Who Are The Black Irish?: Re: Re: Black Irish - American myth

» Marcyshamb - Re: Re: Black Irish - American myth

Recient genetic testing puts the Irish most closely related to the Basque of Spain, and the original people of Europe. The Irish don't have dark skin. Their skin is light, and often freckled. Their hair can be black, brown, blond or red. What differntiates the black irish from other irish is their black hair only. Strait or wavy thick black Caucasian hair.

The eyes, can be blue, green or brown..but often green. I know many black irish families with blue eyes.

Here in New England, where most of the Irish in the USA arrived from the potato famine era one speaks of them mainly being from Western and South Western Irleand, catholic, and black Irish. The potato famine didn't affect all of ireland, but was rather something visited upon Western Irelands catholic farming folks, which is where the black Irish hail from.

Legends in Ireland place the black irish ancestrys origins in Spain, and give over two stories for their existance.. One story, which is pritty much discounted tells of the sinking of the Spanish Amada and male sailor survivors washing up on the western shores of Ireland and mating with the local coastal village women.

The other legend, with some of the details based in fact, but still not completly provable tells of the spanish seaport that was built at gallway bay, west ireland during the sixtten or seventeen hundreds. The fact is the territory of the black Irish fan out from the central position of gallway bay. The fact is the seaport did exist and was spanish. The rest is only speculation.

Given the new discovery, that the Irish are decendent of the original europeaners and closest relatives to the Basques...and the Basques being in northern Spain France lends, if anything, curiosity when thinking of the Black Irish claim or origins.

The black Irish in the USA hail from two sources..the actual black Irish who came here during the potato famine from western Ireland circa mid 1800's...and the other kind..folks who wanted to pass as white, and so claimed to be black Irish mistaking the term to mean irish that were dark or black.

For an irishman, whats black in the black irish is the hair. If someone is irish and has dark skin, it came by them from elsewhere outside of Ireland..and probably was aquired on this side of the pond.

Marcy

-- posted by Marcyshamb