177:
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Irish with dark hair, eyes, and skin. Although it's a great story, Bradley says, it "just didn't happen." In two studies, researchers have found only "a very small ancient
Spanish contribution" to British and Irish DNA, says human geneticist Walter Bodmer of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, co-leader of a landmark 2015 study of British genetics.
706:
Black Irish' is a popularly used term to account for people in
Ireland with dark hair or complexions, thought to be descended from the Spanish Armada. Occasionally in Australia, Aboriginal people seeking to escape widespread discrimination borrowed the moniker 'black Irish' to conceal their identity,
758:
The rest, seeking safe harbor on the wild Irish coast without pilots and charts and sometimes without anchors, were smashed more effectively by the rocks than by the
English broadsides. Some Spaniards, no doubt, found refuge amongst fellow Catholics, albeit nowhere near enough to justify the myth of
156:
ethnic identity and other Native
American groups in the southern United States found that "Black Irish" was amongst a dozen myths about Spanish sailors or other "dark" European ancestors used to disguise the African heritage of interracial children. A primary source told researchers, "They would say
859:
That telling resonates with a later yarn about ships from the
Spanish Armada, wrecked on the shores of Ireland and the Scottish Orkney Islands in 1588, Bradley says: "Good-looking, dark-haired Spaniards washed ashore" and had children with Gaelic and Orkney Islands women, creating a strain of Black
108:
of 1588. In reality, of the roughly 5,000 Spanish sailors who were recorded as being wrecked off the coast of
Ireland and Scotland, the very few that survived the wrecks were either hunted down and killed by English troops or immediately returned to Spain, and thus could not have impacted the Irish
919:
toned skin, brunette or black hair, and dark brown eyes. Ironically, despite having
Mediterranean or Middle Eastern physiognomies, many Melungeons grew up confident of their ostensibly Northern or Western European ancestry. This self-deception often originated with parents or grandparents who told
639:
Any classification other than white meant in terms of social and legal status that these people were lesser citizens. Therefore, Native
American or African heritage that was not visually obvious was hidden and sometimes renamed to much less emotionally and socially charged monikers, such as "Black
585:
Fairly late in the book's introduction the author mentions the traditional understanding of the term 'black Irish' as the descendants of the survivors of the wreck of the
Spanish Armada in 1588. In an attempt to privilege 'the new Irish' the author misses an opportunity to historicize contemporary
386:
The "Black Dutch", like the fictive "Black Irish", are a genealogical flight of fancy...Kunesh argues that Black Irish are a U.S. phenomenon with a background rooted only in the early 20th century. At the time of internet posting, Kunesh noted the lack of any mythical variants prior to the 20th
417:
One sign of it might be the persistence, largely in oral tradition, of the myth of the 'Black Irish', the supposed offspring of
Spanish sailors thrown by the wreck of the Armada onto the Irish coast. The idea, for which there is little historical evidence, is still used in Ireland and in Irish
515:
While not having the same history of Mediterraneanization, the Irish people have undergone a long period of racialization, and religious and racial discrimination, mainly by the British. Its history is marked by emigration waves associated with famines and economic hardship, often making them
463:
Well, perhaps. It seems much more likely that McCarthy was originally drawing upon the creation-myth origins of the so-called Black Irish: sailors who survived the destruction of the Spanish Armada swam to Irish shores and intermarried, thus introducing strains of dark hair and eyes into the
586:
ideologies and practices. A concept of black Irishness existed before the twentieth century, prior to the inaugural event that the author points to as a frame for the historical situation of the black Irish̶ the first deportation of a black man in an independent Ireland in 1925.
920:
the individual that s/he was Scotch–Irish, English, French, and/or German. If challenged by the skeptical child that s/he seemed to be darker than most Scottish or German persons, the parent/grandparent might reply that this was due to some Black Dutch or Black Irish ancestry
204:. These authors "became Irish in the same way that all Irish Americans do—by ascribing certain traits to an imagined Irish community", popularising, exploring, and expanding upon the myth of the 'Black Irish' in their writings.
157:
they were "Black Dutch" or "Black Irish" or "Black French", or Native American. They’d say they were anything but Melungeon because anything else would be better ... because to be Melungeon was to be discriminated against."
299:
Some readers...took these to be racist slurs.... Black Irish, properly so-called, are characterized by black hair, deep blue eyes, ruddy complexion and a streak of melancholy, which manifests itself in rage or
998:
Dowd, Christopher. “The Irish-American Identities of Robert E. Howard and Conan the Barbarian.” New Hibernia Review / Iris Éireannach Nua, vol. 20, no. 2, 2016, pp. 15–34. JSTOR,
516:
second-class citizens in the British Empire. Even the Irish have a 'black' identity: according to a widespread popular myth, the 'Black Irish' are descendants of Spanish sailors.
759:
the "Black Irish" being descended from them. Most were simply murdered as they lay exhausted on the beaches or were handed over to English soldiers for almost certain execution.
911:
While some contemporary Melungeons are quite light complexioned, even having blonde or red hair and fair skin, the majority are darker, with what is commonly described as
104:
The primary version of the myth proposes that a strain of Irish people with black hair and dark complexions were the descendants of Spanish sailors shipwrecked during the
684:"Mobilising across colour lines: Intimate encounters between Aboriginal women and African American and other allied servicemen on the World War II Australian home front"
418:
America to explain the fact that some Irish people have a dark, swarthy appearance. It was celebrated a few years ago by the poet Paul Durcan in his long dramatic poem
77:
society. In the earlier parts of the 19th century, "Black Irish" was sometimes used in the United States to describe biracial people of African and Irish descent.
140:
Some researchers have suggested the concept of "Black Irish" as the descendants of Spanish sailors was created and popularised in the 19th and 20th centuries by
38:
who have black or dark-coloured hair, blue or dark eyes, or otherwise dark colouring. This meaning is not used in modern Ireland, where "Black Irish" refers to
532:
624:"Revealing American Indian and Minority Heritage Using Y-line, Mitochondrial, Autosomal and X Chromosomal Testing Data Combined with Pedigree Analysis"
1067:"Malcolm X and United States Policies towards Africa: A Qualitative Analysis of His Black Nationalism and Peace through Power and Coercion Paradigms"
1107:
57:
supports this story. Some theorists assert that the term was adopted in some cases by Irish-Americans seeking to conceal interracial unions with
623:
946:
897:
782:
542:
683:
564:
188:
The academic Christopher Dowd describes the Black Irish identity as being "performed" by early 20th-century Irish-American authors such as
54:
128:
Two genetic studies conducted in the 2010s found little if any Spanish traces in Irish DNA, with population geneticist Dan Bradley of
1050:
728:
607:
Calling someone "Black Dutch" or "Black Irish" was a way to acknowledge the person's dark skin without insinuating a Negro ancestor
406:
65:" which was also used in the United States to hide racial identity. Likewise, the concept of "Black Irish" was also used by some
1112:
39:
656:
565:"Review: The Black Irish Onscreen: Representing Black and Mixed Race Identities on Irish Film and Television By ZĂ©lie Asava"
176:
789:
The belief that men of Spanish appearance...inter-married with the Irish cannot stand the test of historical examination.
802:
873:
1014:
1097:
745:
268:
263:
165:
70:
962:
Dowd, Christopher (Summer 2016). "The Irish-American Identities of Robert E. Howard and Conan the Barbarian".
707:
particularly in the early to mid-twentieth century when state-sanctioned child removal was especially rampant.
1102:
345:
Black or Black Irish - African Number 67,546. Black or Black Irish - any other Black background Number 8,699
243:
62:
20:
989:
Dowd, Christopher, "The Construction of Irish Identity in American Literature" (New York: Routledge, 2011).
387:
century as well as a complete dearth of historical sources mentioning such a phenotype anywhere in Ireland.
120:
were of "the true Spanish type" owing to their interaction and trade with the Spanish in the medieval era.
1117:
1066:
161:
129:
66:
447:
96:
is used primarily to refer to Irish nationals of African descent, and the American meaning is not used.
436:"Cormac McCarthy's Literary Evolution: Editors, Agents, and the Crafting of a Prolific American Author"
477:
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In the early to mid-20th century, the myth of the 'Black Irish' was used occasionally by
116:
asserted a different version of the myth, suggesting in an article that the residents of
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81:
50:
889:
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181:
145:
35:
493:
854:
772:
603:
Through the Back Door: Melungeon Literacies and Twenty-first-century Technologies
451:
845:
411:
235:, that the Irish were also of Black descent by invoking the 'Black Irish' myth.
113:
435:
208:
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Beyond the person's appearance, the 'Black Irish' stereotype (sometimes used
874:"Suddenly Melungeon! Reconstructing Consumer Identity Across the Color Line"
232:
220:
153:
74:
700:
227:
would occasionally assert, alongside claiming Italians were descended from
817:
657:"Creating Real and Virtual Communities Among the Melungeons of Appalachia"
975:
478:"Framing PIGS: patterns of racism and neocolonialism in the Euro crisis"
374:
358:
211:) suggested that the person was moody and dangerous, and drank heavily.
999:
502:
19:
This article is about an ethnonym. For Black citizens of Ireland, see
117:
49:
that they were descended from Spanish sailors shipwrecked during the
184:
was referred to as "Black Irish" because of his hair and skin color.
332:
175:
534:
Psychoanalysis and Black Novels: Desire and the Protocols of Race
46:
333:"Population Usually Resident and Present in the State FY023"
1041:
McMahon, Sean; O'Donoghue, Jo, eds. (2006). "Black Irish".
84:
identity played out by Irish-Americans authors such as
45:
The first use of the term "Black Irish" is tied to the
30:" was initially used in the 19th and 20th centuries by
872:
Hirschman, Elizabeth C.; Panther-Yate, Donald (2007).
407:"Alluring myth of 'Black Irish' may be a sign of hope"
148:
seeking to conceal interracial children produced with
53:
of 1588. However, no anthropological, historical, or
640:
Dutch", "Black Irish" and possibly also Portuguese.
314:
Race, Politics, and Irish America: A Gothic History
1013:
849:. Vol. 356, no. 6339. pp. 678–681.
80:By the 20th century, "Black Irish" had become a
1043:Brewer's Dictionary of Irish Phrase & Fable
1074:Africology: The Journal of Pan African Studies
596:
594:
558:
556:
554:
293:Keefe, Nancy Q. (14 March 1975). "Irishisms".
397:
395:
231:Africans and the Spanish were descended from
8:
938:Nixon & Rockefeller: A Double Portrait
316:. Oxford University Press. pp. 91–93.
168:themselves into white Australian society.
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677:
675:
673:
650:
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501:
152:. Academics researching the multi-racial
774:Ireland: Graveyard of the Spanish Armada
617:
615:
964:New Hibernia Review/Iris Éireannach Nua
537:. Oxford University Press. p. 24.
255:
803:"Joyce, Galway and the Spanish Armada"
601:Vande Brake, Katherine (August 2009).
526:
524:
242:is now more commonly used to refer to
327:
325:
323:
109:gene pool in any significant manner.
7:
1000:http://www.jstor.org/stable/44807183
288:
286:
132:rejecting the Spanish origin myth.
777:. G. P. Putnam's sons. p. 63.
655:Podber, Jacob J. (September 2008).
92:. In Ireland, in the 21st century,
244:Irish nationals of African descent
14:
1015:"'Black Irish' a derogatory term"
880:. Research in Consumer Behavior.
723:. Houghton Mifflin. p. 369.
238:In Ireland, in the 21st century,
1012:Norris, Eric (9 November 2005).
941:. Open Road Media. p. 65.
744:Burnett, Bruce I. (July 1988).
312:Burke, Mary M. (1 March 2023).
40:Irish people of African descent
1108:Historical definitions of race
1045:. Chambers Harrap Publishers.
420:Nights in the Gardens of Spain
357:Everett, C. S. (Summer 1999).
136:Potential purposes of the myth
1:
1022:. Hays, Kansas, US. p. 2
890:10.1016/s0885-2111(06)11011-x
494:10.1080/0031322X.2015.1128056
855:10.1126/science.356.6339.678
839:Gibbons, Ann (19 May 2017).
631:Journal of Genetic Genealogy
359:"Melungeon History and Myth"
719:Mattingly, Garrett (2005).
664:Journal of Kentucky Studies
605:. Mercer University Press.
563:Pramaggiore, Maria (2015).
476:Van Vossole, Jonas (2016).
464:fairhaired Irish gene pool.
440:The Cormac McCarthy Journal
335:. Central Statistics Office
1134:
61:, paralleling the phrase "
18:
841:"Busting myths of origin"
771:Kilfeather, T.P. (1967).
434:Scott, Yarbrough (2017).
269:Oxford English Dictionary
172:Cultural use of the term
16:Mythical ethnic identity
1002:. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
878:Consumer Culture Theory
801:Ruiz-Mas, José (2023).
622:Estes, Roberta (2010).
21:Black people in Ireland
1113:Irish-American history
750:Naval History Magazine
746:"The Great Enterprise"
701:10.22459/AH.41.2017.03
682:Karen, Hughes (2017).
531:Tate, Claudia (1998).
215:Modern use of the term
185:
162:Aboriginal Australians
130:Trinity College Dublin
112:In 1912, Irish author
67:Aboriginal Australians
34:to describe people of
980:Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
818:10.24162/EI2023-11386
482:Patterns of Prejudice
179:
1020:The Hays Daily News
810:Estudios Irlandeses
569:Estudios Irlandeses
363:Appalachian Journal
295:The Berkshire Eagle
190:F. Scott Fitzgerald
100:Spanish origin myth
86:F. Scott Fitzgerald
688:Aboriginal History
186:
1098:American folklore
948:978-1-4804-4600-7
899:978-0-7623-1446-1
784:978-0-900068-43-0
544:978-0-19-509683-5
198:Margaret Mitchell
150:African Americans
59:African-Americans
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405:(30 July 1999).
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1080:(4). July 2016.
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935:(2016-06-07).
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219:In the 1950s,
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51:Spanish Armada
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180:US President
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36:Irish descent
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1024:. Retrieved
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209:pejoratively
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503:10316/41783
412:Irish Times
240:Black Irish
114:James Joyce
94:Black Irish
63:Black Dutch
28:Black Irish
1092:Categories
905:8 December
721:The Armada
579:8 November
509:6 December
457:24 January
452:1989487158
380:23 January
339:7 December
275:8 December
250:References
75:Australian
26:The term "
826:257588035
694:: 47–70.
575:: 176–178
233:the Moors
221:Malcolm X
154:Melungeon
976:44807183
488:(1): 7.
448:ProQuest
375:40933999
300:sadness.
884:: 252.
223:of the
144:in the
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1026:May 5,
974:
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917:copper
896:
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200:, and
118:Galway
1070:(PDF)
972:JSTOR
913:olive
822:S2CID
806:(PDF)
756:(3).
660:(PDF)
637:(1).
627:(PDF)
371:JSTOR
1047:ISBN
1028:2024
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894:ISBN
779:ISBN
725:ISBN
581:2023
539:ISBN
511:2023
459:2024
382:2024
341:2023
277:2023
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490:doi
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754:2
733:.
698::
666:.
635:6
547:.
500::
492::
422:.
279:.
23:.
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