Archaeological evidence from the Iron, Bronze and Megalithic periods charts the earliest contacts between the Iberian Peninsula and Ireland. And, in recent years, DNA analysis suggests that, dating from the last Ice Age, the Portuguese-Iberian peoples were ancestors to the Gaelic Irish.
Did you know that the Northern part of Portugal, from the Rio Douro, has genetic and cultural ties with Celtic nations like Ireland, Galicia, Asturias, and even the Basque Country. So, yes, the Portuguese are Celts, in a certain sense.
The Portuguese people's heritage largely derives from the pre-Celts (Lusitanians, Conii) and Celts (Gallaecians, Turduli and Celtici), who were Romanized after the conquest of the region by the ancient Romans.
DNA research indicates that the three skeletons found behind McCuaig's are the ancestors of the modern Irish and they predate the Celts and their purported arrival by 1,000 years or more. The genetic roots of today's Irish, in other words, existed in Ireland before the Celts arrived.
Irish DNA originated in Middle East and eastern Europe | Genetics | The Guardian.
The modern Irish population share many genetic similarities with Scottish and Welsh populations, and to a lesser extent the English. At the same time, DNA testing of remains of ancient Irish people suggests that some of the earliest human arrivals on the island originally came from much further afield.
The United Kingdom, which includes Northern Ireland, has the greatest share of Irish migrants – meaning Irish citizens or those born in Ireland, according to the United Nations. The U.K has about 500,000 Irish migrants within its borders.
In fact, in Ireland and Scotland, more than three-fourths of the population has blue or green eyes – 86 percent! Many factors go into having green eyes.
The earliest known Irish surname is O'Clery (O Cleirigh); it's the earliest known because it was written that the lord of Aidhne, Tigherneach Ua Cleirigh, died in County Galway back in the year 916 A.D. In fact, that Irish name may actually be the earliest surname recorded in all of Europe.
The modern Irish usually have light features – pale blue or green eyes, reddish or brown hair and fair skin with freckles.
And compared with the rest of Europe, the Irish have higher rates of cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, and galactosemia, a serious metabolic disorder that prevents the breakdown of sugars in dairy, legumes, and organ meats. (Find out how Neanderthal DNA may be affecting your health.)
“We see relatively high percentages of the Irish genome have Norwegian ancestry and specifically from Norwegian coastal areas. We already knew the history of this, but this is now objective scientific fact that there is Viking DNA in Ireland.”
Irish people developed their red hair because of a lack of sunlight, according to new research from a leading DNA lab. Irelands DNA has revealed that one in 10 Irish people have red hair but it is thought that up to half the population could be carrying the redhead gene even though they are blonde or brunette.
Ethnically the Portuguese people form 95% of the total population in Portugal. The Portuguese people are mainly a combination of ancient paleolithic populations, and the proto-Celtic, Celtic and Iberian tribes, para-Celtic Lusitanians.
Despite the fact that most people in Portugal are Portuguese, the Portuguese are themselves a blend of a number of other ethnic groups that have inhabited the country over the millennia, including Roman, Celtic, and Moorish. Each of these groups added something to the Portuguese genome.
Portuguese and spanish are part of the Europe and are part of white race sub-category called “mediteranean” (which also includes south europe, north africa, caucasus and some coastal middle east).
The Portuguese language originated from Latin in the Western Iberian Peninsula. Roman soldiers and colonists introduced Latin in 216 BCE. The language extended to other regions by Roman soldiers, settlers, and merchants.
Portuguese people are welcoming, easy-going and friendly
While first impressions in some cases may tell you otherwise, the majority of Portuguese people will make you feel right at home and will happily go out of their way to help, making them great hosts.
Then, in the beginning of the first millennium BC, Celtic tribes invaded and intermarried with the local Iberians, creating what is now known as the Celtiberians. The Lusitanians, who inhabited the interior region of Portugal since the Iron Age, are considered the forefathers of the Portuguese nation.
Its “sister” languages are Scottish, Gaelic, and Manx (Isle of Man); its more distant “cousins” are Welsh, Breton, and Cornish. The word “Gaelic” in English derives from Gaeilge which is the word in Irish for the language itself.
IRISH people are much more genetically diverse than previously thought, new research has shown. Sixty distinct 'genetic clusters' were identified in both Ireland and Britain by scientists at Trinity College Dublin (TCD).
Yes, the Irish do have Viking DNA and are also more prone to certain diseases, DNA tests show. A “DNA map” of Ireland reveals that the Viking raiders intermingled with local women far more than was previously thought.
The latest census figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) indicate that 93% of Ireland's population ('white-Irish' 82% and 'white-other' 9%) fall into the fair-complexion skin type 1 and 2 category.