LONDON - It is the land of mists, bogs and a famous black stout. Now scientists have identified the west coast of Ireland as the most genetically isolated place in Europe.
A study has found that Irish men with Gaelic surnames who live in the western province of Connacht are livingproof that the Irish are a race apart.
For thousands of years, people have migrated from the eastern Mediterranean to Britain and Scandinavia. Scientists found that the male Y chromosomes of west coast Irishmen contain European genes dating back to before the Iron Age and the introduction of farming from the Middle East.
The genetic analysis shows that Ireland is the last outpost of the direct descendants of hunter-gatherers who lived in Europe before the arrival of farmers from the Middle East between 10,000 and 5000 years ago.
The researchers, led by geneticist Daniel Bradley, compared genetic variation of the Y chromosome for men with Gaelic names, such as Loughnane and Naughton, with that of men with "foreign" names, such as the Norman surnames Fitzgerald and Burke. As both Y chromosomes and surnames are passed down the male line, the researchers were able to subdivide genetic variation into groups of surnames.
For a particular type of genetic variation on the Y chromosome, the researchers showed there was a gradient of ancient lineage running from the east to the west of Ireland.
