Genetic Communities on the Irish side of the family

Genetics.  A little bit magical.  A little bit scary.  What our ancestors gave to us and what we give to our descendants like a dish that gets passed down the family line.  It can get a little bit banged up on its journey down the family line but we think it's beautiful regardless.  That dish belongs to us.  The stories of our ancestors belong to us too and we share them with many others who experienced similar struggles and joy along the way. 

You're probably wondering where I'm going with this.  You may know that both Chris and I have submitted DNA samples in hopes of finding new family members or solving some mysteries about where in Ireland we came from.  There are a number of companies that test DNA and produce different kinds of results for their customers.  Chris' DNA was sent to a company that focuses on surnames.  I wanted to find other Ryans so we needed male DNA. My DNA went to Ancestry.com.  You've seen the commercials, so you know that Ancestry testing gives customers clues to ethnicity thousands (yes, thousands) of years old.  So far, Chris' DNA hasn't resulted in any confirmed new relatives, though there are several intriguing possibilities. 

Ancestry recently released a new DNA tool that tracks our DNA to "genetic communities"--- many people from an area that share similar DNA and had similar life experiences.  These life experiences often led to migration.  Migration like this became like a worn path you follow through the woods mostly because someone else had already done so ahead of you.  These patterns can give us clues as to how our Ryan ancestors ended up in Gloucester, for example.  It may not be as simple as the Potato Famine pushing the Irish across the sea. 

These Genetic Communities Ancestry presents are VERY intriguing for our family.  There are two of them.  One is English Newfoundlanders and the other is Munster Irish.  We certainly have Irish, and they are from the regions outlined on the handy dandy map provided.  Most of our Irish seem to appear in the Boston/Gloucester area in the 1860s or so and this is what Ancestry has to say about their Irish migration during that time period: 

The Great Famine Migration

During the Great Famine, potato blight ruined Ireland’s main source of food. Although the horrors of mass starvation were highest in the southwestern province of Munster, its people felt a deep connection to their native land and culture, and emigrated only as a last resort. If they did not die or enter the infamous workhouse, the poor opted for the short journey to England. Others with a little more money crossed the Atlantic to settle among the poor in urban areas in the United States, with New York the most common destination.

The Irish this might apply to include James Handran, Timothy Ryan, John Bentley, Martin Costello, Julia McDonough.  So far, we think our Irish hail from Galway, Meath, Sligo and Clare (all areas within this Munster region).  My husband, Jim, giggled when he saw that these regions of Ireland were suitable for hiding criminals and rebels.  

Our Newfoundlanders include John Edward Handran and Mary Ann Squires.  These people often migrated to Nova Scotia (John Pierce, Phoebe Nickerson ) before settling in the Cape Ann area.  In general, the Canadians came to America a little later than our Irish and this is what Ancestry has to say about that time period for them: 

Cod Decline Pushes Newfoundlanders to New England

Overfishing cod caused economic instability on the island. The promise of lucrative jobs meant some Newfoundlanders headed to New England coastal towns, particularly Boston. In America the transplants often found work as fishermen, factory workers, and servants.

And another BINGO!!!  I'll just have to show you how magical this is sometime when anyone visits.  It feels darn great to have my research confirmed in this way with pretty maps and dotted lines!