Irish DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Ireland · Northern Europe
Ireland sits at the far western edge of Europe, and its genetic profile carries a strong steppe-related signal. In our model, 50.3% comes from steppe herders (Yamnaya), 36.1% from Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 13.6% from Western hunter-gatherers. Ancient DNA shows that farming reached Ireland around 6,000 years ago, and that a major population change followed from about 2500 BC, when people with steppe-related ancestry, associated with the Bell Beaker culture, arrived in Britain and Ireland. Much of today's Irish ancestry already resembles that Bronze Age mix. The closest modern averages are Orcadians, Northern Irish (Ulster) and English, and the closest ancient group is an Early to High Medieval population from Kilteasheen in Ireland (distance 0.0130). The model fit (0.047) is typical for Northwest Europeans, whose later drift the ancient sources only partly capture, so read the percentages as a sketch of deep ancestry.
- Ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 50.3%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 36.1%, Western hunter-gatherers 13.6%
- Closest modern population in our data: Orcadian, distance 0.0071
- Closest ancient group in our data: Ireland Early-High Medieval Kilteasheen, distance 0.0130
Irish is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Irish individuals sampled in Ireland. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Irish average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Irish average, 50.3%, goes to Steppe herders (Yamnaya), ahead of Anatolian Neolithic farmers (36.1%) and Western hunter-gatherers (13.6%). The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) component reflects the Bronze Age herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (Yamnaya and related groups), whose ancestry spread across Europe and into Asia from about 3000 BC. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (36.1%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.047), which usually means that none of the available reference populations is a close stand-in for part of this ancestry, so read the percentages as rough. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Nordsee – North Sea Germanic Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Irish
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Orcadian first for Irish, at 0.007, then Orcadian (other sample set) and Northern Irish (Ulster). Even the tenth closest, Manx, is only 0.014 away: Irish belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
Most of the closest populations that have their own atlas page (7 of 7) are also from Northern Europe, as geography would predict.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orcadian | 0.0071 | Very close |
| 2 | Orcadian (other sample set) | 0.0097 | Very close |
| 3 | Northern Irish (Ulster) | 0.0111 | Very close |
| 4 | English | 0.0121 | Very close |
| 5 | Faroese | 0.0124 | Very close |
| 6 | Breton (Finistere) | 0.0124 | Very close |
| 7 | Welsh | 0.0126 | Very close |
| 8 | Breton (Cotes-d'Armor) | 0.0131 | Very close |
| 9 | Cornish | 0.0132 | Very close |
| 10 | Manx | 0.0137 | Very close |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Irish
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Irish average is Ireland Early-High Medieval Kilteasheen (Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD), at 0.013. Netherlands Early Medieval Groningen and Iceland Early-High Medieval Viking Age Hofstadir come next. That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland Early-High Medieval Kilteasheen | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0130 |
| 2 | Netherlands Early Medieval Groningen | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0134 |
| 3 | Iceland Early-High Medieval Viking Age Hofstadir | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0136 |
| 4 | England Saxon | Anglo-Saxon period, c. 450-1066 AD | 0.0141 |
| 5 | England Early Medieval Anglo-Saxon Wolverton | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0144 |
| 6 | England MIA | Middle Iron Age | 0.0145 |
| 7 | England IA | Iron Age | 0.0147 |
| 8 | England Roman Empire-Late Antiquity | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0148 |
| 9 | England LBA | Late Bronze Age | 0.0150 |
| 10 | Faroes High Medieval | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0150 |
Ancient DNA from Ireland
Our ancient DNA database holds 174 individuals excavated in present-day Ireland, dated from about 4,708 BC to 1579 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (49), I2a (43) and H2a (2), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are K1 (26), U5 (19) and H1 (17). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Irish population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Ireland
- Social and Genetic Relations in Neolithic Ireland: Re-evaluating Kinship (2025)
- Millennium-old pathogenic Mendelian mutation discovery for multiple osteochondromas from a Gaelic Medieval graveyard (2022)
- A dynastic elite in monumental Neolithic society (2020)
- The Irish DNA Atlas: Revealing Fine-Scale Population Structure and History within Ireland (2017)
- Neolithic and Bronze Age migration to Ireland and establishment of the insular Atlantic genome (2015)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 174 from Ireland.
Compare yourself with Irish
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Irish average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Irish and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Irish. Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Irish average. Your own DNA has its own story: Nordsee – North Sea Germanic Ancestry Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of North Sea Germanic ancestry: ancient regional core (native British/Dutch/Danish Iron Age, Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon migration, Viking Age, Frisian Saxon, Anglo-Norman) versus non-regional outside admixture...
More populations from Northern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Irish?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Irish average is about 50.3% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 36.1% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 13.6% Western hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Irish?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Irish average are Orcadian, Orcadian (other sample set) and Northern Irish (Ulster). The closest ancient matches are Ireland Early-High Medieval Kilteasheen, Netherlands Early Medieval Groningen and Iceland Early-High Medieval Viking Age Hofstadir.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Irish?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Irish average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Irish ancestry?
For the Irish average, the regional report to choose is Nordsee – North Sea Germanic Ancestry Report, which our fit test rates as an excellent match. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.