I Am Irish Forum & Chat Board | Black Irish

Hello,

This question has been in my mind recently....

How common is it to find a Black Irish in Ireland?

Definition of Black Irish: Dark Hair (black/ brown) & Light Eyes (blue/ brown)....

I absolutely LOVE that combo of features in a man...im not looking for a man im just totally blown away with that look and so that is why i was wondering how common those features are to find in Ireland.

My friends joke about it and say that when I go to visit Ireland I wont find a single Irish that is a Black Irish...or that I will find Black Irish, but I wont find a single good looking one.

Anyway, they say that I shouldn't waste my money to go all the way to Ireland to see if I spot any cute Black Irish. BUT I say I wouldn't go there for that purspose only....I just love their culture and heritage...nice people...BEAUTIFUL beautiful land...& weather too....i might just move there some day....ya never know!

Anyway, lemme know if there...

Peace,

Sophia

Sophia

There are lots of "black Irish" as you describe them.  Lots of good looking ones too: Colin Farrell, U2.  Visit you'll see.

S

Well I knew about Colin Farrell...and I also realize that there are other people who have those features and they are not Irish soo they can't be considered Black Irish...I guess I just wanted to know if it is a common trait.

thanx for the reassurance...im booking my ticket as i am writing....(jokes)!

Are you talking about "Dylan McDermot" and "Patrick Dempsey" kind of Black Irish?

Like Jennifer Connolly, and Lara Flynn Boyle? I heard from my grandparents that red-heads

are the combination of the Irish and Nordic-the Blonde Vikings that kept conquering(and staying in)

Ireland.My family from the North West of Ireland looks like Black Irish. My Grandmother from Mayo,

has light hair and brown eyes.I don't know if that helps at all.

Maureenb

I'm really sorry, but I am 100% Irish, born, raised, and live there, so I know what I'm talking about. There is no such group called 'black Irish' as you describe it. I have the coloring you describe, but we ascribe no label to it.Black Irish to us means Irish born of African parents, which is REALLY common here.

I think the idea of 'black irish' as you describe it comes as an opposite to the redhead, pale and freckled stereotype that people of Irish descent living outside Ireland often identify with.

There are theories that the dark Irish today may be desendants of the Picts.These were Celtic tribes that lived in Ireland before the Celtic Gaels arrived.They probably were darker skinned with darker hair.They also inhabited northern Scotland.The name Pict came form the Romans who often fought them in Britain.It meant blue-painted people as they often dyed themselves with woad a blue plant based dye before battle to make themselves appear more fierce.The Romans never conquered the Picts and built Hadrian's Wall in northern Britain to keep them out.In fact the Romans were terrified of them.But most of the true native Irish today other than Viking,Norman,or English stock are a combination of Celtic Gael and Celtic Pict.Hope that helps.Also no one alive today knows what Pictish sounds like.They had no written language and the language itself died out in around the year AD 600.

black irish,came from the norse invaders who ,really had red hair (not blonde) In latter days a place where Red haired Irish appeared was considered a place of Blackness, reminding folk how the Blackhearted Heatherns took a hold of the place , i.e, even name sakes such as , GLOYIN ,GLYNN, GLYN,were awarded to these people ,meaning RUDDY ,which in turn means until this day RED. McLOYIN , McGLYNN all revert and name the invaders settlement. Mc or Mac meaning son of the RED . BlackIrish are those with red hair ,blue or green eyes, because they originted from  their  invading warlike ancestors, they we're all considered black hearted because their ways we're well different from the black haired ,blue painted , blue eye'd ones from the host country. .....But in modern times ,the Black peoples watched the Irish struggles on both sides and likened their struggles to that of the black people.So the saying came about by black people, that the Irish we're just black freedom spirited kin. Confusing Yes, understandable Yes!, as a side line the red heads of any nation have been sadly maligned because of appearance ,i.e, fiery, troublemakers,shiftless and mercenary just as most black people have been deomonised.Like black people they are up there with the most humans suffering biasedness,prejudice, sexual derogotism and name calling .x 

Because I am Irish american, i can't help but add my two cents here. My mother is the pale blonde Bright blue eyed Irish, My dad, he always told me he was a Black irish. His hair jet black, Thick black eyebrows, hazel eyes, and gets quite a tan. dad told me that the black irish are from when the spaniards invaded Ireland many years ago. I'm no Irish history buff, so there is a margin of error here.

I'm surmising from the posts here that this term is an American term, probably originated  to explain why some of us appeared italian, which was considered an insult in the early america days... (DON'T stone me to death... I am just recounting the past!)

I was always accused of dying my hair blonde as it contrasts with my dark eyebrows... so I'm a bit of both. I am grateful that I am able to get a good tan, sorry though about the invasions and all.....

Mc or Mac does not mean son of the red.It simply means son of.Its an old Gaelic word.The Irish have a mixture of many different Celtic people in Ireland.The true Irish anyway.There were Gaels,Picts,Damnonii,Belage,and others all Celtic.The Gaels came to Ireland from what is now Galicia in northwest Spain.Even now there is a strong Celtic presence in Galicia.Read Leabhor Gabala Erianne (Irish Book of Invasions).

I'm Brown haired all over 100% irish all over, near black in the winter, but turns lighter brown in summer because i work out doors. My hair was blond when i was born, i have 5 brothers and had one sister from irish parents. one blond haired, and a greying from black haired father, going bald!

Here in ireland its very common to have dark hair, in the country side you find more red heads, But blond is common also.  Genetics are the cause, more or less, although interbredding causes red hair, ie in the country in isolated parts, when we were isolated and had not the degree of transport and socilising we have now. We were a third world country until about 20 years ago and now we are all living in the present. execpt those who decide not to have a laptop, car and moblie phone.

It's not commmon to marry your neighbour etc any longer. A small country but plenty of space, and now we have all peoples from all over the world, the goverment thinks that the native irish will be extinct in under four generations. we have a lot of polish, french, spanish, and chinnese people who live here. I have not dated a irish girl in over five years although there are plenty about, i just pefer like my freinds to date out side my irishness....

Accually in spain there are a lot of red haired children also but the coiuntry is much bigger then ireland so you don't see them so often.

Oh yea,

Black Irish is a term from the british from years back, called because we are the blacks of europe and in that sence i mean we were the slaves of the europeans because of fammine in ireland a lot of us left and imergrated from ireland in search of work. This was of course before the country broke ties from britain and became its own country. independent of others. hence we are the  Republic of Ireland. A independant free state and country, freinds of the british now, and a member of the European union.

Names stick to people,- people don't stick to countrys.

Hi,

I'm From Derry which ich is a very beaytiful and cultural city in the North of Ireland. I fully match your description of a black Irish man.

The term 'Black Irish' originated in crude 19th century racial theory.

I have only ever heard it used by Americans.

I also have black hair,I and most of the black-haired people have the same feeling.

Welcome to come here to exchange ideas!Hope you'll have fun here.

this is such a great read,I appreciate you sharing this information. thank you.

how is it going A lot our friends is talking crap. the true story about black Irish .The spanish amada in 15 century invaded the wastcost of Ireland .After the battle a lot of ship's were lost or captured.SO the Irish Lady's fell in love with the black haired blue eyed  boys and that is hoe we have the black Irish to day LLLLLLLLL