Irish DNA Atlas
IRISH DNA ATLAS PROJECT
The ‘Irish DNA Atlas’ is a population DNA study of the island of Ireland established in 2011 and run by researchers at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in collaboration with the Genealogical Society of Ireland (GSI). Participants of the study provide a saliva sample and genealogical data.
Analysis of this genealogical information by the Genealogical Society of Ireland allows the selection of participants whose eight great-grandparents have all been born within 50km of each other – meaning that the recent genetic and genealogical ancestry each Irish DNA Atlas participant is representative of a specific location within Ireland.
Analysis of this genealogical information by the Genealogical Society of Ireland allows the selection of participants whose eight great-grandparents have all been born within 50km of each other – meaning that the recent genetic and genealogical ancestry each Irish DNA Atlas participant is representative of a specific location within Ireland.
The Irish DNA Atlas is a biobank designed to facilitate research into the population genetics and history of Ireland. Information about a population's past, such as population size, historical migrations, and communities within the population, can leave footprints in the collective genome of that population.
Studying the current genetic variation can reveal these footprints and shed light on past events. The footprints of this history can also impact the frequency of particular genetic diseases in a population. Therefore, a greater understanding a population's genetic diversity and history can aid the research into the genetics of disease in a population. Such work can help explain why particular communities have elevated rates of specific diseases and provide a foundation for better treatments.
Studying the current genetic variation can reveal these footprints and shed light on past events. The footprints of this history can also impact the frequency of particular genetic diseases in a population. Therefore, a greater understanding a population's genetic diversity and history can aid the research into the genetics of disease in a population. Such work can help explain why particular communities have elevated rates of specific diseases and provide a foundation for better treatments.
The second aim of the Irish DNA Atlas project is to provide a reference of Irish genomes which can be compared to subsets of individuals experiencing a particular disease. By comparing the DNA profiles of groups of 'cases' (people who experience the disease) and 'controls' (people who do not) it is possible to identify parts of our DNA that predict disease. Identifying such genetic markers can help improve diagnosis and the nature of future treatments.
To date several academic research papers have been published based on the ‘Irish DNA Atlas’ biobank including the groundbreaking first genetic map of Ireland in ‘The Irish DNA Atlas: Revealing Fine- Scale Population Structure and History within Ireland’ published in 2019. Other RCSI papers followed including the latest ‘Newfoundland and Labrador: A mosaic founder population of an Irish and British diaspora from 300 years ago’ and, of course, we have the upcoming ‘Demographic History of Ireland and Britain’.
To date several academic research papers have been published based on the ‘Irish DNA Atlas’ biobank including the groundbreaking first genetic map of Ireland in ‘The Irish DNA Atlas: Revealing Fine- Scale Population Structure and History within Ireland’ published in 2019. Other RCSI papers followed including the latest ‘Newfoundland and Labrador: A mosaic founder population of an Irish and British diaspora from 300 years ago’ and, of course, we have the upcoming ‘Demographic History of Ireland and Britain’.
Also, many other excellent genetic studies have been conducted with reference to, or relying upon, the research undertaken by the Irish DNA Atlas project and, again, with excellent papers published by individual researchers and institutions around the world.
The following videos are available on the Society’s YouTube channel and are available on this website
New participants are always welcome and if you would like to get involved it is simple – here is all you need:
1
Have the details on the birth date and birth location of each of your eight great grandparents.
2
Your eight great grandparents must have been born within a 50km radius of each other.
3
We will provide you with a Birth Brief like the one shown on this page for you to complete.
4
The completed Birth Brief should have, working back from yourself, details of your parents, grandparents and, of course, your great grandparents.
5
When we receive your Birth Brief, this information is checked by the Genealogical Society of Ireland team to ensure that it meets the criteria.
6
You will have also received a Sample Kit for your saliva sample that we send to the team at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) for analysis.
7
The team at the Genealogical Society of Ireland will do a surname analysis and plot the birth locations by GPS – longitude and latitude on the map of Ireland.
8
The DNA scientific data (Your Sample) and the genealogical data (Your Ancestry) is then added to the database for comparative analysis and further scientific study.
One thing to remember is that the Irish DNA Atlas is NOT an ancestry tracing service. If you wish to have such a service, there are many well-known corporations offering such services for a fee.
The Irish DNA Atlas is a scientific and academic research project, and your participation is helping us to understand our history and the population movements and settlement across the island of Ireland.
For further information please email: Archivist@familyhistory.ie
A link to the website of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is provided bellow.
A link to the website of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is provided bellow.
