What is Black Irish?
The term Black Irish is used in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and Canada to describe individuals of Irish ancestry who have features which are darker than stereotypical Irish features — blue or green eyes, fair hair, and pale skin. Irish individuals with dark hair and eyes are often referred to as Black Irish and are understood to have Iberian ancestors.
Many people believe that the dark features evident in the Black Irish come from a dramatic event that occurred over 400 years ago. In 1588, over 20 ships carrying members of the Spanish Armada wrecked on the coast of Ireland. Many of the men were killed in the wrecks. The survivors, however, were of great concern to England which was then under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I. The stranded men were put to death by Irish soldiers and, save the handful of men who fled to Scotland, it is unlikely that any of them ever made it past the beaches of Ireland.
Therefore, it is unlikely that members of the Spanish Armada could have made a strong enough genetic contribution to the people of Ireland giving rise to the Black Irish. It is more likely that a group of Spanish soldiers serving under Irish chiefs around the same time stayed in the country long enough to father children. Others believe that the Black Irish are descendants of a people from the Iberian peninsula who migrated to both Ireland and Britain over 2500 years ago. Recent genetic research has supported this claim.
Black Irish comes from social and political biases as well as genetic history. In the 1800s, many Caucasian people believed that the Irish were somehow related to Africans. Africans and individuals of very dark features were held in distaste and considered to be inferior peoples. Therefore, the term Black Irish was born and upheld. In 1862, John Beddoe, an esteemed ethnologist, published Races of Britain in which he described those of Celtic descent as having features similar to those of African descent.
The term Black Scot is also sometimes used to describe a Scottish person with dark features. However, this term is used much less frequently than the term Black Irish. As with many terms relating to race, depending on the descent and sensitivity of the individual to whom you are speaking the term Black Irish can carry a number of different meanings and connotations.
Written by Diane Goettel
