1b-L21-Z39589-Z251 | 5 | 1 | Members of haplogroup R1b with SNPs L21, Z39589, and Z251 or any of its descendants. |
| Group G | 3 | 0 | Members of Haplogroup G |
| Group N | 2 | 0 | Members of haplogroup N. |
| Group Q | 1 | 0 | Members of haplogroup Q. |
| Group R1b-L21-DF63 | 0 | 0 | Members with R1b SNPs L21, DF63, and descendants. |
| Group R1b-L21-Z39589-DF41 | 8 | 0 | Members of haplogroup R1b with SNPs L21, DF13, Z39589, DF41 and its subbranches such as L745. |
| Group T | 3 | 0 | Members of haplogroup T. |
| z-Imprecise Geography | 46 | Members of any haplogroup whose earliest ancestor is known only at a very broad level (e.g. all of Ireland). This out-group separates those points from the more precise geography available from other members under existing mapping technology. | |
| zz-Ambiguous SNP Phylogeny | 389 | Ambiguous phylogeny. Lacks SNP marker confirmation or very low resolution of SNP results. Recommend Big Y-700 upgrade. | |
| Totals | 1,381 | 204 |