Imirce - Migration and Ireland through time

NATIONAL MONUMENTS SERVICE
6th ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY CONFERENCE

The Irish DNA Atlas: providing a map of Irish genetics in and out of Ireland

Genetic data from a population can help to contextualise historical records and evidence of that population’s history, provide evidence of that population’s size and the existence of communities within it, and inform us about the genetic legacy of past mixing of other populations resulting from migration. The Irish DNA Atlas is a DNA cohort of individuals with regional Irish ancestry; participants provide genealogical data on their eight great-grandparents who were born in the same region of Ireland along with genetic data. The project has successfully elucidated the genetic landscape of Ireland and provided an invaluable reference database of Irish genetics which has enabled national and international studies of Irish ancestry which has migrated from the island, covering Scotland, Iceland, Scandinavia and, most recently, Newfoundland and Labrador. These studies together provide important insights into the genetic legacy of a millennium and beyond of Irish diaspora, shedding light on history and identity.
Dr Edmund Gilbert is a Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences and researcher in the FutureNeuro SFI Research Centre at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, Dublin. His research is focused on understanding the genetic footprints of human history.