The Curley surname research project is growing! We now have 28 test kits included in the DNA data, with several more in process. There are several recent test results that call for a news update.
First of all, one of the three Irish groups, "Irish Curley 3", is shaping up as an old lineage, with an ancestor estimated at around the 16th century. This is around the time that M'Curleys first appear in records in the area of counties Galway and Roscommon, probably recently arrived from the northern kingdom of Airghialla. So this lineage probably has an intact genetic lineage from one of the first M'Curley settlers in the area, possibly from the first M'Curley progenitor. This group belongs to the M222 haplogroup, which is concentrated in northern Ireland and Scotland, probably originating in this area. So this group is a strong candidate for being descendants of the 15th century MacOirghiallaigh family of the Airghialla kingdom who migrated to the Galway and Roscommon area around the 16th century.
Based on the new M222 results, I've reorganized the members of this group. It is now clear that we have several distinct, unrelated groups of M222. There are the Irish Curleys, with lineages from counties Galway and Sligo. There is a separate group of Ulster Scot McCurleys. There's a single English Curley individual, unrelated to the other groups. And, finally, there are a couple other M222 Curleys with 12 marker tests whose placement is not clear, but who probably belong to either the Irish Curley or Ulster Scot McCurley group.
We also have additional test results from the "Irish Curley 2" group. This group has turned out not to belong to the Clan Colla haplogroup. The hypothetical match to Clan Colla was a long shot, so this test outcome is not too surprising. The MacOirghiallaigh origin in the Airghialla kingdom is based on documentation evidence (and exclusion of other supposed origins that contradict the documentation), so the fact that this particular genetic lineage is not Clan Colla does not refute the MacOirghiallaigh origin for the Irish Curleys. The latest test results from the "Irish Curley 3" group suggest that it may be this group from the north, rather than "Irish Curley 2", which represents the original lineage from MacOirghiallaigh.
I've been busy recruiting testers from the area of the Airghialla kingdom. If we could identify one of the Curley lineages as being widely spread throughout all of Ireland, with a 15th century MRCA, it would establish that lineage as the likely original Curley lineage. We have a couple tests in the works from counties Louth and Monaghan. These could tie in to one of the existing southern Curley groups of counties Galway and Roscommon. Although the risk of non paternity affecting any individual lineage is, as always, significant. Ideally, I'd still like to get a couple more testers from the northern counties to maximize the odds of finding a lineage unaffected by non paternal events.
First of all, one of the three Irish groups, "Irish Curley 3", is shaping up as an old lineage, with an ancestor estimated at around the 16th century. This is around the time that M'Curleys first appear in records in the area of counties Galway and Roscommon, probably recently arrived from the northern kingdom of Airghialla. So this lineage probably has an intact genetic lineage from one of the first M'Curley settlers in the area, possibly from the first M'Curley progenitor. This group belongs to the M222 haplogroup, which is concentrated in northern Ireland and Scotland, probably originating in this area. So this group is a strong candidate for being descendants of the 15th century MacOirghiallaigh family of the Airghialla kingdom who migrated to the Galway and Roscommon area around the 16th century.
Based on the new M222 results, I've reorganized the members of this group. It is now clear that we have several distinct, unrelated groups of M222. There are the Irish Curleys, with lineages from counties Galway and Sligo. There is a separate group of Ulster Scot McCurleys. There's a single English Curley individual, unrelated to the other groups. And, finally, there are a couple other M222 Curleys with 12 marker tests whose placement is not clear, but who probably belong to either the Irish Curley or Ulster Scot McCurley group.
We also have additional test results from the "Irish Curley 2" group. This group has turned out not to belong to the Clan Colla haplogroup. The hypothetical match to Clan Colla was a long shot, so this test outcome is not too surprising. The MacOirghiallaigh origin in the Airghialla kingdom is based on documentation evidence (and exclusion of other supposed origins that contradict the documentation), so the fact that this particular genetic lineage is not Clan Colla does not refute the MacOirghiallaigh origin for the Irish Curleys. The latest test results from the "Irish Curley 3" group suggest that it may be this group from the north, rather than "Irish Curley 2", which represents the original lineage from MacOirghiallaigh.
I've been busy recruiting testers from the area of the Airghialla kingdom. If we could identify one of the Curley lineages as being widely spread throughout all of Ireland, with a 15th century MRCA, it would establish that lineage as the likely original Curley lineage. We have a couple tests in the works from counties Louth and Monaghan. These could tie in to one of the existing southern Curley groups of counties Galway and Roscommon. Although the risk of non paternity affecting any individual lineage is, as always, significant. Ideally, I'd still like to get a couple more testers from the northern counties to maximize the odds of finding a lineage unaffected by non paternal events.