At a glance
- When
- the Mesolithic to the early Middle Ages, about 8000 BCE to 1100 CE
- Where
- the island of Ireland
- Entries in our catalogue
- 172 (127 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 2
What ancient DNA shows
A 2016 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that a Neolithic woman from Ballynahatty near Belfast had mostly early farmer ancestry of Mediterranean origin, while Bronze Age men from Rathlin Island carried steppe-related ancestry and were already close to present-day Irish people. Mesolithic Irish foragers appear to have been an isolated population, distinct even from contemporary British hunter-gatherers.
A 2020 study in Nature analysed people buried in megalithic tombs. A man from the passage tomb at Newgrange was the child of first degree relatives, a union that the authors linked to a ruling elite, and he was distantly related to people in other passage tombs across the island. As in Britain, steppe-related ancestry arrived with the Beaker period around 2500 BCE and largely replaced the Neolithic population.
Their genetic legacy today
Present-day Irish people descend mainly from the Bronze Age population that formed after about 2500 BCE, and the Y-chromosome lineage R1b, very common in Ireland today, is part of that inheritance. Viking Age and later contributions are visible but small.
Ancient Irish samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 172 entries whose culture label names the Ancient Irish. 127 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 172 dated entries fall between 3,551 BCE and 700 CE, with a median of 3,433 BCE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 159 |
| United Kingdom | 13 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| Neolithic Irish (Ireland) | 67 |
| Medieval Irish (Ireland) | 44 |
| British/Irish Neolithic (Megalithic) | 17 |
| Bronze Age Irish (Ireland) | 6 |
| Ireland Megalithic | 3 |
| Neolithic Ireland (Megalithic) | 3 |
Measured from the live catalogue on 2026-10-17. Dates are those recorded for each entry; the archaeological dates of the culture are given above. See our data sources for where the samples come from.
Compare your DNA with the Ancient Irish
To see how close you sit to Ancient Irish samples, you need your DNA as G25 coordinates. Download your raw data file from your testing company, convert it, and MYDNATLAS compares your coordinates with these entries and the rest of the catalogue, period by period, in its closest population and mixture tools.
- Download your raw DNA file: step by step for each testing company.
- Upload it from 23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage or FamilyTreeDNA, or another supported provider.
- Explore the results with the period by period breakdown and closest populations.
Start free: browse the Population Encyclopedia. The Population Encyclopedia is free to browse with a free account; analysing your own DNA needs a paid plan.
Questions
How many Ancient Irish samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 172 entries labelled as Ancient Irish, of which 127 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Ancient Irish samples found?
They come from 2 countries, most often Ireland and United Kingdom. Half of the dated entries fall between 3,551 BCE and 700 CE.
How far back does Irish ancestry go?
Genetically, most present-day Irish ancestry can be traced to the Early Bronze Age, from about 2500 BCE. The earlier Neolithic farmers and Mesolithic foragers contributed much less to the people living in Ireland today.