No. It shows that the four individuals sequenced from this time (~3000 to 4000 years ago) who died in Ireland had significant middle eastern ancestry. It is not a sampling of the Irish population at the time, nor even a likely representivive sampling of the ancestors of the modern Irish population. All it tells us for certain is that some of the people living in Ireland at the time had middle eastern ancestors.
That's overly dismissive. The sampled individuals had several crucial genes: the C282Y hemochromatosis mutation, a Y chromosome haplotype which is common among modern Irish, and a gene for lactase persistence, all of which strongly suggest genetic continuity with the modern Irish.
All these genes are found elsewhere in Europe too. You really can’t read that much into such analysis because of this - genes get around.
The most interesting thing about this study is that that there were individuals with a high level of middle eastern ancestry in Ireland at the time. This is not too unexpected given that the Phoenicians were tin trading with Cornwall around this time so of course they could have been trading with the Irish as well. One of the things we have found in recent times is the bronze age trade networks were more extensive and widespread than might be expected.
Interestingly enough, ancient Scottish legends do claim that they came from the Middle East via Spain and Ireland - this is mentioned in the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath:
"They journeyed from Greater Scythia by way of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Pillars of Hercules, and dwelt for a long course of time in Spain among the most savage tribes, but nowhere could they be subdued by any race, however barbarous.
Thence they came, twelve hundred years after the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, to their home in the west where they still live today."
No, you're misinterpreting things. The analyzed DNA is from 5, 4 and 3 thousand years ago, at a time when there are suspected to have been no Celtic speakers in the Isles. Speakers of the Celtic branch of languages began appearing in the Isles far later than that (probably around 600 BCE).
This DNA would have not been representative of the DNA of the people who brought Celtic languages to the Isles. Similarly, the people who brought Celtic languages to the Isles are not necessarily representative of the current or even the populations contemporary to their times (minority languages can become dominant as was the case with Hungarian).
This only tells us about the population's genetics, but it doesn't link it to the Celtic language group.
The 11th century book Lebor Gabála Érenn [1] (a Tolkein-esque attempt to provide an epic history for Ireland) claims that the Gaels (Irish) originated in Scythia (modern Eastern Iran and *stan) and migrated to Ireland via Spain.
11 comments
[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 27.5 ms ] threadThe most interesting thing about this study is that that there were individuals with a high level of middle eastern ancestry in Ireland at the time. This is not too unexpected given that the Phoenicians were tin trading with Cornwall around this time so of course they could have been trading with the Irish as well. One of the things we have found in recent times is the bronze age trade networks were more extensive and widespread than might be expected.
"They journeyed from Greater Scythia by way of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Pillars of Hercules, and dwelt for a long course of time in Spain among the most savage tribes, but nowhere could they be subdued by any race, however barbarous.
Thence they came, twelve hundred years after the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, to their home in the west where they still live today."
http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/the-text-of-the-declaratio...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemed
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeneid
This DNA would have not been representative of the DNA of the people who brought Celtic languages to the Isles. Similarly, the people who brought Celtic languages to the Isles are not necessarily representative of the current or even the populations contemporary to their times (minority languages can become dominant as was the case with Hungarian).
This only tells us about the population's genetics, but it doesn't link it to the Celtic language group.
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebor_Gabála_Érenn