Two Matching Sets of Seven Names

The identification of Breasal Breac DNA rests upon the similarity between a set of seven names in the ancient genealogy of Breasal Breac and a set of seven names among 87 (or 97) of 228 testers with R-Y5058 Y-DNA.

There are two alternative groups of Carroll testers shown in the above table. It is not known which is the historical Carrolls.

Many people with Breassal Breac DNA do not have historical surnames. The major names are: Kennedy, Ellis, Sexton, Condry, Wilder. Breassal Breac DNA has not yet been found for some historical Breassal Breac names: Murphy, O'Byrne, O'Toole, Brennan, Fitzpatrick.

Abridged Breassal Breac Big Y SNP Tree

Y-chromosome DNA shared by men with names that match names in ancient pedigrees of men descended from Breassal Breac, King of Leinster around 200 or 100 BC.

All who have BIG Y test results share 43 unique SNPs, including Y5058 SNP. These SNPs are downstream of R-P312, DF27, and Z31644.

Most have two unique STR markers: 481=24 and 520=21.

Breassal Breac DNA. Recent Y-chromosome DNA tests at Family Tree DNA show a similarity in DNA between men with the surnames O'Dwyer and Ryan. A 17th century history of Ireland connects these two names genealogically in Munster and ultimately back to Leinster. People with other names have been found to have this DNA as well: Carroll/McCarvill, Lee/Leary, Kennedy/Cannady, Gorman, Keogh/Cahoo. People who have this DNA are invited to join the Breassal Breac Project at FTDNA.

Background. Edmond Carroll, great grandfather of my wife Marilyn Carroll Biggins, was born in 1835 in County Limerick. He was baptized on February 17 at St. Patrick's Church just outside Ballyneety, in Donoughmore Parish in the Diocese of Limerick. In 1861, Edmond Carroll married Catherine Higgins in Herbertstown, County Limerick. Edmond worked as a slater in Stonepark, County Limerick. In 1880, Edmond and Catherine emigrated with their seven children to Chicago, Illinois, USA.

In 2011, Edmond's great great grandson, Michael Patrick Carroll, had his Y-chromosome DNA tested by Family Tree DNA. His DNA did not match the more common Carrolls of Oriel, Ely Carroll, or Carrolls of Niall of the Nine Hostages. He did, however, match a small group of Carrolls, as well as people named Ryan, O'Dwyer, Lee/Leary, Kennedy/Cannady, Gorman, Keogh/Cahoo.

Ancient Genealogies

Ancient genealogies for Breassal Breac include the surnames O'Dwyer, Ryan, Gorman, Carroll, Lee/Leary, Keough, and Whelan. Y-DNA testers with these names have been found to share the Y-DNA mutation called Y5061. This mutation, or SNP, is roughly dated at 350 AD. There are other names that are historically connected to these names but none has been found to have the same DNA. This could be due to a mistake in the history or the small proportion of people who have had their DNA tested at 67 markers.

Ancient Laigin and Osraighe. Dennis Walsh reviews the history, geography, and genealogy of Ireland, with a special focus on ancient and medieval Irish tribes and septs. He covers two geographic areas in the ancient kingdom of Leinster where the ancestors of people with Breassal Breac DNA came from in Ireland:

• Laigin. O'Dwyer, Ryan, Lee/Leary, Kennedy/Cannady, Gorman, Keogh/Cahoo come from this area.
• Osraighe. O'Carroll of Ossory come from this area. Ossory is an anglicized form of the Irish name Osraighe.

John O'Hart. In his Irish Pedigrees; or, the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation, published in 1892 (fifth edition), Volume I, John O'Hart ties together the ancient genealogies of Ryan, O'Dwyer, Carroll/McCarvill, Lee/Leary, Kennedy/Cannady, Gorman, Keogh/Cahoo. The following table is in two parts. Under the title "Descendants of Breassal Breac," the table shows how these names stem from Breassal Breac, King of Leinster around 200 or 100 BC. Under the heading "Men with Y5058 DNA," the table lists the kit number and name of men who have what we call Breassal Breac DNA.

Descendants of Breassal Breac

Men with Y5058 DNA

Men with Z255 DNA

It is possible that Breassal Breac had Z255 DNA, dated 100 BC, instead of Y5058. The surnames below are supposed to be descended from Breassal Breac, but have Z255 DNA instead of Y5058. See Z255 Project. Z255 DNA has also been called Leinster DNA and Irish Sea DNA.

Men with FGC5494 DNA

Ryan DNA Project. Ryans of Breassal Breac are by far the largest group of Ryans in the Ryan DNA Project at Family Tree DNA. Maurice Gleeson, a Medical Doctor in London, is a genetic genealogist and runs the Ryan DNA Project. He also has a Ryan DNA Blog.

Ryan of Idrone and Owneybeg. Ryan is the most populous surname among Y-DNA testers who are descendants of Breassal Breac. And, about three out of four Ryans who have tested their Y-DNA are descendants of Breassal Breac. The Ryans of Breassal Breac are historically from the baronies of Owney in County Tipperary and Owneybeg in County Limerick. The central town is Newport in Co. Tipperary. The first mention in history of the O'Ryans is of the O'Ryans of Idrone about the year 1000. Idrone was a medieval barony in Leinster, in what is now County Carlow. The name Idrone derived from the old Gaelic Hy Drona. The chief of this tribe of O'Ryans was generally referred to as the Lord or King of Idrone.

Derek Ryan has a big interest in the Ryans in general and runs a Facebook page about the history of the O'Mulryan Clan of Owney & Owneybeg known as Owney O'Mulryan. See: Ryan Clan of Tipperary & Limerick.

Excerpt from 1899 Map of Baronies of Ireland, showing where testers named Ryan, Dwyer, and Carroll were from. Ryan: Owney and Owneybeg upper left and Idrone upper right. The early barony of Idrone was split into East and West in 1799, separated by the River Barrow. The River Barrow flows south from there, separates County Kilkenny and County Wexford, and empties into the Celtic Sea south of Waterford City. Dwyer: Kilnamanagh, east of Owney and Owneybeg. Carroll: Ossory/Osraige, which was roughly County kilkenny and County Laois (Queens). See: Carroll of Ossory.

Dwyer of Kilnamanagh. Dwyer is the second most populous surname among Y-DNA testers who are descendants of Breassal Breac. And, about half of the Dwyers who have tested their Y-DNA are descendants of Breassal Breac. In 1933, Sir Michael O'Dwyer published a book entitled The O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh: The History of an Irish Sept. The book is a historical and genealogical treatise detailing the O'Dwyer (Ó Duibhir) noble family who had commanded the area around Thurles from the pre-Norman era until losing their castles and land during the Cromwellian confiscations of the 17th century. Chapter I covers the early history down to the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. Sir Michael O'Dwyer traced his ancestry back to the ancient genealogies of Geoffrey Keating and John O'Hart.

John O'Dwyer, kit 161570, has Y5058 Breassal Breac DNA and traces his ancestry back to Sir Michael O'Dwyer.

Murnane. In 2018, Ruth Murnane McKindles has her brother Mark Murnane, kit #847110, tested at FTDNA. He was found to have Breassal Breac DNA. In 1991, his cousin Edward D. Murnane wrote a book called It’s Not Such a Long Way to Tipperary: The Story of the Murnane Family of Cappauniac, County Tipperary. Edward was a journalist and traveled with President Reagan.

Geoffrey Keating. The names O'Dwyer and O'Ryan are connected genealogically on page 255 of the John Mahony translation of The History of Ireland, by Geoffrey Keating (1569-1644):

The reader must now be made aware, that all the true Lagenians, of the race of Erimhon, are the descendants of this Labraidh Loingsech, with the single exception of the clan of O'Nuallain, (or O'Nolan,) which is descended from Cobthach Cael Breagh. The following are the principal family names amongst the Lagenians, to wit, O'Connor Falghi, with the branches that have sprung therefrom; O'Cavanagh; O'Toohill (or Toole;) O'Brinn (or Byrne;) Mac Gilla-Patrick or Fitzpatrick; O'Dunn; O'Dimasaigh (or Dempsy;) O'Dwyer; O'Ryan; and all the Septs that trace their origin to any of these names. The chief part of the Leinster clans are descended from Cathaeir Mor, (Caheer Morr.) However, the clan of Mac Gilla-Patrick does not draw its origin from that king; for the race of Mac Gilla-Patrick branched off from the Lagenian stock at Bresal Brec, son of Fiacaidh Fobric, the fourteenth ancestor from Cathaeir upwards. This Bresal had two sons, namely, Lugaidh Lothfinn and Conla. The principality of Leinster was divided between these two, and what lies from the Barrow eastwards fell to Lugaidh and to his posterity, and the part that lies westward, from the Barrow to Slighe Dala (Shlee Dawla) fell to Conla. Of these sons, and of this division made between, these chiefs we find the following testimony in the duan which begins thus, "The blessed Story of the Saints of Fal:"

"Lugaidh and Conla, generous hearts,
Were the sons of mighty Bresal Brec;
From Conla of wounds the Osraide came,
And of Laighen, Lugaidh was the sire."

From Lugaidh descended the O'Dwyers also, who had branched off from the stock of Cathaeir Mor, in the fifth generation before him. Cathaeir Mor was the son of Feidlimidh Firurglas, son of Cormac Gelta-gaeth, son of Niacorb, son of Cucorb. Carbi Cluthecar, from whom the O'Dwyers are sprung, was the son of Cucorb, the last named of these. Again, it was from Nathi, son of Crimthann, son of Enna Kennselach, the seventh generation from Cathaeir downwards, that the O'Ryans sprang.

Y-Chromosome DNA

What we call Breassal Breac DNA is Y-chromosome DNA. By testing the Y-chromosome DNA, one can determine the origin of a paternal line. Note that the Y-DNA strictly checks the paternal line, with no influence of any females along that line. Females do not receive the Y-chromosome, and therefore females cannot be tested for the paternal line. If you are a female and would like to know about your paternal line, you would need to have a brother or a male relative from that line to be tested. ((By testing the mtDNA, males and females can determine the origin of their maternal line. Note that the mtDNA strictly checks the maternal line, with no influence of any males along that line. Both males and females receive the mtDNA from the mother.)

Breassal Breac DNA is identified by mutations in the Y chromosome. There are two kinds of mutations: STRs and SNPs.

• STR. Short Tandem Repeat. Markers 481 and 520 are key for Breassal Breac.
• SNP. Single Nucleotide Polymorphism. Y5058 identifies Breassal Breac DNA.

Predicting Breassal Breac DNA with STRs. There are two Y-chromosome STR markers that are fairly unique for Breassal Breac participants who have tested 67 markers.

• Marker 481, the 58th marker, is 24, with a few at 23, 25, 26, and 27.
• Marker 520, the 59th marker, is 21, with a few at 20 and 22.

SNPs. Some people in the database have been tested for Y-chromosome SNPs. A SNP is a "single nucleotide polymorphism," a mutation that occurs very infrequently.

Michael Sager of FTDNA maintans a Public Y-DNA Haplotree. Tester surnames are shown if two or more kits allow public project profile sharing and have the same surname spelling. Learn about the tree at: Public Y-DNA Haplotree

Most Breassal Breac who have tested any number of STRs are predicted by FTDNA to have the M269 SNP. All Breassal Breac Big Y testers have the Y5058 SNP and a number of SNPs between M269 and Y5058. The SNPs are shown below. Click on a SNP to see Family Tree DNA's Discover More..

• M173     Kazakhstan     (20000 BC)     Branches to Viking
  
• M343     Southern Russia     (17000 BC)
  
• M269     Southern Russia     (4350 BC)
  
• L23     Southern Russia     (4250 BC)
  
• L51     Ukraine     (4000 BC)
  
• P310     Ukraine     (3300 BC)
  
• L151     Ukraine     (3000 BC)     Branches to Saxon
• P312     Southern Germany     (2800 BC)     "Celtic"     Branches to L21
• Z46516     Southern Germany     (2750 BC)
• ZZ11     Southern Germany     (2700 BC)
• DF27     Pyrenees     (2600 BC)
• ZZ12     Pyrenees     (2500 BC)
• FTT1     Pyrenees     (2450 BC)
• FGC78762     Leinster     (2450 BC)
• ZZ19     Leinster     (2350 BC)
• Z31644     Leinster     (2300 BC)     Z31644 Project at FTDNA, has set up several categories for the Y5058 SNP
• BY2285     Leinster     (2300 BC)
• Y5075     Leinster     (2100 BC)
• Y5077     Leinster     (1900 BC)
• Y5058     Leinster     (150 AD)
• Y5061     Leinster     (550 AD)

Excerpt from R-Z31644 Descendant Tree by Tiger Walsh. An overview of the early and major branches. Y5058, ancestor of Breassal Breac, is circled in red. See: Z31644 Project at FTDNA.

R-Y5058 Breassal Breac Big Y SNP Tree

1. SNPs. SNPs (e.g., Y5058) are single nucleotide polymorphisms, or mutations, found on the Y chromosome of male BIG Y testers. SNPs that are inherited by two or more testers allow the creation of tree branches with named SNPs.
2. Discover More. Click on a SNP in the tree below to see Family Tree DNA's story of the SNP, including the estimated year that it was born.
3. Testers. After each SNP are the names of Big Y testers whose DNA named the SNP.
4. Subgroup. Click on the subgroup after a SNP to see the names of Big Y testers (y) and other members who are predicted to have the SNP. The subgroups are based on surname, genetic distance among group members, and unique STRs. Shown is a matrix of the the 67-STR genetic distances among the members based on the McGee Utility.
5. Unique STRs. Shown after some SNPs are STRs (short tandem repeats) that are unique for that SNP.
6. Public Results Index Number. The italicized three-digit number (e.g., 100) helps you find a tester's category on the FTDNA public results page for the Breassal Breac project. Click on the number to go to the public results page. Shown are tester last name, kit number, ancestor's name and country, haplogroup (SNP), and up to 111 STRs.

R-Y5058 Breassal Breac Big Y SNP Tree

(See also Abridged Tree.)

About the Tree. The tree shows Y-chromosome SNPs of Breassal Breac Big Y testers. Big Y is a Y-chromosome testing program offered by Family Tree DNA since 2014. It identifies a man's SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and compares those SNPs with other men it has tested. The Breassal Breac Big Y SNP Tree includes the SNPs of all Breassal Breac members who have been tested under the Family Tree DNA Big Y program, which tests a large part of the Y-chromosome.

The tree is based on FTDNA's Big Y Block Tree, which is accessible by each Big Y tester from his homepage at FTDNA.

Michael Sager of FTDNA maintans a Public Y-DNA Haplotree. Tester surnames are shown if two or more kits allow public project profile sharing and have the same surname spelling. Learn about the tree at: Public Y-DNA Haplotree

For a summary of Big Y, see the FTDNA Big Y Q&A.

YFull has a SNP tree at R-A50. The tree is based on testers who submit their raw data. The cost is $50. As of March 2022, 13 testers had submitted data. SNP age estimates are made by YFull based on the Adamov et al 2015 study. These estimates are updated when new testers are added.

Rob Spencer's SNP Tracker provides a SNP progression list, estimated age, and map. SNPs are based on FTDNA Big Y data. Ages are based on YFull and interpolated.

SNPs are either named or unnamed.

• Unnamed SNPs have a 7 or 8 digit number based on their position on the Build 37 human reference genome. The letters indicate the nature of the mutation, e.g. from C to T.
• Named SNPs have been given a short name to make them easieer to remember. If you wave over them with your cursor, you will see the longer SNP designation. SNP names start with letters.
  • "A" SNPs were named by Thomas Krahn. See the YSEQ SNP Index.
  • "AM" or "AMM" SNPs were named by the Laboratory of Forensic Genetics and Molecular Archaeology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  • "BY" SNPs were found with Big Y at Family Tree DNA. See the BY SNP Index.
  • "CTS" SNPs were named by Chris Tyler-Smith of the The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, England.
  • "DF" SNPs were named by an anonymous researcher using publicly available full-genome-sequence data, including 1000 Genomes Project data; named in honor of the DNA-Forums.org genetic genealogy community.
  • "F" SNPs were named by Li Jin at Fudan University in China.
  • "FGC" SNPs were named by Full Genomes Corporation of Virginia and Maryland.
  • "FT," "FTA," and "FTB" SNPs were found with Big Y-700 at Family Tree DNA. See the FT SNP Index.
  • "L" SNPs were named by Thomas Krahn in honor of the late Leo Little.
  • "M" SNPs were named by Peter Underhill, Ph.D., of Stanford University.
  • "PF" SNPs were named by Paolo Francalacci at the Università di Sassari in Italy.
  • "S" SNPs were named at ScotlandsDNA by James F. Wilson, D.Phil, Edinburgh University.
  • "SK" SNPs were named by Mark Stoneking, Ph.D., Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
  • "V" SNPs were named by Rosaria Scozzari and Fulvio Cruciani, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin,” Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
  • "Y" SNPs were named by the YFull Team using data from the 1000 Genomes Project.
  • "Z" SNPs were assigned by the Community.
  • "ZZ" SNPs were named by Alex Williamson. Mutations in palindromic regions. Each ZZ prefix represents two possible SNP locations

Table of Contents     

Major Surname Projects

The FTDNA surname projects for the major historical surnames are as follows.

• Ryan: Ryan DNA Project. Ryan is the most common name with Breassal Breac DNA. Excluded are Perrigan, Ray, and Raynes, which may be variants of Ryan. Maurice Gleeson maintains a Ryan Blog
• Carroll. Carvill and Carroll are anglicized versions of Cearbhaill. There are three Carroll projects:
  • Carroll DNA Project,
  • McCarroll DNA Project,
  • McCarville/McCarvell DNA Project.
• O'Dwyer: O'Dwyer DNA Project. See also The O'Dwyer Clan. One of the O'Dwyers is descended from Sir Michael Francis O'Dwyer who in 1933 wrote The O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh: The History of an Irish Sept.
• Lee/Leahy/Leary:
  • Lee DNA Project, Haplogroup R1b - Lineage III,
  • Leahy DNA Project,
  • Leary DNA Project.
• Gorman: Gorman DNA Project, Lineage I and Lineage IV.
• Cosgrove: Cosgrove DNA Project.
• Keogh/Cahoo: Keogh DNA Project.
• Whelan: Whelan DNA Project.

Evolutionary Tree

The tree below shows how the Breassal Breac members might have branched off from each other over time. It is a PHYLIP tree, prepared by Sean MacGorman Powell, administrator of the Gorman project at FTDNA. The tree is inferrred assuming that the branching occurred in a parsimonious way. The tree is just a very rough estimate of the actual branching points between the testees' lineages. We do not know how the branching actually did occur. The width of the tree is about 850 years, as indicated by the scale of 200 years. (My wife Marilyn's cousin, Michael Patrick Carroll, kit No. 198624, is 13th from the bottom.)

Irish Surnames: Ryan, O'Dwyer, Gorman, Lee/Leary, and Carroll