When this project was initiated, in February 2012, we spoke of the Ancestral Haplotypes of Munster. At that stage each of three ancestral haplotypes we initially identified, Irish Type II, Irish Type III and Munster I, was associated with a terminal SNP marking a subclade under R-L21>DF13, viz. CTS4466, L226 and L362 respectively.  We suggested that the common ancestor ‘founding’ each of these subclades was likely born in the first millennium A.D. and was thus a focal point for our interest in the pre-Norman peoples of Munster.  To date, we have not identified a further haplotype to distinguish the inhabitants of Munster - perhaps there is none.  We are ever vigilant.

Today, with the benefit of Next Generation Testing (NGS), and in particular FTDNA’s Big Y test, we can with certainty subdivide the CTS4466 subclade into numerous branches and sub-branches forming further tiers in the Irish Type II phylogenetic tree. Some of these bring us forward into the second millennium and to subclades which are, subject to NPEs, specific to single surnames. The Irish Type III tree also shows some further subdivisions under L226, while on the L362 tree we now see an initial split where the O’Callaghans (and Newmans) break away, then two parallel subclades which currently account for all L362 McCarthys, as further detailed below.

Thus while we will still talk of the ‘Haplotypes of Munster’, the genetic subdivision of these haplotypes will be identified by the SNPs denoting their subclades.

·     If using the Y-DNA Results Colorized option, the Min/Max/Mode data at the head of each subgroup of  'Other Subclades' categories will be meaningless and should be ignored since the haplotypes are in numerous different haplogroups/clades.

·   'Irish Type II/CTS4466 - tested/predicted', 'L226 - tested/predicted' and 'L362 - tested/predicted' includes any surnames with those haplotypes where no specific tribal affiliation has been uncovered.

RESULTS SPREADSHEET DISPLAY 

In 2006, Dr Ken Nordvedt identified two distinctive modal haplotypes largely associated with southern Irish names.  The first, in February, was described as “South Irish” or “South Irish R1b” because of its concentration in the south of the island. (It had in fact been independently identified with the creation of a corresponding “Group A” in the McCarthy Surname Study in 2004 as well as the separation of the Glens and Mór tribes in the O'Donoghue Society project in 2005.)  Following the use of “Irish Type I” to describe the earlier discovery of a north-western Irish modal haplotype, it also became known as “Irish Type II”.  In 2013, the 1000 Genomes Project and National Geographic's Geno 2.0 established CTS4466 as a representative SNP associated with this haplotype and subsequent Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) testing such as FTDNA’s Big Y has revealed many CTS4466 ‘equivalents’ as well as an extensive subclade tree structure both upstream and downstream of CTS4466.  This is being studied by the R1b-CTS4466 Plus haplogroup project at  https://www.familytreedna.com/public/R1b-CTS4466Plus. Both a basic Irish Type II structure and a detailed tree identifying the placement of hundreds of participants are maintained in its associated forum website at https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/R1b-CTS4466-Plus/files. The latter is also available at www.mccarthydna.wordpress.com/.

Referring to the possible Irish Type II ancestral haplotype, as indicated in Table 1, seven characteristic mutations were initially identified in FTDNA Panels 1-3 (1-37markers). FTDNA Panel 4 (37 to 67 markers) revealed just one more and extension of STR testing to Panel 5 (67 to 111 markers) added another six,  making fourteen in all. It should be noted that the coincidence of four of the six characteristic Irish Type II mutations in Panels 1-3 has been seen in kits which proved to be negative for R-L21 but positive for its‘sister’ SNP R-U152.  However, these kits have few, if any, of the six Irish Type II Panel 4 and 5 mutations. The combination of the three Panel 1 mutations (first twelve markers) alone is also seen in other haplotypes under R-L21. This stresses the importance of either testing positive for SNP CTS4466 or one of the SNPs defining a subclade thereof, or at least testing the full range of 111 STR markers to validate Irish Type II membership.

From this Munster Irish Project and other FTDNA Surname projects it is noted that the Irish Type II haplotype is shared by over 60% of southern O’Donoghues (The name O’Donoghue has risen independently in several parts of Ireland.  The “southern” groups refer to those of interest to this project and are historically recorded as comprising Eoghanacht Caisil and Eoghanacht Raithlind.) and O’Sullivans, and about 50% of O’Keeffes, 30% of O’Mahonys and 20% of McCarthys. These names are strongly associated with the Eóganacht dynasty in the ancient genealogical tracts.

It has been estimated that the progenitor in whom the Irish Type II haplotype of Table 1 was realised (the final mutation probably being that at DYS 439) lived in the first half of the first millennium A.D.  This heralds the period when the Eóganacht dynasty began to consolidate its hegemony over the other tribes of the south. However, other considerably different haplotypes are seen in significant percentages of the aforementioned families as well as the many other surnames said to derive from Eóganacht sources. 

As sheet 2 of the detailed Irish Type II tree shows, SNP CTS4466 occurred in a bottleneck period during which many other SNPs and STR locations occurred without any apparent branching off into surviving lineages. We estimate this as lasting of the order of 1500 years, and CTS4466 itself could have occurred at any time within this period. Finally a small surviving branch materialises, identified by SNP A7751, and from the surnames so far identified within it, this has a strong Welsh connection. The main stream continues with SNP S1115 before dividing into three major haplogroups. These are marked by SNPs A212, A663 and A541. There are in addition a few participants who test positive for S1115 but negative for all three of these SNPs (i.e. they are S1115*).

Of the approximately 25 surnames found in the haplogroup of SNP A212 only the name Heffernan has a definite Munster connection. There is a considerable Scots element among this group. A663 is tested or suspected in only thirteen kits as at February2016, but none of the surnames suggests a pre-Norman Munster origin. In each of these haplogroups SNP and STR mutations common to all (or all but one for A663)participants suggest a ‘bottleneck’ of several centuries from the formation of the branch until it began to flourish with a male progeny which has survived to this day.

• S1121: this is the largest of the three A541 subclades, accounting for about 55% of A541. It subdivides into the branches of SNPs L270, in which O’Sullivans are dominant, and Z16251, which immediately further divides into the subclades of SNPs A1134, Z18170 and A159.

The subclade of A1134 contains a large cluster of O’Donoghues in downstream subclades under SNP A804, including The O'Donoghue of the Glens (the recognized chieftain of the Eóganacht Casiel/Glens tribe) in A802, while those O’Moriartys who have tested are found in the parallel subclade of A2221.  O’Mahonys form the main cluster in the subclade of A150, with distant common ancestry under Z18170. While numerous surname-specific clusters appear underA159, notable among which are O’Keeffe, Sheehan, Dennehy, further O’Sullivans, Toomey, Quirk, Dunagan and Kelleher. Most of these Munster surnames found in the subclade of A1134 are associated in ancient genealogies with Eóganacht origins.  Further, except for one O’Keeffe, they are not found elsewhere under the Irish Type II banner.

While S1121 does seem to be a marker for Eóganacht origins, it should be noted that not all surnames associated with this dynasty share this genetic origin in SNP S1121. Hegartys are entirely absent from Irish Type II within this project while a single Callahan is found amongst the Sheehans. Irish Type II MacCarthys are scattered throughout the A541 subclades, suggesting that ‘migrants’ from a variety of tribal origins took this surname early in the second millennium as the MacCarthy power base moved from Tipperary into Cork and Kerry. In fact these amount to only 20% of MacCarthys and the bloodline of the eponymous Cárthach and his O’Callaghan cousins is argued below to be that of the ‘Munster Type I’ haplogroup of SNP L362.

•  Z21065: this accounts for about 35% of A541 and breaks down into numerous subclades. The most frequently found names here are Donovan and Regan(and variants) in the subclade defined by the path Z21065>A195>A761>A88>Z16259, where they are accompanied by Hayes and O’Hourihane.  The article “Irish Type II explored through Uí Chairpri Aebda” - https://www.dropbox.com/s/5roa5ik4l7mvsbl/Irish%20Type%20II%20explored%20through%20U%C3%AD%20Chairpri%20Aebda%20%28Rev%200%29.pdf?dl=0 - concludes that, although the name Donovan and some other surnames under Z21065 can have origins among the peoples of the Corca Laidhe, the presence of the Regans and numerous other surnames of possible Thomond (North Munster) and even more northerly origins supports an Uí Chairpri Aebda provenance. The Uí Chairpri Aebda were purportedly a division of the Uí Fidgeinti, whose homelands were centred on Bruree, in the south-east of present day Co. Limerick.  The common ancestry of the Eóganachta and Uí Fidgeinti claimed in ancient genealogies has, on this basis, some substance, aligning as it does with theS1121 and Z21065 branches respectively under SNP A541 however, there is little evidence of alignment of other surnames claimed as having their origins in the progeny of the eponymous Fiach Fidgenid anywhere among the Irish Type II haplotypes, and as noted above, neither did all Eóganachta share such haplotypes.

• A151: this has the greatest diversity in most distant ancestor (European) locations, and includes branches of Scandinavian origin, of Corca Dhuibhne surnames (O’Connell) and of MacAulays of the Outer Hebrides (these last are unrelated to the MacAulays of Lennox who some claim are of Eóganacht descent).

Irish Type III (L226)

The second southern Irish modal haplotype identified by Dr Nordvedt, in April 2006, appeared to be most common where origins were stated as the counties of north Munster (Clare, Limerick, with appreciative presence also in neighbouring Tipperary and Cork) where surnames associated in the genealogical tracts with Dál gCais peoples are found most prevalent.  This region of north Munster was known as Thomond in ancient times (the south was called Desmond).  

Dennis Wright’s excellent website at http://www.irishtype3dna.org/index.php provides detailed information on this cluster and identifies estimates which suggest the common ancestor lived roughly between 350 A.D. and 650 A.D.  The Dál gCais, historically known as Deisi Tuisceart (Northern Deisi), claimed descent from Cas, brother of the Eóghan Mór who gave his name to the Eóganacht families, their father being King Ollioll Olum. However, this is considered by many a historian a unification of convenience fabricated by Brian Boru’s tribe and later writers; and since Irish Types II and III are unlikely to have common ancestry more recent than 2,000 B.C. they cannot both be direct descendants of King Olioll Olum.

Late in 2009 an SNP, R-L226, was discovered in a L21 Walk Through the Y Test on a representative Irish Type III sample, and this has been found to be positive only in kits clearly displaying the Irish Type III characteristics. Like CTS4466, it occurs in a bottleneck period and has about 20 'equivalent' SNPs, probably spanning 2,000 years, so we don't know whether L226 itself occurred at the beginning, at the end or in the middle of this period.  Alex Williamson's The Big Tree at http://www.ytree.net/DisplayTree.php?blockID=15 gives an idea of the distribution as the lineage flourished at the end of this period.

Munster Type I (L362)

Cliff McCarthy, one of the early administrators of the McCarthy Surname Study, identified, in 2004 that 9 out of 32 McCarthys (28%) carried the modal haplotype now associated with SNP P314.2.  At this time only 12 marker tests were available, but fortunately these included three distinctive mutations from SWAMH:

DYS 390                                 24 to 23 (or even 22)

DYS 388                                 12 to 13

DYS (389-2 - 389-1)              16 to 15

By the time of the discovery of SNP P314.2, in a L-21 Walk Through the Y test late in 2009, seven further mutations from SWAMH had been associated with this haplotype in FTDNA Panels 2-4.

The surnames and locations of the earliest known ancestors of the first 100 males identified with this ancestral haplotype indicate a significant presence in north-east Ireland and Scotland, north and south Munster, and occasionally in England.  However, it is evident that the main P314.2 lineage with the above ten-mutation ancestral haplotype then splits into two principal groups, with very little evidence of any exceptions. One of the two branches has mutations from 12 to 13 at DYS 617 then 16 to 17 at DYS 557 (a fast moving marker, thus occasionally showing this same mutation elsewhere), but crucially also a further SNP, R-L362 (aka L362.2), discovered late in 2010, which appears to have occurred after the DYS 617 mutation. This combination has not been seen in any of the presumed northern participants: almost all of these have their own identifying mutation 19 to 18 at DYS 448 and most have 17 to 16 at DYS 458. 

A P314.2 tree is maintained at www.mccarthydna.wordpress.com/. This was originaly speculative, based entirely on STR results, but Big Y testing giving the reliable definition which SNP testing affords has not caused any significant changes to its structure to be made.  The Munster-based L362 subclade is dominated by McCarthys and accounts for about 30% of all McCarthys, this surname’s largest grouping by far with a common ancestor within the past 1,000 years or so. All these McCarthys are so far positive for SNP ZS4606, and in this they distinguish themselves from the 11% or so of O'Callaghans in the P314.2>L362.2 haplogroup who are negative for ZS4606. This aligns precisely with the ancient genealogies, the McCarthys and O'Callaghans sharing common ancestry in the renowned 9th century Ceallachán of Cashel. The Eoghanacht genealogies claim that this Ceallachán shares common ancestry with many Munster surnames, such as O'Sullivan, O'Donoghue, O'Keeffe, O'Mahony, O'Moriarty, Kelleher, O'Quirk; however such names are only seen in abundance with the Irish Type II haplotype, so that it appears the Ceallachán's paternal provenance, although it may have been among Eoghanacht peoples, lies in other than in the common ancestry of these other surnames. We look at other sections of the 'P314' tree for clues.

The P314 +ve, L362 -ve section also appears to have two Munster-based branches of its own. One of these comprises solely (O')Sullivans and Dennehys, and this too is not inconsistent with the ancient genealogical tracts both in their inter-relationship and a conceivable dating of their common ancestor based on their position on the phylogenetic tree. However, it should be recognised that the O'Sullivans discussed in this section cannot have shared the post-Iron Age paternal ancestry of those who are so prevalent in the S1121>L270.2 subclade discussed under Irish Type II above, and who better align with Eoghanacht genealogies. The other includes Leahys and Kennedys, among others; these Kennedys are clearly not those of the Dalcassian, Irish Type III, family of which Brian Boru(mu) is the most celebrated representative. Other than these two Munster based P314 +ve, L362 -ve branches, there is a strong Scottish flavour to the tree, but with a cluster of Eubanks (N W England) and a scattering of O'Higgins, O'Heaney and other names associated with regions further north in Ireland.  

CURRENT CONCLUSIONS

The administrators of this project all bear Munster Irish surnames, through birth or marriage.  Each has been researching his or her surname, the haplotypes found within their respective surname projects and their association with other surnames found in Munster.  The understanding of the history of these families is inextricably entwined with that of the entire population of Munster, and this project is devoted objectively to increasing our knowledge of the whole.