O'Shea Project yDNA Results

Below is a spreadsheet for all the O'Shea yDNA Results. It includes all members. [updated February] 2010
O'Shea yDNA Results spreadsheet February 2010

Here is a link to the O'Shea yDNA Project results presented on Family Tree DNA's website:
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/oshea/default.aspx?section=yresults [updated February 2010]

Some members of the O'Shea yDNA Project have done SNP tests. Here is a list of SNPs to date

O'Shea yDNA Project Newsletters:

Spring Newsletter February 2010 NEW
Newsletter January 2010
Newsletter December 2009
Newsletter July 2009
Newsletter May 2009

The yDNA results are identified by haplogroup (e.g. R1b1b2). Since R1b1b2 is the haplogroup of the majority of members of the O'Shea yDNA Project, it is further subdivided, into groups, to help identify distinct clusters within the haplogroup. Modal haplotypes are given for all groups and markers which show mutations from the group modal are coloured to indicate this.

Note each of the R1b1b2 groups contains Irish born participants who are certain of their immediate ancestry. yDNA results for these members are intended to be benchmarks for O'Sheas who may not know their ancestor's origins.

Note our yDNA results spreadsheet includes some results from people who tested with a company other than FTDNA. We would like to hear from others who may have tested with companies other than FTDNA.

Certain markers, known to mutate at a slow/medium rate can be identified as signature markers for sub-groups in the Kerry Group, Cork Group and Tipperary/Kilkenny Group.

In general, marker values are coloured where the allele value differs from the most common value (modal) for a group and in some instances these markers indicate sub-groups.

The spreadsheet shows by column the Ysearch ID for those whose results are in Ysearch, the earliest ancestor and the full 67 markers for those members who have achieved this level of testing.

The Kerry Group (Group 1) shows two distinctive patterns of results, based on DYS391 and DYS GATA H4. One member of the Kerry Group, Kit No. 34730 has done a Deep Clade test and is reported to be in the R1b1b2a1a subclade. However, another member of the Kerry Group, Kit No. 89170 has also done a Deep Clade test and is reported to be R1b1b2a1b5. This could split the Kerry Group into two parts which have no common ancestor for about 4,000 years. As this is a major consequence, we need more Deep Clade tests to be done on Sheas/O'Sheas in the Kerry Group to confirm this.

The NW Cork/Clondrohid Group is Group 2. One member, Kit No. 12757 has done a Deep Clade test for this group and is reported to be R1b1b2a1b5. A second member of the group, Kit No. 10539 has ordered a Deep Clade test.

Note, that several members of the Cork/Clondrohid Group are using advanced markers: DYF399X and DYS710 to help filter close matches at 37 markers. Here is a link to these results: Advanced Marker Results

The Tipperary/Kilkenny Group is called Group 3. One member of this group, Kit No. 87583 has done a Deep Clade test and is reported to be R1b1b2a1b5 and a second member of the group, Kit No. 27770 is awaiting results of his Deep Clade test.

Further analysis of the Deep Clade test results will be done when we have more results.

The group entitled "Members who match at least one member of group 1,2 or 3 at 12/12 " has been retained to cater for project members who match 12/12, at least one person who is in an established group and who have the surname Shea or one of its variants.
The "Unassigned Group" is for members who are R1b1b2 but who do not match at least one member of an established group at 12/12.

phylogenetic diagram 2009 The latest Phylogenetic Diagram for the R1b1b members of the O'Shea yDNA Project (diagram courtesy of Fluxus Engineering).
You can see the three main groups: Group 1 - Kerry, Group 2 - NW Cork, Group 3 - Tipperary/Kilkenny.
Family Tree DNA Analysis of yDNA Results
An analysis of 25 marker matches is provided by FTDNA: 25 Marker Match Analysis
An analysis of 37 marker matches is provided by FTDNA: 37 Marker Match Analysis
An analysis of 67 marker matches is provided by FTDNA: 67 Marker Match Analysis
A tutorial on understanding the results is at Tutorial on Understanding the yDNA results from FTDNA

The yDNA results can be compared to others at YSearch. Ysearch is very useful, so make sure you upload your results to it to compare results with others. This is particularly interesting to see how your results compare with people in your yDNA Project and others who are not in your own project or who are using a different testing company.

Haplogroups

Anthropologists classify the Y-chromosome into branches called Haplogroups or clades. Letters, such as J, Q, R etc classify Y-chromosome haplogroups on the yHaplotree. Haplogroups are subdivided into smaller groups or clades. For example, Haplogroup R is divided into "R1a" and "R1b" and R1b is further divided into R1b1 and so on.

Deep Clade and SNP Testing

When you test your yDNA using the standard y-STR markers, your Haplogroup can usually be predicted. Once your Haplogroup is predicted, you can then use a Deep Clade Haplogroup Test to identify the SNP mutations that occurred over thousands of years ago, to help find a detailed location, on the Y-chromosome tree (yHaplotree) for your yDNA.

Family Tree DNA's "Deep Clade Haplogroup" tests relevant known SNPs to help to classify the haplogroup into a subclade. "The purpose of the Deep Clade test is to confirm your haplogroup assignment and determine where your lineage fits within that haplogroup's tree."

So, if you start off knowing that your haplogroup designation is predicted to be R1b1b2, you could learn from a Deep Clade test that it is confirmed to be R1b1b2a1a or R1b1b2a1b5b etc. which is a much greater refinement. It gives you more knowledge of your deep ancestry going back thousands of years.

A Deep Clade test can also confirm a haplogroup where it had not been successfully predicted. Research into subdividing haplogroups into subclades by further SNP testing is ongoing, with the ongoing discovery of SNPS which define subclades.

The search is on for signature SNPs which will be used to define various Irish surname groups. Many Irish surnames are L21+ and there are SNPs being discovered, downstream of this SNP which may define Irish surname clusters. The Ui Neill has M222 SNP downstream of L21, the Irish Type III (Dalcassian) has the L226 SNP also downstream of L21 while the Eoganacht do not yet have a SNP downstream of L21. The Leinster Cluster are also using ySTR markers and SNP testing to analyse this group. All this research is exploring the ancient history of the Irish and the veracity of the written records using DNA.

Family Tree DNA lists the Advanced SNP descriptions.

Currently there is no uniform nomenclature for naming subclades within haplogroups. Here are links to three main classifications:

Family Tree DNA yHaplotree (2008)
ISOGG yDNA Hapogroup Tree 2010
Eupedia European Haplogroups and Subclades