{"id":78320,"date":"2023-05-01T13:27:03","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T18:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.familytreedna.com\/?p=78320"},"modified":"2026-03-13T15:10:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:10:09","slug":"gap-series-irish-ancestry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.familytreedna.com\/es\/gap-series-irish-ancestry\/","title":{"rendered":"Group Projects for Irish Ancestry: How DNA Testing and Collaboration Have Benefited Family History Research"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;183478&#8243;]By: Margaret O&#8217;Shea-jordan<\/p>\n<h2>Collaboration and communication are essential in Y-DNA testing, including within a Group Project and among administrators. Margaret O\u2019Shea-Jordan gives an overview of how DNA testing and Group Projects have helped her achieve her goals.<\/h2>\n<p>I got into using DNA as a genealogical tool when I was trying to find my late father\u2019s birth parents. I didn\u2019t have much information to go on; therefore, using science to find his family of origin appealed to me. In early 2003, I ordered a kit from FamilyTreeDNA for my father (surname O\u2019Shea) to do a Y-chromosome DNA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreedna.com\/products\/y-dna\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Y-DNA<\/a>) test.<\/p>\n<p>I was aware that one other man with the same surname had also tested just ahead of my father. Over the next few months, several men with the O\u2019Shea surname or a variant of the surname did a Y-DNA test through FamilyTreeDNA.<\/p>\n<p>It was time to set up a project to keep track of results, learn more, and share this information with project members.<\/p>\n<h2>The O\u2019Shea Y-DNA Project<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=&#8221;78325&#8243; media_lightbox=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_width_percent=&#8221;48&#8243; lbox_social=&#8221;yes&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;320987&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;543143&#8243;]We administrators of the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreedna.com\/groups\/oshea\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">O\u2019Shea yDNA Project<\/a><\/em> were DNA enthusiasts who wanted to learn more about the origin of the O\u2019Shea surname and how our patrilineal lines are connected to each other. It was always exciting to send off another DNA sample to FamilyTreeDNA, but it was tortuous waiting for the results. It still is! Communicating with project members is a priority, and helping them understand what their results mean is vital.<\/p>\n<p>In the early years of the project, we actively recruited O\u2019Sheas from areas in Kerry, Cork, Tipperary, and Kilkenny. We felt it was essential to have Y-DNA from people who still lived in areas of Ireland where the O\u2019Shea surname has been present for hundreds of years.<\/p>\n<h2>Sharing Ideas and Learning<\/h2>\n<p>Collaboration is extremely important in Y-DNA testing. This includes collaboration within a Group Project and among Group Project Administrators. Y-DNA haplogroups, Y-DNA geographic groups, and surname groups all contribute to our collective learning. Online communities share ideas and new achievements gleaned from Y-DNA.<\/p>\n<p>FamilyTreeDNA sent a representative to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.clansofireland.ie\/baile\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Clans of Ireland<\/a> meeting in Mallow, Co. Cork, in 2005 to talk about DNA testing.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=&#8221;78326&#8243; caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_lightbox=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_width_percent=&#8221;55&#8243; lbox_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; lbox_social=&#8221;yes&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;188092&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;743493&#8243;]This was exciting to the administrators of the O\u2019Shea Surname Project, and we were delighted to get the opportunity to meet the representative afterwards and discuss Y-DNA.<\/p>\n<p>As the <em>O\u2019Shea yDNA Project<\/em> grew, we kept up to date with what was going on in the DNA world, especially developments relating to Irish Y-DNA. In Ireland, in the mid-2000s, several Y-DNA research papers were published by the Genetics Department, Trinity College (TCD), Dublin. In 2010, the first Irish genome was sequenced by a team from University College, Dublin (UCD).<\/p>\n<h3>How SNP Testing Helped Our Results<\/h3>\n<p>In the 2000s, we administrators had been mainly using Y-STRs as we tried to predict which Y-DNA haplogroups our members\u2019 Y-DNA belonged to. As SNP testing became more available, we used SNPs to figure out where the O\u2019Shea Y-DNA fit on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreedna.com\/public\/y-dna-haplotree\/A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Y-DNA haplotree<\/a>. A Y-DNA results chart is one of the basic tools provided by FamilyTreeDNA. This means that administrators can group people as they see fit.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=&#8221;78327&#8243; media_lightbox=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_width_percent=&#8221;69&#8243; lbox_social=&#8221;yes&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;858453&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;619994&#8243;]We established several groupings based on mutational differences in Y-STRs and added SNP results as they became available. It was exciting to find a new SNP that confirmed the groupings we had created based on Y-STRs. We were learning that men who carried the O\u2019Shea surname could be grouped into several disparate groupings that had not been connected on the male line for thousands of years.<\/p>\n<h3>Family Finder\u2019s Role in Our Research<\/h3>\n<p>In 2010, FamilyTreeDNA introduced \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreedna.com\/products\/family-finder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Family Finder<\/a>,&#8221; their autosomal DNA test. This expanded DNA testing enormously. I used this successfully in my own quest to find my father\u2019s close male line by asking his closest Y-DNA matches to do an autosomal test in addition to the Y-DNA test they had already done. Having their original samples stored in the lab in Houston helped with this.<\/p>\n<p>Using autosomal DNA and Y-DNA enabled me to narrow the possibilities down to the point where I could focus on a specific family line and ultimately identify my father\u2019s biological father.<\/p>\n<h3>Ancient DNA Contributes to Our Research<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=&#8221;78328&#8243; caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_lightbox=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_width_percent=&#8221;54&#8243; lbox_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; lbox_social=&#8221;yes&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;817181&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;193279&#8243;]I remember attending a Bioconnect Ireland meeting in Dublin in early 2013, where Professor Daniel Bradley (Genetics Dept., TCD) mentioned <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.familytreedna.com\/what-is-adna\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ancient DNA<\/a> in his presentation. In recent years, ancient DNA has become an integral part of the genetic genealogy world, and FamilyTreeDNA incorporates results from <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.familytreedna.com\/category\/research\/ancient-dna\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ancient Y-DNA samples<\/a> into its Big Y timeline.<\/p>\n<h3>FamilyTreeDNA Conference<\/h3>\n<p>Later, in 2013, the first Genetic Genealogy Ireland event was held in Dublin.<br \/>\nThis event was sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and was a great way for Irish Project administrators to meet each other and chat with visitors from the USA and other places.<\/p>\n<h3>Big Y Testing<\/h3>\n<p>In 2014, the Big Y test was rolled out by FamilyTreeDNA. Next generation sequencing (NGS) was used, and this was a game changer. We could now let FamilyTreeDNA do the heavy lifting to find new branches of the Y-DNA haplotree. It was an eye opener as the Y-DNA haplotree became more and more detailed.<\/p>\n<h2>Additional Group Projects<\/h2>\n<p>In 2006, I was asked to join two others as administrators of the newly formed <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreedna.com\/groups\/ireland-heritage\/about\/background\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ireland yDNA Project<\/a><\/em>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=&#8221;78329&#8243; media_lightbox=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_width_percent=&#8221;42&#8243; lbox_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; lbox_social=&#8221;yes&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;234538&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;298004&#8243;]This project was set up to take Y-DNA results for men with Irish patrilineal lineages. It caters to all Irish surnames.<\/p>\n<h3>Y-DNA Group Projects<\/h3>\n<p>Men who had tested with the Genographic Project could also transfer their Y-DNA data to FamilyTreeDNA. Having an Irish Y-DNA project for them to join was seen as important, especially when there weren\u2019t very many Irish surname projects in existence at the time. The <em>Ireland yDNA Project<\/em> became very popular, growing to over 10,000 members.<\/p>\n<p>Y-DNA is shining a light on the origins and development of surnames in Ireland and the wider context of the migrations of ancient peoples to the country.<\/p>\n<p>I was an administrator of the <em>Ireland yDNA Project<\/em> for over 16 years, but in 2022 I decided to step back and concentrate on helping smaller surname projects that focus on the south of Ireland.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=&#8221;78330&#8243; media_lightbox=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_width_percent=&#8221;23&#8243; lbox_social=&#8221;yes&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;167462&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;109575&#8243;]So, as well as the O\u2019Shea yDNA Project, I am involved with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreedna.com\/groups\/meaneyy-dn-aof-ireland\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Meaney<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreedna.com\/groups\/lucey-ireland\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lucey<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreedna.com\/groups\/kelleher-ydn-aproject\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kelleher<\/a> surname Group Projects. I am eager to utilize the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreedna.com\/products\/big-y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Big Y-700<\/a> test in these projects in order to learn more about these surnames.<\/p>\n<h3>Autosomal Group Projects<\/h3>\n<p>Some years ago, I set up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreedna.com\/groups\/nw-cork-ireland-ff\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NW Co. Cork Family Finder Project<\/a> that covers the Millstreet-Macroom-Banteer area of Co. Cork, an area that relates to the paternal side of my own family.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=&#8221;78331&#8243; media_lightbox=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_width_percent=&#8221;42&#8243; lbox_social=&#8221;yes&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;177849&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;170774&#8243;]People who can trace one or more ancestral lines back to this area can join if they have done <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreedna.com\/products\/family-finder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">autosomal DNA testing<\/a> and see if they match others within the project. They can share family information, compare family trees, and try to find common ancestry.<\/p>\n<p>I would like to finish by saying that Irish surname Group Projects are benefiting hugely from the Big Y-700 test and reports, which greatly aid the analysis of results.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_single_image media=&#8221;78323&#8243; media_lightbox=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; media_ratio=&#8221;one-one&#8221; shape=&#8221;img-circle&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;158315&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;3\/4&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;964270&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h2>About the Author<\/h2>\n<h3>Margaret O&#8217;Shea-Jordan<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Group Project Administrator at FamilyTreeDNA<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Margaret O&#8217;Shea-Jordan is a retired secondary school teacher (Maths &amp; Physics) in Ireland. For the past number of years, she has been a genetic genealogist, specializing in helping people find birth family using DNA. She is administrator for the O\u2019Shea surname DNA project, as well as Kelleher Y-DNA and Meaney Y-DNA of Ireland, and co-administrator on the Lucey-Ireland project. [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how DNA testing and Group Projects have transformed Irish genealogy research with Margaret O\u2019Shea-Jordan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":78321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[118,1198,1205,1209,1211],"tags":[1186,1190,1193,1194,1201,1231,1232,1233,1234],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.2 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Group Projects for Irish Ancestry: DNA Testing and Collaboration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how DNA testing and Group Projects have transformed Irish genealogy research with Margaret O\u2019Shea-Jordan.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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