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Archiver > DNA-R1B1C7 > 2009-01 > 1231462947


From:
Subject: [R-M222] Origin of M222
Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2009 20:02:27 EST


This is a post from the GEN-DNA list I thought those on this list might find
interesting. The writer posts often on Irish subjects and has an
archeological background.

I have to say I am a little sceptical that the M222 mutation actually
happened in Ireland. Often when you look really closely at it the match with known
historical movements is poor. For example M222 in Britain is a very poor
match for dark age Irish migration to Britain when you look at it closely. I
understand (is there a good map?) that its concentrated in the wrong areas of
Ireland (the NW rather than the NE where Irish Dalriada was located) and in
the wrong areas of Scotland (in the SW, Borders and central areas rather than
Argyll and the Hebrides where Scottish Dalriada was located). I am also
unaware of concentrations in NW and SW Wales and Cornwall where other Irish
settlement is known. Indeed, should we even expect M222 to be associated with
Irish settlements in Britain that originated in NE, SE and south coast Ireland
anyway?. Probably not. Obviously M222 does partly overlap with the areas of
Irish immigration but its
distribution is far wider than can be explained by the known historic
migrations and the hot spots are all wrong.

In my opinion M222's distribution must relate to prehistoric movements
(presumably late prehistoric judging by its relative youth) and from what I know
the about prehistory of the isles, a British origin seems much more likely in
pre-Roman late prehistory. In the pre-Roman Iron Age, the direction of
influence seems to have been very much Britain to Ireland rather than Ireland to
Britain and this only seems to have reversed in the later Roman period. Its
even possible that Niall or his immediate ancestors only arrived in Ireland as
British refugees from the Roman invasions after the M222 mutation had
happened some centuries earlier in the pre-Roman Iron Age in western Britain.

There is no question that M222 hit the reproductive jackpot in NW Ireland
but I doubt it originated there mainly on the grounds that the British
distribution cannot be explained easily by Irish settlement in Britain if you look at
it in detail. Has anyone ever calculated an age of the British M222 on its
own using variance or other techniques. You could even separate it into
English and Scottish. My guess is it will prove to be significantly older than
the early centuries AD date calculated for Irish M222.

Alan



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