The term BlackIrish refers to people of Irish descent with various dark features such as Black hair, dark eyeballs, and tanned skin.
Although most people in the modern-day Republic of Ireland can barely notice the difference among Caucasian Irish people based on their appearance, most foreigners especially Americans have a perception of how the Irish people look: Blond or red hair, freckled appearance on sunburns, blue or green eyes, and an averagely tall frame. This stereotype, like other misconceptions, are however based on observed facts as follows; 10% are Redheads, and the rest have brown hair with various shades, some have even white hair while the BlackIrish are brunettes.
The matter of contention is not on the physical features but rather on the origin of the traits. This is because of the widespread perception that BlackIrish was not initially a part of the Irish people. These myths are;
1. The Aborigines of Ireland
Although there is no weighted reference to the natives of Ireland, there exists an Irish Myth. It speaks of a bloody conflict between the Fir Bolg (belly men, stout, dark haired and dark skinned) who were the original inhabitants of the land and the Tuatha De Danaan (fair skinned, thin and tall people from Europe).
Historical artifacts such as the La Tene, aboriginal stone age inhibition, and the Newgrange monuments gives this notion credence. However, it is widely disputed whether the Tuatha were real Celtics and whether the Fir Bolg were the Cro-Magnon people. Either way, the features of the Fir Bolg may be attributed to the appearance of the BlackIrish people of today.
2. Mixed Gypsy/Romani or the Irish Travelers
The Gypsies are a people with stark features among their European counterparts. They are mostly stout and hardy, dark haired, dark skinned and dark-eyed. These people have lived for centuries in European countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, and to a lesser degree, Ireland. Myths point out that they were exiled from India into Europe after an Afghani King invaded northern India in the 15th Century. It is sometimes believed that these Gypsies intermarried with the white Irish and produced the BlackIrish People.
Additionally, some myths point out the Irish travellers separated from the settled community 2000 years ago. These people were dark haired and had a darker complexion as opposed to the Irish who had adopted a sedentary lifestyle. Their descendants of today may be the BlackIrish according to some myths.
3. The Irish Invaders
Ireland has been Invaded on more than three occasions, most notably by the Celtics in 500AD, Vikings in 797AD, and the Normans in 1197AD. However, Celts and Vikings had physical features that closely resembled those of the Nordic People.
On the other hand, the Vikings were taller and pale skinned with most of the blue-eyed. The Normans closely resembled the modern day French People and were mainly blue-eyed with different shades of hair with few brunettes.
Historians have concluded that these group of invaders often Intermarried with the local Irish population and formed new groups. The local population also referred to the invaders as dark and tall. This was in reference to their “dark and evil souls” as the locals perceived them. Some people believe that their offspring are the BlackIrish.
4. The Spanish Armada Soldiers
In 1588, the Spanish King Felipe II attempted to attack the Protestant heretics of England in a bid to restore Catholicism and also as a gesture of solidarity with the oppressed Irish Catholics. He sent the Sons of Mil to conquer England but their fleet was wrecked in a great sea storm. Some soldiers were swept off to England where Queen Mary II of Tudor put them to death. On the other hand, the Soldiers who were shipwrecked near the Irish sea line were treated like royalties. Some of them ended up marrying the local women while some were proffered the liberty to return to Spain.
Like other Mediterranean people, the Mils men were dark haired, dark eyed and their skins could get tanned in contrast to the Irish people. Some historians believe that these Spaniards gave rise to the BlackIrish offspring.
5. The BlackIrish of Montserrat
From a totally different perspective, the BlackIrish are believed to be descended from the Negroid race as opposed to the “other BlackIrish” who are Caucasians.
During the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1643-53) more than 160,000 Irish Catholics were exiled to the British territories of West Indies with 10,000 of them finding a home on the Island of Montserrat to work as servants alongside the Africans. Bound by their common resentment towards the British masters, the two peoples intermarried and produced an offspring of mulattos with strong ties to Ireland.
To this day, most mulattos of the Island are loyal to their Irish roots and often celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day. Further, their accent bears the Gaelic lilt of the Irish language.
6. The Black 47′
In 1845-49, the great potato blight devastated Irish crop and put the Irish people on the brink of Starvation. With hostile English neighbors, most immigrated to the USA. The large numbers of new arrivals led the locals to label them the “Black” Irish.
Additionally, in a region where Puritanism and Protestantism reigned supreme, coupled with the presence of their long-term enemies the British people. The Irish were labelled as the BlackIrish as they were perceived as sinister people who were different from everybody else.
Who are the BlackIrish? Probable Answer
Gene pool research shows that some Irish males have a high concentration of the R1B haplogroup in their Y chromosome. This characteristic is similar to the Basque males of Spain and is believed to be responsible for the dark features. This finding gives the Armada Myth credibility.
Additionally, the fact that the mulatto population of Montserrat and Antigua can trace their roots to the Irish people also gives credence to the particular story.
Therefore, it can be asserted that the BlackIrish are the descendants of the Irish and Africans of Monserrat and also the offspring of the Basque people of Spain. However, all the theories are hotly contested among Historians except for the Montserrat theory. However, the actual origin of the term BlackIrish is still a hotly contested subject among many people.