The people of Ireland are of what descendent? (nationality)?

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abfabmom1

They're Irish.

Cathal

The Irish people share a common heritage with the Scottish, Welsh, and Manx people (other inhabitants of the Isles). Their root origin is Celtic, an ancient people who along with the Germanic and Roman races were the predominant races in Europe over 2000 years ago. It is unclear exactly where the Celts originated but we do know at a certain point in history they began to migrate (it is unclear why) north from their Iberian base in southern Spain and West from their northern territories (in what is now parts of Germany) toward the Isles (Britain/Ireland). When these Celts arrived in Ireland their writings indicate they discovered a people already living there. A race of small people (probably around 5' foot in height) whom they subdued and most likely interbred with. This is generally believed to be where the idea of leprechauns came from. The time frame of that was a few centuries B.C. and since then the Celtic race in Ireland has been mixed with a few other different cultures. For instance Viking invasions beginning in the 8th century A.D. and ending in the 11th century brought waves of Nordic peoples who never left but intermingled with the Celtic peoples who were there. Then of course you had the Normans who invaded in the 12th century organized by Strongbow and once again they intermarried with the natives, becoming as history records "more Irish than the Irish themselves." In the following centuries the English (a combination of the Normans and Anglo-Saxon races) slowly subdued the rest of Ireland but it is believed at this point their was little intermarriage because the religious gap (16th century when England accepted the new idea of protestantism, while the Irish remained Catholic).

In the northern part of Ireland there is something entirely different going on and it has to do with Scottish and English peoples who were brought in by England to colonize the it. In order to accomplish this England uprooted Irish families from Northern Ireland (Ulster) and had their settlers built large plantations on the Irish lands.
This occurred around around the 16th - 17th centuries.
Since then there has been little other mixing but with the amount of foreigners who are now coming to Ireland, history may record this very period as another milestone in the definition of what "Irish" truly is.

I hope this helps, it's probably more than you asked for but what the heck.

An American in Ireland

The people of Ireland have roots from the Iberian Celts and Spainards, and Moors. They have been invaded by the Saxons, the Normans, The vikings that is evident in the different castles and strongholds you can see in Ireland. Also when you see the Irish people although there are a lot of red hair there is also a lot of dark hair, blonds, olive colored skin and now you even have Nigerians whose children are irish because they were born in Ireland

max

majority are descendants from anglo saxon (Scandinavian) and anglo norman like the english,but we like to say were celtic(early european nomads) descendants

Fr. Dougal McGuire

Youre stupid - please get a vasectomy so you dont spoil the IQ of others by having retarded kids.

Charlotte C

The people of Ireland have Irish nationality....check your dictionary!!

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nationality

Garnet

mainly Irish, some English/Scottish/Welsh

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