Tracing the Sons of Brión: The R1b-A259 Y-DNA Subclade and the Uí Briúin Dynasty of Connacht - Appendices
This study collated over 350 Y-DNA results (and associated surnames) from publicly available Y-DNA haplotrees and specific surname DNA projects, as well as Y-DNA results from two verified male-line descendants of a royal dynasty of Connacht. These Y-DNA data were then compared against Irish surname pedigrees and royal genealogies associated with the Uí Briúin. In so doing, we demonstrate that there is good evidence that A259 is the defining DNA marker of the Uí Briúin. Beneath A259, a branching substructure is apparent corresponding to some of the individual branches of this dynasty as described in the historical record. While the branches are related within the correct time-frame and some close surname associations are internally consistent, it appears that no extant genealogy correctly details the earliest generations which lived prior to and immediately after the arrival of literacy in Ireland in the fifth century. This may be the result of political rearrangement or incorrect transmission of oral histories. This study demonstrates the utility of using Y-DNA to highlight potential inconsistencies in the reported royal genealogies. Y-DNA continues to evolve as a useful additional tool for Irish clan research.
Kyle DePew, Maurice Gleeson and Bart Jaski, ‘Tracing the Sons of Brión. The R1b-A259 Y-DNA Subclade and the Uí Briúin Dynasty of Connacht’, Peritia, 34 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2023), 9–45