UPDATE TWO: [10 Mar 2006]  A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) test reported on March 4, 2006, confirmed that a member of this group manifests the derived (or positive) state at the M222 locus on the human Y-chromosome. The well known NW Irish pattern is thus not simply a statistically defined subset of Haplogroup R1b1c (also known as R-M269 after the SNP which defines that clade). NW Irish can in fact be assigned to its own subclade of R1b1c called R1b1c7, or R-M222. Additional testing of M222 in other individuals will reveal whether the NW Irish cluster constitutes the totality of R1b1c7 or whether other haplotypes that stray far from the R1b1c7 modal values also belong to this cluster. The results have the potential to better illuminate population movements into and within the European peninsula that would become the British Isles once the sea level rose.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for a comparison of the modal values for undifferentiated R1b1c and its subset, R1b1c7.

In light of developments in the past several weeks, this page will be redesigned and reconstructed in coming weeks to better integrate the information now available for this interesting subgroup

UPDATE ONE: [24 Jan 2006]  In December 2005, first results were published from an extended study of Irish surnames and Y-chromosome haplotypes undertaken by a research team from Trinity College Dublin. An article by members of the team (Moore, L., McEvoy, B. et al., "A Y-Chromosome Signature of Hegemony in Gaelic Ireland." Am. J. Hum. Genet 2006 Feb;78(2):334-8) discusses the variety of haplogroup R1b (more precisely, R1b1c or R-M269) that was independently recognized and described here in late 2004. Moore and McEvoy named this pattern the Irish Modal Haplotype (IMH). Of the distinctive markers described below, the individual haplotypes in the TCD study set contained only DYS390 and DYS392. Those two markers are sufficient to show that the IMH and this variety are in fact identical.

Based on correlations with modern surnames, clan origins, and geographical concentration, Moore and McEvoy propose that this haplotype should be associated with descendants of the Ui Neill kings of medieval Ireland, and specifically descendants of the semi-legendary fifth-century king Niall of the Nine Hostages. The reproductive advantage conferred by political and military leadership is considered to have fostered the expansion of this pattern, which is found in up to one fifth of tested males in portions of NW Ireland today. The concentration is strongest in Sligo and northernmost Donegal. The pattern is scarce in Southern Ireland. Descent from Niall is quite possible and even likely for much of the Irish population in whom this pattern is found, but it is not necessarily the case that all who manifest this variety are direct descendants of Niall.

The descriptor "Irish Modal Haplotype" is perhaps a misnomer, as the pattern is not in fact modal for Ireland; even where it is most concentrated, the haplotype and its close variants do not constitute the dominant pattern among the R1b population. But the pattern is real and constitutes a significant minor percentage of the Irish population, which is predominantly R-M269. Recognizing the geographic distribution noted by Moore and McEvoy, I have adopted the name "Northwest Irish Variety" for this cluster.

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) tests of individuals who belong to this group confirm that it lies within Haplogroup R1b1c* -- R1b for short, though the truncated clade name obscures some important distinctions between minor branches of the Y-chromosome haplogroup tree. Tested individuals from the NW Irish variety show the derived (positive) state for SNP M269. These individuals also show the ancestral (negative) state for all easily testable SNPs that identify subclades of M269. (The asterisk in R1b1c* identifies a paragroup consisting of R1b1c excluding all identified subclades.) The broad Irish R1b population, which is also positive for M269 and negative for SNPs that define subclades of that haplogroup, is thought to have entered Ireland from an Iberian refuge beginning some 8,000 to 10,000 years ago following the last glacial maximum. The NW Irish variety appears to have developed in Ireland within the last 3,000 to 5,000 years.  Additional study of DNA distribution in Ireland and other areas will perhaps refine this picture.

The Moore/McEvoy article can be found here. The raw study data can be found here. 

Capelli Study

Capelli Data

YHRD

S-WAMH Definition

Data in Capelli's 2003 study (links above), supplemented by relevant records from the Ysearch data base, constitute evidence of a distinct variety of R1b in the British Isles. This variety can be considered the 25/11/14 variety after the modal values found at DYS 390, 391 and 392. In regular R1b, the modal value for 390 is 24; for 392 it is 13.

In 1601 haplotypes tallied in Capelli's data table, 60 show 25/14 at 390/392. Of these, 47 are of the 25/11/14 variety, and the remaining 13 show 10 at DYS391. These instances are geographically clustered in Ireland and along the west coast of Britain from Wales to the Orkneys. A few are spread out in Southern Scotland. With the exception of two instances in Norfolk, there are no instances of the pattern in England. Capelli also reports a small cluster in Norway (four instances) and a singleton in Germany/Denmark even though these locales are outside his major study area.

A search on the pattern in the YHRD data base (link above) shows the same cluster in the British Isles, with Ireland a recognizable hot spot.

Guided by those indicators, I extracted from Ysearch additional haplotypes that matched this pattern. The primary discriminator was 14 at DYS 392. In addition to that value I filled out the search panel with the following seven markers to restrict hits to R1b: 388=12; 426=12; 459a=9; 459b=10; 455=11; 454=11; and 438=12. From the collected records I then excluded records of duplicate surnames in order not to bias the data. I allowed duplicates to remain in two cases where it was obvious the same-surname individuals stood at some genetic distance from one another. After the cull, 73 records remained. From those records I compiled the data reported in the tables below.

Surnames in the 73-record data set are preponderantly Irish and Scottish.

In short, the following modal differences can be seen in 25/11/14 R1b compared to standard R1b

DYS number (locus)
----->
--------------
Haplogroup

3
9
3

3
9
0

1
9

3
9
1

3
8
5
a

3
8
5
b

4
2
6

3
8
8

4
3
9

3
8
9
i

3
9
2

3
8
9
ii

4
5
8

4
5
9
a

4
5
9
b

4
5
5

4
5
4

4
4
7

4
3
7

4
4
8

4
4
9

4
6
4
a

4
6
4
b

4
6
4
c

4
6
4
d

4
6
0

G
A
T
A
H
4

Y
C
A
ii
a

Y
C
A
ii
b

4
5
6

6
0
7

5
7
6

5
7
0

C
D
Y
a

C
D
Y
b

4
4
 2 

4
3
8

4
2
5

4
6
 1 

4
6
2

A
1
0

C
4

1
B
O
7

4
4
1

4
4
4

4
4
5

4
4
6

4
5
2

4
6
3

4
3
4

4
3
5

4
3
6

R1b1c

R1b1c7