http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...cles/norse.htm

The Norse Code

Article by Neil Macphail in the Main on Sunday, 28th September 2003

Are you a MacDonald herding sheep on your lonely croft? A MacDougall
commuting home from your office job? Or even a MacAlister living a
quiet but humdrum life?

If so, there is every possibility that lurking in your body is the
genetic fingerprint of one of Scotland's greatest warriors - a
fearsome man capable of tearing the heart out of a Viking foe.

An Oxford University scientist has traced the Y-chromosome, which
determines maleness, of the founder of Clan Donald - the great
Somerled of Argyll, who was born around 1100 and drove out the Viking
invaders.

Geneticist Bryan Sykes says this microscopic fragment of the fearsome
fighter still lives on in the DNA of half a million clansmen
throughout the world. Indeed Professor Sykes says the Y-chromosome of
the Gaelic warrior, who it seems had Norse blood himself, is so
prevalent it could be among the most successful in the world.

Prof. Sykes and his team made the discovery almost by accident while
they were researching genetic links between the Scots and the Vikings
and looking for Norse Y-chromosomes.

He and researcher Jayne Nicholson had taken thousands of DNA samples
from men in the Highlands and Western Isles, and spotted a group that
stood out.

They were at first puzzled, then Miss Nicholson looked at the donors'
names. These revealed that among the men with the identical
Y-chromosomes were MacDonalds, MacAlisters and MacDougalls.

Prof. Sykes said: "There didn't seem all that much in it until Jayne
said quietly that these clans were related.

"The possibility that this Y-chromosome was inherited from the common
ancestor of the MacDonalds, MacDougalls and MacAlisters was incredibly
exciting.

the samples of those who replied, they found a single common
Y-chromosome. To be double sure this was Somerled's, Prof Sykes
embarked on a sensitive piece of research involving the living chiefs
of the Clan Donald and their septs.

He said: "I wanted to see if the clan chiefs still alive, whose
recorded genealogies descend from Somerled, also shared the same
chromosome. This was a delicate task. We might find one or more of the
chiefs did not have it - meaning one of their paternal ancestors might
have been adopted, or had not been the biological father of his heir.

He approached Lord Godfrey Macdonald, Sir Ian Macdonald of Sleat,
Ranald MacDonald of Clan Ranald, William McAlester of Loup and Ranald
MacDonnell of Glengary, enclosing a DNA brush.

The result was conclusive: 'They all shared the same chromosome. There
was now no dought we had identified the legacy of Somerled.'

Now the only one whose lineage is in doubt is Somerled himself.
Tradition says he descended from the ancient Irish kings - but Prof.
Sykes says the chromosome proves his Norse ancestry.

"Diarmid Logan" <diarmidlogan@yahoo.com> skrev i meddelandet
news:6d220a72.0311111028.385a59b7@posting.google.c om...


As I heard it, observe only hearsay but still, that goes back long before
Somerled's days. We do have a story about a fight between Scots of old
Dalreida and coastal people in Tanum's parish Sweden in 3rd century. The
Scots and the local seapeople fought at Greby outside today's Grebbestad.
Almost all warriors on both side died. The graveyards are still seen outside
Grebbestad.
http://www.svt.se/dokumentarfilm/tus...san/1greby.htm
Anyhow after the fight some Norse, six or seven, are said to have been taken
by the surviving Scots when they returned.

I have heard from on member of Niall's Clan that he himself had heard same
story told in his childhood in Scotland.

Inger E

Of course by Scot what is meant is Irish and by Dalriada what is meant is
Irish Dalriada! The Scottish Dalriada supposedly by tradition was formed at
the beginning of the 6thC. There is of course a possibility that there were
Scotti in Scotland by about the end of the 3rdC but there is no proof or
tradition of them being there. cheers Allan

"Allan Connochie" <conno@conno.greatxscape.net> skrev i meddelandet
news:3fb18485@news.greennet.net...


Of course I am speaking of the time when the Scotti lived in Dalreida,
Ireland. Make no mistake about that.

Some say that those 'Skottar' as we call them here are pictured on the later
Rock Carvings in Vitlycke Tanum as well.... but that's a bit difficult to
say because while some scholars believe that almost all carvings are from
the Bronze Age some say that the later is from around Christ's birth and
hardly none date them to 2nd century AD.... Inger E

Just to interject, I've been there. It was awesome to see the rock
carvings. I recommend it to everyone with an interest in ancient
things...particularly ancient Nordic things...

Nik

Oh and Diarmid if you want to verify your ancestry just send Dr Sykes £180
for your Y-Clan Analysis! Then for another £25 you could order your Tribes
Of Britain Certificate. It's a real snip and no doubt he'll see you coming.
Good luck.

http://www.oxfordancestors.com/background.html


Allan

Nik,
am I correct in assuming that you had some good photos of the Rock Carvings
in your homepage a year or two ago?

Give my love to your family.

Inger E
"Nik" <anotheronebites@the.dust> skrev i meddelandet
news:kjr2rvsas9e400euh97e59j78369rtssmr@4ax.com...

I did not but I do have some pictures...


Will do, and to you and yours.

Nik

So the Irish were migrating to cause trouble? I find that utterly
deplorable. We can now see why it was necessary for the Normans to
restore order and for the 'wronged' Vikings to retaliate.

The Irish had clearly been terrorizing perfectly innocent Vikings for
centuries. The Anglo-Normans eventually went to Ireland as a kind of
'UN' style peacekeeping force.

Local Irish tradition has it that most of the Scotti were robbers and
pirates.

It is virtually impossible to get an Irishman to accept that they were
really Irish.

My own view is that they were probably Scottish and involved in
activities which if carried out today would be of interest to
Interpol.