What is Black Irish?
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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.
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People on the west coast of Ireland are almost genetically identical to people in the Basque region. As are the welsh. If you go to Irish speaking communities, you will see a significant number of the population with dark features. I look like a Spaniard in the summer.
- anon34665
i'm irish descent living in Scotland, my fathers side & me have the same features, Black hair, blue eyes, high cheek bones & the same size teeth.
on my mums side the features are brown hair & brown eyes. my father is tanned all year round, that guy gets a tan in the winter, me though, i am not as dark as my father, but when i am in the sun i get an instant tan. i have heard that the Irish, Scottish & Manx are the Lost Tribe Of Judah that settled in the UK thousands of years ago, the Celts are the Tribe of Judah from Israel? - anon34496
i have been told a couple times that i am dark skinned like tanned i suppose and my father's family are descendants of Ireland and Britain and my mother's are of Ireland Scotland Germany and Britain and my mom seems to think i could have black Irish in me because i am dark all year round, is this possible?
- anon34038
I also would like to know, seriously and without offending anyone, about 24687's comment about Black Irish gene pool and mental illness.
- anon28525
My wife is Black Irish I believe. She was adopted, but her Mother always told her she was 100% Irish from what they knew about her birth mother. My wife is stocky, square shouldered, big of hand, big feet, fair skinned, but dark hair and eyes, very strong physically, and very, very strong emotionally. Stubborn, a born fighter, violent, physical, passionate. I tend to think that there is an ancient dark Pictish strain in this.
- anon28511
ANON 24687:
No, Black Irish folks are not known for being particularly insane. No more so than any other genotype from any other nationality. - anon28465
maybe it's different in america, but my dad said before that the term black irish was used to describe carribeans of irish and african decent in london and that a hundred years ago to justify oppression the english used to try to make similarities between irish and africans. the thinking at the time was that these people were not capable of self government.
- anon28390
im black irish too and my dad is actually a citizen who came to america when he was 23. he and almost all of his family have black hair and blue eyes and fairly tan skin. i have brown hair and green eyes with olive skin. i have a spanish last name as well.
- anon28139
A recent RTE program revealed that genetic records show that the *true* Irish Gaels are indeed dark curly haired with complexion varying from season to season. It also concluded that the closest genetic race to Irish is Basque from guess where, the Iberian peninsula. To the native Irish, the term Irish applies to anyone born on the island of Ireland. For the record, I am Irish born, I am 6'1, dark curly haired, pale in winter, red in summer, speak Irish language, play bag pipes, gaelic football, hurley and have been involved in the fight for freedom against the british. How's that?
- anon26099
i am anon24687. no1 has yet answered my question... does any1 have an answer 4 me? Read my question and if u have an answer post it. i will check occasionally 4 if any1 has answered. Maybe some1 who is black irish can answer it truthfully 4 me?
- anon26002
I am part irish i am also half italian but I do have black Irish features. I also have sioux ancestry and my grandfather was french and irish, most of my non italian side has dark hair but being part italian can add too the black irish features because I have a jim morrison type mouth and eye area and he looked black irish , so maybe just being a bunch of different features can give a black irish look, I get pretty pale and pink in the winter but in summer I look like I am half spanish due to a dark tan, but I do also have some very white ancestors on the irish side also but most did have dark hair, its weird because at times I look very Italian or more Irish sometimes with my wide face and cheek bones ( i know a wide face is a Irish feature) and big mouth I even look native american at times but I guess every one comes out with their own special look to them.
- anon25525
I am of the darker phenotype. I had a 21-marker-pair autosomal test through DNA tribes. My only strong results were for Spain and Italy. Other Irish have simply tested high for Ireland, Wales, and Scotland in this autosomal test. Of the regions in Spain that I tested high, Basque was the highest. ...legend sometimes hides truth. If the Spanish Armada story is an unlikely answer, then perhaps we should consider the hundreds of years of "trade" with Spain in Irish ports.
- anon25401
ummm, a "friend" of mine is black irish. brown hair, green eyes (that change color), and fairly pale skin. He says (and i'm not trying to offend anyone, this is a VERY serious question) that the Black Irish were also known for insanity. That, he says, is why schizophrenia shows up every few generations in his family. Is that true? R they really known for insanity? I'm concerned. *sigh* ne1 got an answer?
- anon24687
My mother is black irish - dark hair, pale skin, and dark eyes that can change to a green/grey colour with mood also. One of her three sisters looks like she could be spanish. She is very tanned, dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. You wouldn't believe she was born in Ireland at all.
However I'm short, fair hair, pale skin, blue eyes and freckles. I guess the more 'stereotypical' Irish. - sumgurlie
I just recently found my father and found out that we are everything under the sun!! We are black, black irish, sioux indian and spanish!!! Wow... its amazing!!!
- anon17164
My mother is a red haired very pale skin irish, my father is the jet black hair dark eyed irish with medium skin tone..I ended up with black hair and hazel eyes that change with my mood between dark brown to gray to green...I wish more was know about how the 'black irish" came to be. but there is also indian on my dad's side as well.
- gardfam4
i'm black irish myself and when talking to my dad he says it does refer to the color of our skin/hair/eyes. unlike stereotypical irish we all have dark skin and dark eyes and hair. my dad said that it is another term for scots, which was somewhat mentioned in the article.
- anon9998
anon9141 sounds like a mixture similar to the Melungeons. My father, whose parents are both Irish, is black Irish with dark hair, eyes and olive skin. He's often mistaken for Mediterranean descent. Ireland was under the dominion of the Moors before other inhabitants moved the the island. Look up Moor in a law dictionary and you will see inhabitant of Isle of Man which is in vicinity of Ireland and Scotland. Also research the link between the Moors and Spain. The history speaks for itself.
- anon9498
There are stories of the "Black Irish" being American Indians (or part Indian) back in the 19th century. They tended to avoid the census takers, but when confronted, rather than being shipped off to Indian Territory (Oklahoma, at the time), they claimed to be "Black Irish."
These stories persist in the midwest and some of the Indian communities - my mother's family, too. She claimed to be of "Black Irish" descent on her mother's side (her mother or grandmother may have been part Indian in the Missouri Territory). They did not want to be sent to Oklahoma - thus the deception and the taking of an Irish surname, Rowan.
George New Jersey - anon9448
I have 3 Grandparents that where straight off the boat Irish, 1 grandparent that is Miwok Indian.
I have (heavily tattooed) tan skin, brown eyes, reddish brown hair, bright red facial hair. I use the term Black Irish...maybe I should use the term Modern Black Irish :-) - anon9141
the movie "the secret of roan inish" gives a mythical story behind the black irish..that they came from seals..it's interesting anyway. im irish but i dont look like any of the other members of my family who have light eyes and light hair. my eyes are brown, my hair is jet black and my skin is very pale..people often tell me i look russian but i dont have russian heritage..its all seemingly irish and scottish..im trying to do more research on my ancestry..
- anon7950
I heard that Black Irish was a derogatory comment for Irish people that had dark hair, pale skin, and usually dark eyes. I also heard that this is what the Irish that have the traditional coloring called them. I think I read somewhere that this was because of Irish people and the Moors integrated. I myself happen to be Black Irish, or so I'm told by my dad and grandmother because they are too. I have dark brown hair, although it used to be black, but I dyed it blond a while ago, so it's proving difficult to get the color completely back. anyway my skin is extremely pale, cause I tend to burn, so sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. And my eyes are green hazel, which means they are mostly green/gray with some brown, and they change with my mood. My dad isn't pale like me but he has blue eyes and black hair. My mom is too, but she dies her hair. her skin has a beige tint, so she doesn't look pale, and she has brown eyes. My sister shows so much more of our German heritage than our Irish.
- anon5592
The Irish potato famine was also a time of many deaths due to a disease known as Black Fever.
- anon4445
black Irish - potato famine of the mid-nineteenth century - black rot. Nothing Iberian about it.
ever heard of "black '47"? - anon3049
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