Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ethnicity indicates genetic origins in The western region of the British Isles which is populated by descendants of the once-ubiquitous Celtic people: together with Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany, the nations of Ireland (Éire), Scotland (Alba), and Wales (Cymru) constitute the 6 nations of the “Celtic fringe” — a cultural region and collection of geographical territories in which Celtic languages and culture have survived. In Ireland, a Gaelic political and social order existed from the prehistoric era until the early seventeenth century. Around the ninth century, the amalgamation of Picts and Gaels laid the foundation for the Kingdom of Scotland. Wales got its name from the Anglo-Saxons, whose term for the Romano-Britons — walhaz (meaning “Romanized foreigner”) — eventually evolved into the modern form, “Welsh.” Today, descendants of these 3 nations can be found all over the world, predominantly in North America: the Irish diaspora is estimated at approximately 100 million, some 2–3 times greater than the Scottish and as much as 26 times greater than the Welsh diasporas.
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Irish, Scottish, and Welsh history
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The Goidelic Celts were first to invade Britain. They were later pushed into Ireland by the Brittonic Celts who invaded Britain around 500 B.C.E., occupying present-day England and Wales. The Romans conquered Britain in 43 B.C.E., leading to the development of a Romano-British culture. When the empire receded in the fifth century, the Romans abandoned the island. The following centuries saw the consolidation of what would become Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. In the twelfth century, the Normans invaded and conquered large swaths of land from the Irish, marking the beginning of over 800 years of direct English involvement in Ireland. During the sixth century, the Scots — a people from Ireland — invaded what is now Scotland and founded the kingdom of Dalriada. In 843, Dalriada absorbed the lands of the Picts in the Highlands, establishing the Kingdom of Scotland. In 1267, Llewellyn the Great, who ruled over several Welsh kingdoms, signed a treaty with King Henry III of England, recognizing Llewellyn as Prince of Wales and consigning Wales to be a British vassal.
In 1603, King James VI of Scotland, whose grandfather had married into the House of Tudor, ascended the English throne. James was determined to build on the personal union of the crowns of Scotland and England to establish a permanent union under one monarch, one parliament, and one law. Though James never succeeded, the Union of the Crowns had begun a process that would lead to the eventual unification of the two kingdoms. That state came into being following the Treaty of Union in 1706, which united the kingdoms of England (including Wales) and Scotland to form a single kingdom encompassing the whole island of Great Britain. The legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was completed by the Acts of Union in 1800, passed by each parliament, uniting the two kingdoms into one, to be ruled by the unified Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Great Irish Famine of the 1840s led to the deaths of a million Irish people and the emigration of a million more. Concurrently, Irish nationalism grew during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, especially among the Catholic population. As a consequence of the Irish War of Independence in the 1920s, the island was divided into Northern Ireland, which remained part of the U.K., and the independent Republic of Ireland. Both Welsh and Scottish nationalist movements have also arisen during the twentieth century, demanding varying degrees of linguistic independence, cultural self-determination, and even political independence. However, when Scottish secession from the United Kingdom was put to a referendum in 2014, the “remain” movement prevailed.
Irish, Scottish, and Welsh culture
Owing to differing geographies and climates, the prevalence of pastoral farming and agriculture, and exposure to outside influence throughout the British Isles’ turbulent history, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have distinct culinary traditions. However, they share a common emphasis on beef, lamb, potatoes, oats, and dairy products. Well-known dishes include Irish black pudding (a sausage made of pork meat, fat, and blood mixed with barley, suet, and oatmeal), Scottish haggis (sheep’s heart, liver, lungs, and suet), and Welsh rarebit (seasoned cheese on toast).
The traditions and culture of Ireland are known across the world. Millions of people celebrate and enjoy traditions such as St. Patrick’s Day, Irish dancing, and of course — Guinness! Introduced by Arthur Guinness from his brewery at St. James’s Gate, Dublin in 1859, Guinness is the most popular alcoholic drink in Ireland and is arguably the world’s most famous pint. If you like your drinks stronger, Ireland is also famous for its whiskies; in fact, the word “whiskey” comes from the Irish uisce beatha, meaning “water of life.” Despite a decline in popularity during the twenteeth century (while its rival cousin, Scotch whiskey, became more popular), over the past decades, Irish whiskey has seen a resurgence.
Across the Irish Sea, clans have been a huge part of Scottish culture and played a vital role in the nation’s history. Scottish clans originated in the Highlands, and each clan has their own tartan showcased on their unique kilt and bagpipes. The kilt, originally a multi-purpose piece of clothing worn on a daily basis by Highlanders, is today worn proudly on ceremonial occasions and celebrations; the bagpipes, though popularized by military and civilian pipe bands, are also used for a solo style called pibroch. The kilt and bagpipes have become the quintessential symbols of Scotland in popular culture.
Despite centuries of invasions, absorptions, and immigration of foreigners, Welsh culture has endured. Key to Welsh culture is the folk tradition of poetry and music that continues to promote the Welsh language to date. The nineteenth century saw a revival of Welsh folk culture, including celebrations which evolved into major events and festivals: the Hay Festival of Literature in the town of Hay-on-Wye attracts thousands of visitors annually, as does the Eisteddfod gathering, celebrating Welsh music, poetry, and storytelling.
Irish, Scottish, and Welsh languages
Each of these 3 nations has spoken some variant of its original Celtic dialect continuously: Irish, a Goidelic language of the Celtic language family, has been the dominant language of the Irish people for most of their recorded history. Scottish Gaelic developed out of Middle Irish and became a distinct spoken language around the thirteen century. Scots, another Germanic variety, is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, commonly spoken in northern and western Scotland. Welsh is a Brittonic language of the Celtic language family. While nearly everyone there now speaks English, the Irish, Scottish, and Welsh people take great pride in their independent ethnicities and celebrate their historic cultures and languages.
Explore more about ethnicity estimates
- MyHeritage DNA at MyHeritage
- Ethnicities around the world at MyHeritage
- What Is My Ethnicity? How MyHeritage Estimates Ethnicities at MyHeritage Knowledge Base
- Where's My Ethnicity?!: Why An Ethnicity Might Not Show Up In Your DNA (and How To Find Evidence Of It Anyway) at MyHeritage Knowledge Base