Do you share DNA with any of the four ancient Irish samples on GEDmatch? You can compare your DNA to Neolithic and Bronze Age remains uncovered in Northern Ireland. Here’s how to go about it.
How To Research Ancient Irish DNA Samples on GEDmatch
We have another article on using GEDmatch to research Neanderthal and other Archaic DNA samples. GEDmatch has a dedicated tool called “Archaic DNA Matches” to compare your DNA against a collection of specific samples.
However, the ancient Irish samples are not part of the Archaic DNA collection.
The Irish samples were pepared by Matt Kitching using the same techniques and uploaded as individual DNA kits to GEDmatch.
So, you will use the standard one-to-one comparison tool on GEDmatch to compare your DNA with each kit. There is a step-by-step tutorial in this article that takes you through the process. And we have a video walkthrough.
If you already know how to use GEDmatch tools, then here are the kit numbers:
| KIT NUMBER | DESCRIPTION |
| F999805 | Ballynahatty Neolithic Female |
| F999800 | Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1 |
| F999802 | Rathlin Bronze Age Male 2 |
| F999801 | Rathlin Bronze Age Male 3 |
The Ballynahatty Neolithic Female
The oldest sample is a Neolithic female found in the townland of Ballynahatty, on the southern side of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The remains are dated to about 5,200 years old.
I’ve pinned the location in this map to show where we’re talking about.
Researchers say that this woman had brown eyes and black hair. When comparing her genetic makeup to modern humans, she is most akin to people of Spain and Sardinia. But her DNA also points to ancestors from the Middle East.
There’s a photo of a reconstruction of the woman’s head in this article from the BBC.
The Rathlin Island Bronze Age Males
Rathlin Island is further north, off the coast of Antrim, Northern Ireland. People still live there, which makes it the most northern inhabited island off the coast of the island of Ireland.
These three male specimens date back to the Bronze age. They are dated from three to four thousand years old.
Unlike the Ballynahatty female, these men had genetic variants for blue eyes. They also have the most common Y type found in the modern Irish population. The DNA point to ancestors from the Pontic Steppes.
Evidence for Mass Migration Into Ireland
Dr Lara Cassidy of Trinity College Dublin says that modern Celts are closer to the Rathlin Island men than the Ballynahatty woman.
Genetic affinity is strongest between the Bronze Age genomes and modern Irish, Scottish and Welsh.
Professor Dan Bradley of Trinity points out that these genomes show evidence of a wave of migration into the island of Ireland.
There was a great wave of genome change that swept into Europe from above the Black Sea into Bronze Age Europe and we now know it washed all the way to the shores of its most westerly island.
Just in case you’re puzzled by Professor Bradley’s Irish fondness for verbal flair – the “most westerly island of Europe” is, indeed, Ireland.
Ready To Compare Your DNA To These Ancient Irish?
Now that you have a bit of background, here is how to compare your own DNA to these four samples. You will need to have tested with one of the main consumer DNA testing companies. These include:
- Ancestry
- 23andMe
- MyHeritage
- FamilyTreeDNA
- Living DNA
Upload Your DNA to GEDmatch
Follow this step-by-step article on how to upload your DNA to GEDmatch.
Or watch this video walkthrough on uploading your DNA to GEDmatch.
And always review the privacy and security policies of any site you intend to place your DNA with. If you’re satisfied and have uploaded your DNA to GEDmatch, then follow along with the next step-by-step tutorial on comparing your DNA to the ancient Irish kits.
A Video Walkthrough Of Comparing DNA With Ancient Irish Matches
If you prefer video, then here you go. Read further for an illustrated guide.
A Step-By-Step Guide To Comparing Your DNA To Ancient Irish Matches
1. Launch The One-To-One Autosomal Comparison Report
2. Enter Your Kit Number And One Of the Ancient Samples
3. Set The Minimum Threshold To 3 cM
If you don’t set a threshold, the default 7 cM will be used. You will probably not get any shared DNA at that level.
4. Compare Your DNA!
Hit the Compare button and scroll down the display to find any shared DNA.
How Do You Compare With Me?
I share 3.3 cM with the Ballynahatty female on chromosome #15.
I share 4.8 cM with Rathlin Man 1 on chromosome #18.
There is no shared DNA above 3 cM between myself and the other two Rathlin Island specimens.
Feel free to post a comment below with your own results.
Be Cautious With Small Segments Of DNA
It’s important not to draw conclusions or make too much out of such small segments of DNA. At these low levels, the reason for matching segments could be due to chance.
Our article on matching archaic DNA matches has a section on low thresholds of shared DNA. I discuss inheritance by chance, by common ancestor, and by population. It’s worth a read if you’re not familiar with these terms.
I’ll repeat here that examining these ancient DNA samples is for pure curiosity and fascination. I simply marvel at the fact that I can compare DNA to people born on the same island as me – thousands of years ago.
More Articles and Tutorials?
- GEDmatch Oracle Explained (For Beginners) - January 23, 2021
- Does Ancestry Own Family Tree Maker? (Not Anymore) - January 11, 2021
- How To Add A Family Tree To GEDmatch - January 10, 2021
5.9 cm with Ballynahatty female. 5.4cm with Rathlin Man 1. Plus other smaller matches with both. No matches to the other two.
Share most with Rathlin man 1 ( largest 6 cMs). Smaller maintenance with female nothing with the other 2
2 shared segments on Chr 23, largest 5.9 cMs, total 9.1 cMs with Ballynahatty female. Interesting in that my great Grandparents were born around Ballynahatty and were members of the 1st Ballynahatty Presbyterian church there, early to mid 1800’s before coming to Australia
Ooh, that local connection is fascinating.
Hi Margaret
My name is Glenda O’Reilly and I have traced my Irish connection from Ireland, to Quebec, to Newfoundland, where I was born.
I just share Chr 17 3.1 cM with Ballynahatty Female. I have ancestors who lived in nearby Ballyskeagh.
I share seven chr with Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1:
Chr 1 3.7 cM
Chr 8 3.1
Chr 10 3.4
Chr 11. 4.7
Chr 15. 3.1
Chr 18. 4.3
Chr 22. 5.1
I do not have a match with the other two Bronze Age Males.
thank you for these details.
Ballynatty female – chromosome 1- 3.3cm
” 12 – 3.7cm
” 18 -3.5 cm, 3.9 cm
Rathylyn man 1 – chromosome 2 – 3.1cm
” 3 – 4.3cm
” 16 – 3.2cm, 3.3cm
” 18 – 3.1cm
no others
thank you for the details
I share 8 segments largest 4.3cM total half match segments of 28.7cM with Ballynahatty Neolithic Woman
I share 5 shared segments with total half match segments shared of 18cM. Largest segment 4.6cM
w Rathlin Bronze Age Man 1
No shared segments with 2 and 3 Rathlin Bronze Age Man
thank you, very interesting
very interesting
I share 11.8 cM in three segments of 3.1, 4.4 and 4.3 with the Ballynahatty woman
I share 31 cM over 8 separate segments with Rathlin 1 and none at all with Rathlin 2 or 3
thank you for the details
Ballynahatty female Ch1 3.5 and 3.1 also Ch 17 3.2
Rathlin man 1 Ch 5 3.1 Ch7 3.6. Ch17 3.1
No matches on the other 2
thank you for the breakdown
Fascinating…My mother: Ballynahatty Female Ch1 3.3 Bronze Male 1 Ch6,15 Largest Seg 5.2 Total 9.1
Me: B Female Chr 3,4,8,17,22 Largest Seg 4.2 Total 17.7cM
Br Male 1 Chr 2,4,5,11 Largest Seg 3.8 Total 23.7
My mother is mainly Irish/English, where as I have a chunk of Sicilian/Chilean ( originally from Spain)
But what is truly mind-blowing is your link mentioned that one of the Bronze Males carried the mutation for Haemochromatosis (Iron overload) and the Ballynahatty woman also carried a variant for H associated with increased risk. I actually have that increased risk variation which is aggressive. My mother is a carrier.
Thank you for the details.
The haemochromatosis gene is more prevalent with Irish heritage, one in five modern Irish are carriers.
Ballynahatty Neolithic Woman chr 1,7,22-largest segment 4.4( C22) Total 11cM
Rathlin Bronze Age Male1 chr 7,8,9,11,18,22 largest segment4.3 (C7) Total23.9 cM
thank you for the breakdown
Share with female chr 1, 3.5, chr 14 3.4, chr 15 4 and 3.8, chr 22 3.4 total 18.1cM
Male 1 chr 4 3.1, chr 10 3, chr 12 3 and chr 15 4.2 total 13.4cM
My Mother’s sister, her bother, myself, my sister and my brother all match with Rathlin ismand man 1, my brother matches at 21.5cm, myself, my sister, my aunt match at 11.5cm ,my uncle matches at 7.7cm.
Hi
Ballynahatty woman
4 shared segments
Chr1- 3.2
Chr3 – 3
Chr7 – 3
Chr7 – 3.1
51.851 PcT SNPs are full identical
Rattlin Man 1
5 shared segments
Chr1 – 3.8
Chr2 – 3.7
Chr4 – 3
Chr12 – 4.2
Chr18 – 5.1
52.224 Pct SNPs are full identical
No marches with Ratlin Male 2 &3
Ancestry ethnicity estimate 74% Ireland (Donegal) 22% Scotland
I’m Australian, but have Irish ancestry from all four of my grandparents, some probably more recent as they were protestants and some from older Irish family lines. All up about 25% of my DNA is Irish. The rest is Scottish and English
I share 3.9 on Chr 20 with Ballynahatty Female
With Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1 I share:
3.7 on chr 1, 3.4 on chr 2, 3.7 and 3.4 on two segments of chr 6, 3.3 and 3.1 on two segments of chr 11 and 3.7 on chr 21.
No shared DNA with the other 2 Rathlin men
Ballynahatty Neolithic Female
ch1 213,926,607 216,313,208 3.4 392
Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1
4 66,305,150 71,629,537 4.1 510
5 8,074,665 9,565,826 3.2 317
6 7,501,676 8,908,960 3 262
6 23,910,793 26,479,150 3.6 578
8 80,990,280 84,824,015 3.3 430
9 2,640,492 3,960,429 3.2 312
12 78,728,727 82,108,108 3.4 388
15 27,944,247 29,735,946 4.9 237
my mother
Ballynahatty Neolithic Female
7 29,551,124 31,085,162 3.1 283
11 21,669,202 23,494,877 3.1 236
16 12,720,771 13,809,369 3.1 234
Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1
1 37,200,680 38,685,317 3.1 235
3 55,125,641 59,191,320 4.3 558
5 7,839,688 9,547,129 3.5 376
15 27,756,585 29,589,782 5.5 254
18 7,381,270 8,506,957 4.9 283
18 10,799,504 12,021,868 3.2 289
18 73,089,996 74,227,095 3.1 273
No Matches for the other two for either my mother or I
Comparing Kit JC7880463 (Janice Yule) [Ancestry] and Kit F999805 (Ballynahatty, Ireland, 3.2ky cal BC) [GEDmatch Xfer
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cM
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
1 11,807,426 13,176,463 3.5 224
1 214,437,315 216,675,354 3.4 348
4 2,452,087 4,285,813 3.2 216
4 83,478,684 86,704,339 4.1 416
4 184,902,533 185,781,717 3 204
Largest segment = 4.1 cM
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 17.2cM (0.48 Pct)
Weird, buy maybe relevant that my mum’s matches are on 2 Chromosomes.
The description fits her to a tee – black hair, brown eyes, regularly mistaken for Mediterranean origin when she was young.
Her dad was (recently discovered), almost 75% Irish – records patchy – Taylors from Antrim, Johnston’s, Kings from same and Belfast area. I have DNA evidence of ancestors that went to the US – to a Samuel Taylor (1700).
_————————————————-
Comparing Kit JC7880463 (Janice Yule) [Ancestry] and Kit F999800 (Rathlin1, Ireland, 2.0ky cal BC) [GEDmatch Xfer]
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cm
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
5 3,569,556 4,599,400 3.1 244
7 151,426,105 152,784,233 3.9 242
8 132,359,241 134,468,864 3.9 457
9 110,332,569 112,199,506 3.1 445
10 122,483,407 123,751,997 3 319
13 92,119,265 94,752,825 3.5 382
16 79,049,341 79,553,233 3.6 213
17 58,024,324 62,404,390 4.2 400
Largest segment = 4.2 cM
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 28.2cM (0.786 Pct)
No hits to the other 2.
Thank you, that’s very interesting about your mum.
Just to add – the area I have for my maternal Grandfathers Antrim Taylor’s is Ahoghill? Others link to Belfast and Dromore.
Ahoghill is in the same county, Antrim, but further north than Ballynahatty. Getting closer to Rathlin Island, actually 🙂
I have a 8.2cm match with Rathlin Male 1on Chromosome 1 and smaller matches on 3 other chromosomes. I have smaller matches, largest 3.6 cm, with Ballynatty female on 4 chromosomes. My mother’s Irish ancestry is from Ulster.
My only match is with Rathlin male 1: 3.1 cM on Chr #6 and 6.6 cM on Chr #9
My Results. Nothing on Rathlin Bronze Age Male 2
My Heritage says I’m Irish, Scottish, and Welsh 100%
Ballynahatty Neolithic Female
7 151,720,622 153,205,490 4.4 276
22 22,416,006 23,803,722 3.8 200
Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1
2 189,821,391 193,031,408 3.2 560
4 71,453,028 75,654,722 3.8 562
7 153,531,897 154,432,760 3.1 205
8 16,983,693 18,457,679 3.1 675
11 18,275,661 19,977,718 4.6 475
12 129,657,564 130,349,406 3.4 283
16 79,108,354 79,638,078 3.4 264
22 48,146,737 48,708,486 3.3 255
Rathlin Bronze Age Male 3
4 81,057,927 83,758,827 3.1 213
I have a strong maternal Irish connection from Mayo. Dublin Tipperary and Longford. The results of the comparison is as follows:
Ballynahatty Female
Chromosome 6 3.5 cM
Rathin Man 1
Chromosome 14 3.4cM
Chromosome 15 3.5 cM
Chromosome 18 5.1 cM
Chromosome 22 4.8 cM
I see that there a quite a few of us who share chromosome 18 under Rathin Man 1
No matches for Rathin Man 2 or 3
Yes, Rathlin Man 1 is standing out.
Very interesting. Is it true that the Rathlin 1 man has most connection with the modern population of Ireland?
I share 44.8 cms with him over 10 chromosomes (11 segs): largest segment 6.6.
This is mostly on my mothers side but I must have some from my (Cornish plus 1/4 Irish) father’s side also – as my mother’s match to Rathlin 1 is slightly less than me at 33.9 cms.
My paternal haplogroup also matches the Longniddry L1066 ancient DNA sample (East Lothian Scotland).
Dominic, you raise a good question about whether Rathlin 1 has the most affinity with modern Irish. I’ll have to dig into this a bit more.
I was very surprised to see I match Rathlin 1! I think it’s quite a good match as well?
Chr 1 3.3
Chr11. 10.2 (that’s quite good isn’t it? )
Chr12. 3.2
Chr 21. 3.5
10 cM, wow! I share less cM with known 3rd cousins. You’re top of the leader board.
What does it mean to have a match so high (relatively speaking) on the one segment? Any insight?
No, I wasn’t expecting anyone to get that high. I’m going to ask a few people I know to see if its a major outlier. I’ve got your email (because of your comment) so if I find anything interesting, I’ll send you the info.
Thank you!
I match Ballynahatty Female on Chromosome 1- 3.3 and 3.3 and on Chromosome 19 – 3.5
Also match Rathlin Man No 1
Chr. 1 – 3.4
Chr. 2 – 3.8
Chr. 3 – 3.0
Chr.13 – 3.3
Chr. 14 – 3.6
Chr. 15 – 4.1
Chr. 16 – 3.1
No matches on other two Rathlin men
I have Irish and Scottish ancestry, possibly Donegal, West Coast and Highland Scotland as well as Borders.
That’s quite a few chromosomes with Rathlin Man 1!
4 Segments totalling 14.1 cM with Ballynahatty female, Chromosomes 3, 12 and 13 (largest 4.0 cM)
8 Segments totalling 28.9 cM with Rathlin 1 male on Chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 12 and 20 (largest 5.7 cM)
I match Ballynahatty Female. 6 shared segments, largest segment 8.2cM. Total cM of 25.1 cM.
Chr. 1 – 3.3, 4.1
Chr. 2 – 3.0
Chr. 3 – 3.4
Chr. 15 – 3.2, 8.2 — is the 8.2 cM significant??
Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1. 6 shared segments, largest segment 4.6 cM. Total cM of 23.3 cM.
Chr. 1 – 4.6
Chr. 7 – 3.3
Chr. 17 – 3.9
Chr. 18 – 3.2
Chr. 21 – 3.9
Chr. 22 – 4.4
No matches on Rathlin Bronze Age Male 2 or 3.
I have a great grandmother from West Galway. My Great grandfather may have also been from Ireland, but not sure where.
8.2 cM is one of the larger segments I’ve seen.
My brother has one match on Chr 18 at 11.5cm
no matches with the other samples
match two the Ballynahatty and Rathlin1. biggest match is Rathlin1 with 7.2 on cm on
chr16 6,565,929 9,474,056 cm7.2 snps935
full results for Rathlin1
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
5 173,345,409 174,167,623 3.1 206
10 57,744,510 62,010,523 3.6 560
11 22,881,542 24,921,347 3.1 357
13 105,485,790 106,393,146 3.2 209
14 96,846,092 98,188,382 3.6 285
15 95,678,197 96,619,516 3.4 230
16 6,565,929 9,474,056 7.2 935
Largest segment = 7.2 cM
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 27cM (0.752 Pct)
7 shared segments found for this comparison.
430328 SNPs used for this comparison.
52.227 Pct SNPs are full identical
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
And for Ballynahatty full results are
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
11 128,635,679 130,090,904 3.1 299
21 36,839,841 38,121,537 3.2 231
22 21,444,030 23,708,833 5.4 233
22 25,928,620 26,974,741 3.6 295
Largest segment = 5.4 cM
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 15.3cM (0.427 Pct)
4 shared segments found for this comparison.
426088 SNPs used for this comparison.
51.762 Pct SNPs are full identical
thank you for the breakdown!
I am an American mongrel, A657252. Both of my mother’s parents were adopted, so we never knew much about her family, but we did know that red hair has come up a few times in her family, including my son, plus my own beard is red (while the rest of my hair is brown), so we always figured we had some Irish or Scottish heritage. Based on recent ancestry research using my grandmother’s birth certificate, I have been able to confirm both Irish & Scottish, many many generations back in the deep hills of Kentucky.
Now with this ancient Irish DNA, I see the strongest connection with Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1:
2 7,035,755 8,096,549 3.5 243
2 72,167,136 75,449,983 4.5 370
2 182,305,424 188,755,657 3.2 517
5 32,614,500 34,716,270 3.5 369
9 1,373,944 2,636,161 4.5 475
10 106,571,525 112,175,889 5.1 668
10 130,624,006 131,601,957 4.2 243
15 27,869,712 29,760,516 5.3 272
16 79,006,863 79,553,233 3.9 239
Largest segment = 5.3 cM
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 37.6cM (1.05 Pct)
I am also a good match with the woman, 22.3 cM, plus another 3 cM on X.
No hits with Man #2 or #3.
This is really interesting, thanks for sharing!
That was fun! Woman and Guy 1. Paternal family is from Achill Island, maternal family from the north but Scots Irish.
Thanks!
Guy 1 is outdoing the other two males for sure!
I’m a 25.7 cM match with Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1. Is that significant? Largest segment is 5.7 cM.
The individual segments are more indicative than summing them up. But 5.7 cm is a higher segment size than I have with any of the specimens.
With Ballynahatty female
C9 – 3.1
C17- 3.0
C18 – 4.9
C22 – 3.3
With Rathlin #1
C2 3.4
C3 3.2
C6 3.7
C9 3.1
C11 3.5
Relatives from around Portadown
On my GEDmatch number:
17.4 cm total with the Neolithic Ballynahatty female:
3.3 cm on CH2
3.3 cm on CH15
3.3 cm on CH17
3.0 cm on CH21
4.6 cm on CH22
35.3 cm total with Rathlin Island Man1:
6.1 cm on CH1
3.1 cm on CH3
3.4 cm on CH4
3.1 cm on CH17
8.6 cm on CH18
3.4 cm on CH19
7.7 cm on CH20
For my wife’s kit
14.6 cm total with the Neolithic Ballynahatty female
3.9 cm on CH2
4.1 cm on CH8
3.4 cm on CH16
3.2 cm on CH17
23.1 cm total with Rathlin Island Man1
3.1 cm on CH3
3.5 cm on CH5
3.4 cm on CH7
3.0 cm on CH14
3.5 cm on CH20
3.6 cm on CH21
Ballynahatty female:
Largest segment = 3.3 cM
Total Half-Match segments 6.3c
2 shared segments.
Rathlin man 1:
Largest segment = 4.3 cM
Total Half-Match segments 25.4cM
7 shared segments.
No matches for Rathlin 2 or 3.
Paternal family: Clonakilty, other Cork and Glensaul (Partry). Red hair and grey eyes, very commonly featuring. Maternal family: Dublin and Wexford. All with very dark hair and hard to tell in old photos but likely brown eyes. My maternal great great grandmother from Dublin, was described as having the appearance of being Spanish.
thank you for the background, very interesting.
I share 3.1 cM on chromosome 6 with the Ballynahatty woman. I have multiple Irish heritage lines, from Antrim, Galway, Dublin and Wicklow. No matches to the men. Fascinating!
I have Irish/Scottish/Welsh/Scandinavian/East European/Middle Eastern. My father is Irish/Scottish/Scandinavian/Baltic.
My father’s mother and her brother were very dark skinned, Black hair, but my Grandmother had very Blue eyes!… and the rest of the siblings and their parents had Sandy fair hair and fair skin. Another who inherited the very dark skin and hair was the only child and daughter of my Grandmother’s brother who also had the same colouration. My Grandmother’s family immigrated in the late 1800’s from Ireland. My father’s Paternal Scottish side also had dark skin and hair however NOT as dark as his Irish mother, Uncle and this Uncle’s daughter.
The Mystery of where the Dark skin and Hair of my Grandmother, her brother and his daughter ‘is still a Mystery. She used to get asked if she was West Indian or Maori.
F999805 Ballynahatty woman vs my Kit.
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
1 55,107,055 57,275,564 3.1 595
2 33,405,978 35,929,940 3.5 664
8 6,897,900 8,761,295 3.1 256
9 38,292,733 71,370,051 4.2 266
17 9,901,677 10,814,742 3.6 261
17 33,297,065 35,806,418 3.1 440
Largest segment = 4.2 cM
Ballynahatty woman vs my Father’s Kit
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
9 123,699,083 126,914,307 3.6 223
10 99,210,911 102,396,789 3.4 215
Largest segment = 3.6 cM
My Male Cousin on My Mothers Sister’s side who married a chap whose Father’s family immigrated from Ireland
Has a small match with Ballynahatty woman also.
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
4 74,750,051 78,045,685 3.5 227
Largest segment = 3.5 cM
Rathlin Bronze age man 1 vs my Kit
Segment threshold size will be adjusted dynamically between 200 and 400 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cM
Mismatch-bunching Limit will be adjusted dynamically to 60 percent of the segment threshold size for any given segment.
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
4 71,459,248 75,272,863 3.4 534
4 187,455,946 188,665,614 3.1 283
8 6,823,933 8,760,138 3.3 263
14 30,147,686 32,021,438 3.1 319
16 6,146,730 7,648,662 4.5 771
16 78,980,401 79,353,899 3.1 246
18 7,105,838 8,001,853 4.3 267
Largest segment = 4.5 cM
Rathlin Bronze age man 1 vs my Father’s Kit
Segment threshold size will be adjusted dynamically between 200 and 400 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cM
Mismatch-bunching Limit will be adjusted dynamically to 60 percent of the segment threshold size for any given segment.
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
7 18,934,838 20,941,262 3.2 203
13 70,286,388 72,909,174 3.5 216
16 6,181,851 7,694,876 4.5 300
Largest segment = 4.5 cM
Rathlin Bronze age man 1 vs my Male Cousin on Maternal side
NO Match
Rathlin Bronze age man 2 vs My Kit, my Father’s Kit, my Male Cousin Kit..NO Matches for either 3 Kits
Rathlin Bronze age man 3 vs My Kit
Segment threshold size will be adjusted dynamically between 200 and 400 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cM
Mismatch-bunching Limit will be adjusted dynamically to 60 percent of the segment threshold size for any given segment.
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
22 25,753,387 27,045,504 4.4 409
Largest segment = 4.4 cM
Rathlin Bronze age man 3 vs my Fathers Kit
Kit F999803 (Bichon, Switzerland, 13.7ky cal BP) [GEDmatch Xfer]
Segment threshold size will be adjusted dynamically between 200 and 400 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cM
Mismatch-bunching Limit will be adjusted dynamically to 60 percent of the segment threshold size for any given segment.
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
15 27,419,937 30,251,011 8 238
Rathlin Bronze age man 3 vs My Male Cousin on Maternal side…
NO Match
Thank you for all the details, much appreciated!
F999805 Ballynahatty
– 3 on Chromosome 3
F999800 RATHLIN MALE 1
– 3.7 on Chromosome 3
– 3.5 on Chromosome 6
– 3.1 on Chromosome 12
– 4.1 on Chromosome 17
– 5.2 on Chromosome 18
– 8 on Chromosome 20
F999802 RATHLIN MALE 2
– No shared DNA segments found
F999801 RATHLIN MALE 3
– No shared DNA segments found
Comparing Kit F999805
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
1 10,934,895 12,641,488 4.6 323
3 112,355,977 115,396,581 3 458
Comparing Kit F999800
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
1 20,735,452 22,835,677 3.2 374
16 79,086,731 79,621,023 3.5 228
No match on the other 2 kits.
I share a total of 15.6cM over 4 chromosomes with Ballynahatty woman, and 14.8 cM over 4 chromosomes with Rathlin1. No matches on the other two.
The largest segment shared with Ballynahatty woman is 5.5cM on Chr1.
Migration patterns fascinate me. I am predominantly English with no known Irish ancestry at all, though I do have one grandparent from Lithuania. My English grandfather thought his surname was of Viking origin.
That’s really interesting, thank you!
Ballynahatty Lady
Chr: 1 )
B37 Start Pos’n: 157,811,392
B37 End Pos’n: 159,697,475
Centimorgans (cM): 3.4
SNPs: 338
Chr: 9
B37 Start Pos’n: 129,428,677
B37 End Pos’n: 132,098,060
Centimorgans (cM): 4
SNPs: 320
Chr: 12
B37 Start Pos’n: 128,075,482
B37 End Pos’n: 128,716,220
Centimorgans (cM): 3.3
SNPs: 200
Rathlin Male 1
Chr: 4
B37 Start Pos’n: 14,137,784
B37 End Pos’n: 15,915,036
Centimorgans (cM): 3.2
SNPs: 311
Chr 6
B37 Start Pos’n: 1,627,632 32,976,654
B37 End Pos’n: 2,744,554 36,248,957
Centimorgans (cM): 3.5 3
SNPs: 241 542
Chr:
B37 Start Pos’n: 185,632 1,732,880
B37 End Pos’n: 132,395,245 133,572,684
Centimorgans (cM): 4.4 3.1
SNPs: 585 234
9 4.4 585
9 3.1 234
No match to Rathlin 2 or 3
I’m just beginning to learn about DNA so at the moment I have no idea what this means but I do hope it helps in your research
Thank you for laying it out!
This is quite interesting! I have run 3 kits and none have matches to the 2nd or 3rd males.
The first kit, my mother-in-law, whose grandparents were from Antrim, has 9 shared segments with the Ballynahatty female, the largest being 4.1 cM.
Her son has 5 shared segments, the largest being 8 cM. (He does have Irish ancestors on his father’s side.)
I have 3 matches to the female, the largest being 3.8 cM. 1/2 of my immediate ancestors are from southern Ireland.
Our matches with the first male:
m-i-l 7 shared segs, largest being 4.7 cM
son 5 shared segs, largest being 5.1 cM
me 5 shared segs, largest being 5.5 cM
Thank you for posting details about the three kits.
My mother was Irish from Kanturk District in County Cork and my father had a small amount of Irish from County Wicklow.
Here is my match to Rathlin 1
Comparing Kit A136674 (*Mary-Ellen Beaney) [Migration – F2 – A] and Kit F999800 (Rathlin1, Ireland, 2.0ky cal BC) [GEDmatch Xfer]
Segment threshold size will be adjusted dynamically between 200 and 400 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cM
Mismatch-bunching Limit will be adjusted dynamically to 60 percent of the segment threshold size for any given segment.
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
1 31,168,219 34,071,525 3.4 515
1 43,298,871 48,998,748 4.2 1,024
5 14,877,474 16,706,530 3.1 321
7 4,923,925 7,131,289 3.9 323
7 97,017,795 101,454,616 3.5 755
9 21,674,425 25,281,912 4.4 797
20 6,887,765 8,190,613 3.3 314
Largest segment = 4.4 cM
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 25.7cM (0.717 Pct)
7 shared segments found for this comparison.
581357 SNPs used for this comparison.
55.446 Pct SNPs are full identical
Here is my match to Ballynahatty Woman
Comparing Kit A136674 (*Mary-Ellen Beaney) [Migration – F2 – A] and Kit F999805 (Ballynahatty, Ireland, 3.2ky cal BC) [GEDmatch Xfer]
Segment threshold size will be adjusted dynamically between 200 and 400 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cM
Mismatch-bunching Limit will be adjusted dynamically to 60 percent of the segment threshold size for any given segment.
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
1 239,311,068 240,404,525 3 293
2 216,377,226 217,636,105 3.1 325
12 6,244,157 7,595,836 3.2 321
18 71,789,784 72,953,281 4.1 328
Largest segment = 4.1 cM
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 13.4cM (0.374 Pct)
4 shared segments found for this comparison.
575868 SNPs used for this comparison.
55.174 Pct SNPs are full identical
thank you for the details!
With Ballynahatty Neolithic Female:
Largest segment 5.5 cM on Chr 22
3.5 cM Chr 3
3.8 cM Chr 9
4.6 cM Chr 13
4.0 cM Chr 19
5.5 cM Chr 22
TotalHIR 21.3 cM
With Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1:
Largest segment 4.5 cM on Chr 16
3.1 cM Chr 2
4.1 cM Chr 3
3.5 cM Chr 12
3.0 cM Chr 13
3.1 cM Chr 13
3.3 cM Chr 13
4.3 cM Chr 14
3.1 cM Chr 16
3.2 cM Chr 16
4.5 cM Chr 17
3.9 cM Chr 18
4.2 cM Chr 22
Total HIR 43cM
None with either of the other 2 Rathlin Bronze Age Males
Hello!
Ballynahatty Woman:
Ch.1 3.8
Ch.3 3.1
Ch. 8 3.1
Ch. 18 3.1
Rathlin Man #1:
Ch 1 3.2
Ch.2 3.2
Ch.4 3.7
Ch.15 5.5
Ch. 15 3.7
Ch. 16 3.9
Ch. 18 3.9
Ch. 20. 3.3
No match on the other 2 men
I hope that someone realizes that F999800 has DNA from the c15 region 27-30M that is excess IBD per “Relationship Estimation from Whole-Genome Sequence Data” by Ling et al (2014) https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1004144 (Table 3 “Genomic Regions in hg19 coordinates of at least 5-to-expected IBD of at least 4-fold”).
I find this very interesting that such an ancient kit has this excess IBD region. I hope someone will follow up with research on that and see if they can make some sense out of it — or determine if it is just a fluke of so many generations of genetic recombinations.
Great point.
I share a total of 11.9 cM over 3 segments with F999805, the Ballynhatty Neolithic female – the largest segment being 5.3 cM, chromosome 10
With F999800, the Rathlin Bronze Age male 1, I share a total of 36.9 cM – the largest segment being 6.2 cM, chromosome 15
With Rathlin Bronze Age male 2, it’s a share of only 3.5 cM, chromosome 13
And I share none with Rathlin Bronze Age male 3.
Interesting – but does it meaning anything?
Does it mean anything? Good question.
With current technology – with these low segments, all we can say for sure is that we’re all human! The lower the segment size, the higher the possibility that this is Identity By Chance. Genealogically, we are usually looking for a common ancestor with our DNA matches and that’s something that we cannot determine i.e. Identity By Descent.
The other possibility is that its Identity By Population i.e. the common DNA is prevalent in a particular community or region and has passed down to modern times. Right now, we can’t determine between these three possibilities. That may change with future technology and analysis.
Fascinating stuff!
My results are:
Ballynahalty Neolithic female
Ch10 3.2cM and
Ch18 3.8cM
Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1
Ch2 3.4cM
Ch9 3.4cM and 3.8cM
Ch12 4.2cM
Ch13 3.3cM
Ch20 3.8cM
Nothing for the other two. My father was from Belfast and his family from Lisburn and surrounds as far as I can get with records.
thank you for the insights!
Comparing Kit F999805
Largest segment = 4.8 cM
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 15.1cM (0.422 Pct)
4 shared segments found for this comparison.
581522 SNPs used for this comparison.
55.326 Pct SNPs are full identical
Chr 3, 18 and 22
Comparing Kit F999800
Largest segment = 4.3 cM
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 23.2cM (0.646 Pct)
6 shared segments found for this comparison.
587028 SNPs used for this comparison.
55.43 Pct SNPs are full identical
chr 5,6,
14,18 and 22
Largest segment = 3.1 cM
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 3.1cM (0.087 Pct)
1 shared segments found for this comparison.
274050 SNPs used for this comparison.
59.056 Pct SNPs are full identical
very little with F999801 on chr 1
Nothing with F999802
I’d like to figure out my maternal Line. My brick wall is Margaret O’connor. She moved from Ireland to Canada. Her husband was John Dunn. He wasn’t the only John Dunn to say the least lol. We all ended up in Upstate NY shortly there after. They were protestants. A lot of DNA matches have he listed as Mary Connor. My maternal haplogoup is U5b2c2b
thank you for the details! And best of luck with Margaret O’Connor.
I have Ballynahatty 3 times on Chromosome 23 at 3.4, 3.1 and 3.5. My 2GGF came from Ireland but he is a major brick wall.
I have – Ballynahatty female My mother has – Ballynahatty female
Chr.2 – 3.1cM Chr. 1 – 4.4cM
Chr.4 – 4 cM Chr.16 – 3.4cM
Chr.10 – 3.9cM Chr.18 – 3.9cM
Chr.12 – 3.6cM
Chr.20 – 3.3cM
Rathlin 1 Rathlin 1
Chr. 3 – 3.1cM Chr. 3 – 3.1cM
Chr. 4 – 3.1cM Chr. 4 – 3.8cM
Chr. 5 – 3.8cM Chr. 8 – 3.5cM
Chr.10 – 4.3cM Chr.12 – 3.1cM
Chr.18 – 4.7cM Chr.15 – 4.1cM
Chr.21 – 3.5cM Chr.15 – 3.7cM
Chr.21 – 4.7cM
Nothing for Rathlin 1/2
Thank you for the details!
This looks like some actual possibilitities. Though individual matches are quite small, there are a lot of them. MyHeritage claims 27% Irish, Scottish, and Welsh. No one else puts it that high; Ancestry thinks 10% Welsh, 6% Irish; 23andMe says total 15.9% all Celtic AND British. Looking at actual paper-trail locations, a big part of the Welsh is from Anglesey, near Holyhead, just across the water from Ireland. Most of my DNA is not from the UK.
I have NO match with Rathlins 2 and 3. They do not overlap each other with mine. Here are my matches with the lady and with Rathlin 1:
1. Ballynahatty 3 segment matches:
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
1 244,532,937 245,653,992 4.1 285
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
5 74,184,144 76,004,933 3.2 417
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
7 150,068,933 151,359,434 3.2 383
2. Rathlin 1 F899800 7 segment matches:
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
3 73,341,692 77,154,433 4.5 730
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
4 149,537,415 153,920,579 3.5 564
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
17 14,206,323 16,229,232 6 581
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
18 6,485,543 7,376,123 4.8 330
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
19 53,116,060 53,895,816 3.2 220
Chr B37 Start Pos’n B37 End Pos’n Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
20 15,234,769 16,696,462 3.6 613
20 58,302,395 59,071,893 3.4 217
Edit to say “Most of the rest of my DNA is not from the UK or Ireland” just to clarify that that is what I meant.
Thank you for the details!
I find this whole field fascinating – but despite the tidal wave of archaeological DNA being documented now, it’s just not getting through to places like GedMatch where the average person can compare. Felix’s amazing effort pioneered this, but he stopped. Matt picked up with the Irish results, but he hasn’t blogged since 2016.
The really old DNA will be in frustratingly short sequences, but, for example, sequences from London plague-pits might stand a good chance at being in genealogically useful lengths.
I tried dipping my toes in this stuff a year or so ago, but got overwhelmed quickly with the terminology (file conversion stuff). It seems like it ought to be relatively straight-forward – if someone laid out the process. Are you someone who could blog this? Or are there reasons why, perhaps GedMatch would prefer it didn’t happen? Cheers, Mike
I did tinker with the tools that are still on Felix website, but this isn’t my wheelhouse either.
I assume Verogen (the company who bought Gedmatch) are neutral about it or they’d take down the Archaic Ancestors link. Much of the website is a collection of research projects and sometimes the researchers move on (taking their documentation with them).
Thanks Margaret, if the stars align I might have another crack at it! Cheers.
I don’t understand how, with one odd exception, not a single one of my matches with this Irish DNA match in any way with the matches of my mother, father, father’s sister, father’s cousin and mother’s cousin have. How does this work?
That one exception is with F999800 Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1
My one fragment in common with my father’s (phased) DNA both end at the same point.
Me: Chr 1 11,797,186-13,176,463 3.6 cM 302 SNPs
Father: Chr 1 11,922,298-13,176,463 3.2 cM 231 SNPs
So my match is longer than my father’s, and my matches on two other chromosomes are not in either my mother or father.
I see other people are getting similar results.
Cheers,
Mike
I answered this question on my blog recently Mike, see https://blackravengenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/11/ancient-irish-dna-or-lack-of.html
Good article, Dara!
Oh good- thanks Dara! I’ll need some time to read and digest your post properly – but much appreciate you pointing it out. Cheers, Mike
So basically no mystery – the fact that my ‘shared’ ancient DNA is found neither in my mother’s or my father’s genome, is the proof that its pure coincidence. As you say, “truly false matches”. Oh well… ):
Thanks, Mike and Dara. Like many, I’m not in a position to have my parents’ DNA. So it’s very useful to see the results from a wider net.
My results
B female c12@ 3.2, c13@ 3.9, c15@ 3.7, c21@ 3.6
Tot half match @14.3
R1 male c3@3.4, 3.6, 3.0, 3.2, c5@ 3.7, c7@ 3.6, c16 @ 4.0
C20@ 4.0, Tot half match@ 28.6
R2 male none
R3 male none
Thank you for the details!
Do we know who these old people are? Would be nice to trace the line of descendents from them. I have an over 7cm with the female. I match with the female at 7.5 cm on Chr 22. There are several others too. I also have a match with the first two males.
Thanks for posting the details. We don’t have lines for them.
I have no Irish ancestry as far back as my paper trail goes (i.e. roughly mid 18th century) but one half of my family is from south and central Wales, so I would expect there to be some similarity and indeed there is.
I share 24.8 cM with Rathlin Bronze Age Male 1, with the largest segment being 5.7 cM:
Chr 3: 3.4 + 3
Chr 11: 3.7
Chr 15 5.7
Chr 18: 5.5
Chr 20 3.5
I also have a smaller match with the Ballynahatty female (Chr 16: 3.3 cM) and nothing at all with the other two.
thank you for the details.
Thank you for having posted the instructions for comparing! It would be really interesting to read more if future research shows how much DNA from these people is shared by the modern population, not only in Ireland but in the UK, and if it is more commonly shared by people from the Celtic areas of west and north Britain than from the east.
My Dad has 6.1 on Chrom. 4 and 5.7 on Chrom. 18. I have 5.7 and 5.3 at same spots. On 4 our match begins at exactly the same spot, on 18 it ends at exactly the same spot. Is this significant?
Once the size is below 7 cM you’re dealing with a high possibility of chance. But that your dad has similar positions is interesting.