Time for another annual ethnicity shake-up from Ancestry!

It's that time of the year when Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) decides to change who we think we are, by reimagining our DNA ethnicity (admixture) profiles, due to its changing reference panel (to whom our results are matched). 

Here's how the last three updates have tried to explain my ethnic origins to me.

Three updates ago: 

• Ireland and Scotland 65% 
• England, Wales & Northwestern Europe > Scottish Lowlands, Northern England, and Northern Ireland 35%

Two updates ago:

• Scotland > Northern Ireland & Southwestern Tyrone / Fermanagh & Southwestern Tyrone / Eastern Northern Ireland and Southwestern Scotland 84% 
• Ireland 16%

Last update: 

• Scotland > Scottish Highlands 80%
• Ireland > Ulster & Northern Ireland 20%

 

 And now...*drumroll*

• Celtic & Gaelic: Central Scotland & Northern Ireland 72% ; Hebrides & Western Highlands, Scotland 23% ; Munster, Ireland 2%
• England: East Midlands 2%
• Western Europe: Northwestern Germany 1%

So they all agree that I am a mixture of Scottish and Irish, which is basically the Northern Irish story in its own right, although I also have direct Scottish lineage with my paternal grandparents. 

Tune in next year for the next exciting update of "What the Hell is Chris....?"!!!!

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Ancestry DNA's ethnicity update makes me a different type of Scot!

There's been a curious update to Ancestry's ethnicity profiling on its DNA platform. Before the update I was shown as being 84% Scottish, with a subgroup of Northern Ireland and Southwest Scotland, which comprised of three groups - Western Northern Ireland, Fermanagh and Southwest Tyrone, and Eastern Northern Ireland and Southwestern Scotland. That did reflect my Scottish ancestry to quite a good extent, with most of my "Scottish" identity coming from Plantation stock in Ulster (Scots who migrated to Ulster from 1609), although it neglected the Gaelic quarter of my identity that is in fact Highland Scottish, from Invernessshire, Perthshire and Easter Ross.   

Switching now to the new ethnicity reading, and the Ulster Plantations have seemingly never happened. I am now shown as 80% Highland Scottish, and 20% Irish, from Ulster and Northern Ireland. Whilst I am delighted that my Highland ancestry has finally been realised, I wasn't expecting the other three quarters of my Scottish ethnicity to be swallowed up in a single area that seems to draw the Highland line from Glasgow to Dunbar!!!

And just for the craic, my wife, whose family has exclusively been drawn from Kilkenny and Tipperary in Ireland for the last 200 years, is now shown as having ancestry from all four provinces in Ireland, as well as now being 9% Scottish. Errr... no!

I was thinking Ancestry may have repeated the mistake it made a few years ago when everyone was suddenly Scottish for a few glorious weeks, but from the comments I have seen on social media it looks like a lot of people are equally confused by their new ethnicity statements.

Take one very important point to heart - the ethnicity reading should not be too closely worried about - the far more useful thing to take from Ancestry's tests is the possibility of matches with distant cousins who share DNA with you.

But fair play to you if you have shares in a kilt company just now, I suspect you'll be getting a few more enquiries from folk once again wishing to trade in their lederhosen ...!!!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry Pro-Tool subscription shoots up to £7.99 a month

This is quite a shock - the Ancestry Pro-Tools subscription, which I blogged about earlier in the week at https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2024/06/ancestry-protools-subscription-rolled.html, following its release in the UK, has just shot up from £4.99 a month to £7.99.

What gives, Ancestry?

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

AncestryDNA Father's Day sale

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) is offering a 30% discount on AncestryDNA tests for Father's Day for just £54, or a test with a three month worldwide records subscription for just £55 (i.e the three month sub is just £1), with the small print noting the following:

Offer ends 16 Jun 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Some DNA features may require an Ancestry subscription. Excludes shipping. 

For further details visit https://www.ancestry.co.uk/c/dna/gifts.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry DNA sale

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) via email:

Don’t miss our DNA Sale!     

There’s still time to save 25% on AncestryDNA. Discover your heritage, trace your ancestors’ journeys over time and connect with living relatives.     
    
FROM £59* (was £79) +shipping

*Offer ends 29 May 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Some DNA features may require an Ancestry subscription. Excludes shipping. Traits is not intended to diagnose health conditions and is not a substitute for medical advice.  

Further details via https://www.ancestry.co.uk/c/dna/pulse

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

AncestryDNA sale

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

Discover your family story     
 
Chris, find out more about the people and places in your past with 25% off AncestryDNA®. Uncover your heritage, learn about your ancestors and make new family connections.     
What fascinating discoveries could you make?     
    
FROM £59* (was £79) +shipping

Details at https://www.ancestry.co.uk/c/dna/

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry's DNA Traits

My Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) home page has added a new menu option under DNA, called Traits. Here's the blurb on the page:

Get more from your DNA experience

Your DNA can tell you so much more than just ethnicity. Add traits to your AncestryDNA® results for an even more personalised experience. Learn how your genes can influence 35+ fitness, nutrient, sensory and appearance traits. No additional DNA test needed.

Upgrade to AncestryDNA® + Traits  ONLY£15 * 

*Traits is not intended to diagnose health conditions and is not a substitute for medical advice.

 See how your DNA influences:

Fitness
Endurance Fitness
Heart Rate Recovery
Muscle Fatigue
VO2 Max
Sprinter Gene

Nutrients
Beta-Carotene
Vitamin B12
Omega-3
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E

Appearance
Facial Hair Thickness
Birth Weight
Cleft Chin
Finger Length
Earlobe Type
Earwax Type
Eye Colour
Freckles
Hair Colour
Hair Type
Hair Strand Thickness
Iris Patterns
Male Hair Loss
Skin Pigmentation
Unibrow
Wisdom Teeth

Sensory
Alcohol Flush
Asparagus Metabolite Detection
Bitter Sensitivity
Caffeine Consumption
Coriander Aversion
Lactose Intolerance
Sun Sneezing
Sweet Sensitivity
Savoury (Unami) Sensitivity

Compare Feature
Compare some of your traits with your DNA matches who also purchased Traits.

Around the World Feature
See how your traits may relate to other people with heritage from regions covered by AncestryDNA®.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

AncestryDNA sale until November 29th

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

Now is the perfect time to explore your family story. Order AncestryDNA® today for only £49* – our lowest price of the year. Offer ends Monday the 29th. ONLY £49* (normally £79) + shipping 

*Offer ends 29 Nov 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Excludes shipping. Terms apply. 

To order kits visit https://www.ancestry.co.uk/checkout/MLI

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

We're all Scottish now! Part Two

In September last year, AncestryDNA's latest ethnicity (admixture) update told me that I was now substantially more Scottish than Irish, with my Scottish DNA component now at 82% and my Irish at 16%; for my father, he was at 92% Scottish and just 8% Irish (see https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2020/09/were-all-scottish-now.html).

Well Ancestry has revised the figures again. Apparently I am now 84% Scottish and 15% Irish, whilst my father's test shows him at 96% Scottish. 

My father sadly passed away in February this year, but I think he would have been bemused to know that he had become the spiritual reincarnation of Jock Tamson!

You can read more about this Ancestry update at https://www.ancestry.co.uk/dna/lp/ancestry-dna-ethnicity-estimate-update

I'm heading off now to "trade in my lederhosen for a kilt"...! 

(PS: Ancestry still can't spell 'whisky' when it refers to Scotland correctly - it's 'whiskey' when it is Irish!)

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

AncestryDNA sale for Father's Day

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

The perfect Father’s Day present

There’s still time to get your dad a one-of-a-kind gift this Father’s Day with 25% off AncestryDNA®.     
Help him uncover the people and places in his past and make exciting discoveries about your shared family history.     
Order today to receive AncestryDNA® in time for Father’s Day.
Orders placed after the 9th of June will need express shipping.     
    
ONLY £59* (£79) +shipping

*Offer ends 20 June 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Excludes shipping. Terms apply.  

To order visit  https://www.ancestry.co.uk/checkout/MLI

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry rewrites Ireland's history

I don't normally read the region histories in the DNA section of Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk), but for some reason I decided to do so today.

Most of us from Ireland know that identity is definitely an issue that many struggle with in some form or another, and certainly the recent DNA ethnicity (admixture) changes have kept a few of us talking!

But lads - honestly, we might need to talk. You can't just go rewriting the history of Ireland for the craic, you're only going to go and upset someone!

According to Ancestry, this is how Ireland was planted with settlers from Britain - sorry, England:

I'm not going to give the history lesson here. Suffice to say, Ancestry, you might wish to take another look.

And whilst you're at it, it might be worth taking a look at the Scotland bit also. I'm fairly sure we make and drink whisky here - whiskey is very much Ireland's take on it! 

UPDATE: And I've just been alerted to the fact that Merthyr Tydfil in Wales apparently became a Welsh city between 1850 and 1875....! 

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course starts August 31st - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry discusses why we are all now a wee bit mair Scottish

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has blogged an interesting article about why so many people are now discovering that they have the best early Christmas present ever, a wee bit more Scottish in them!

You can read about the changes to the updated ethnicity/admixture results on AncestryDNA at https://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2020/09/11/why-your-latest-results-could-include-more-scotland-in-your-ethnicity-estimates/.

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course starts August 31st - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry to update ethnicity estimates

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) will be updating its ethnicity estimates again shortly within the next few weeks:

Our most precise breakdown yet.

In each update, we continue to add new regions, making your results even more precise.

More people tested means stronger confidence.

Our existing DNA reference panel was already impressive, but this new update includes even more DNA samples. With over 40,000 samples in our reference panel, this allows us an even better understanding of genetic signatures around the world for a more detailed picture of where you came from.
See more detail across the globe.

Our larger panel allows us to better distinguish between adjacent regions—like Australia and New Zealand—as well as break down larger regions, like East Asia and the Americas, into more detail.

There's a wee vid also (see https://youtu.be/b5BZPEfOmXQ):

The full announcement at https://www.ancestry.co.uk/dna/lp/ancestry-dna-ethnicity-estimate-update includes maps showcasing likely areas affected, with before and after regions coverage outlined (Australia and New Zealand in particular), and is accompanied by various FAQs.

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course starts August 31st - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry updates Communities for Asia & Polynesia, South Africa & Australia

Ancestry's DNA platform has updated its communities information for those with connections to Asia & Polynesia, South Africa & Australia. From its announcement:

Updated Communities

Our updated communities now have 20 Southeast Asian, 9 East Asian, 14 South Asian, 31 Oceanian, 2 African and 1 Central Asian & Russian community. Customers may see an update in their results if they have ties to the areas below:

China, Malaysia, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Russia, Philippines, Guam, Mariana Islands, Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Asians living in South Africa, Indians in Fiji and South America, and European and British settlers in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Whether it’s learning that your ancestors can be traced back to the diverse cultures of China or uncovering your Polynesian roots, your next big discovery could be waiting in our latest communities update.

For further details visit https://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2020/07/31/ancestry-unveils-updated-communities-for-members-with-ties-to-asia-polynesia-south-africa-australia/

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course starts August 31st - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Changes to AncestryDNA matches in early August

Some big changes coming from the DNA platform of Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) in terms of how it presents matches:

More accurate number of shared segments
The DNA you share with a match is distributed across segments - short segments, long segments, or some combination of both. Our updated matching algorithm may reduce the estimated number of segments you share with some of your DNA matches. This doesn’t change the estimated total amount of shared DNA (measured in centimorgans/cM) or the predicted relationship to your matches.

See the length of your longest shared segment
The length of the longest segment you and a DNA match have in common can help determine if you’re actually related. The longer the segment, the more likely you’re related. Segment length is also the easiest way to evaluate the difference between multiple matches that all show the same estimated relationship. Our updated matching algorithm can show you the length of the longest segment you share with your matches.

Distant DNA matches must share 8 cM or higher
Our updated matching algorithm will increase the likelihood you are actually related to your very distant matches. As a result, you’ll no longer see matches (or be matched to people) that share less than 8 cM with you - unless you have added a note about them, added them to a custom group or have messaged them. These changes to the matching algorithm will reduce the total number of DNA matches you have and the number of new matches you will receive. It may also affect the number of ThruLines you may see.

What changes will I see in my DNA Matches?
You may see the number of segments you share with your DNA matches change. You will be able to see the length of the longest segment you share with your DNA matches. Very distant matches - those you share less than 8 cM of DNA with - will no longer appear in your DNA match list or in ThruLines™ unless you have added a note about them, added them to a group or have messaged them.

When will these changes be happening?
These updates to DNA matches will happen in the beginning of August.

For an analysis of the changes - and what to do to prepare for them - see Debbie Cruwys post at https://cruwys.blogspot.com/2020/07/some-updates-to-ancestrydnas-matching.html

For those with an Ancestry acount, further FAQs about the changes are listed in its DNA section.

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course starts August 31st - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry announces tactical shift moving forward, and job losses

Interesting announcement from Ancestry's CEO:

Our Path Forward

By Margo Georgiadis, president & chief executive officer

For more than three decades, Ancestry has helped millions of people learn more about themselves by connecting them to their past so they can gain meaningful insights to impact their future. Our relentless focus on serving our customers has enabled us to sustain innovation and market leadership in both Family History and Consumer Genomics. Tens of millions of people have chosen Ancestry as the place to discover, preserve and share their story.

DNA continues to be an important way for millions of people to start their family history journey. About 30 million people worldwide have already started a DNA journey, including over 16 million with Ancestry, seeking to learn more about themselves and make meaningful new connections. And we’re just starting to see the full potential for how genetics impacts health. We’re only at the beginning of all that’s possible.

At the same time, over the last 18 months, we have seen a slowdown in consumer demand across the entire DNA category. The DNA market is at an inflection point now that most early adopters have entered the category. Future growth will require a continued focus on building consumer trust and innovative new offerings that deliver even greater value to people. Ancestry is well positioned to lead that innovation to inspire additional discoveries in both Family History and Health.

Today we made targeted changes to better position our business to these marketplace realities. These are difficult decisions and impact 6 percent of our workforce. Any changes that affect our people are made with the utmost care. We’ve done so in service to sharpening our focus and investment on our core Family History business and the long-term opportunity with AncestryHealth™.

Looking ahead, interest in Family History remains strong and we’re continuing to grow and invest in breakthrough solutions to help people understand their heritage and put people on the path to improved health and wellness. We’re equally committed to building a brand consumers trust, helping lead the industry with best-in-class data stewardship principles and a commitment to trust and transparency, including our annual Transparency Report.

Our team at Ancestry has maintained our leadership position for decades through game-changing product improvements and compelling storytelling and we remain focused on continually innovating to deliver even greater value to those we serve.

(Original news release at https://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2020/02/05/our-path-forward/)

Chris

You can pre-order my new book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 (out April). Also available, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

My LivingDNA updated ethnicity profile

I recently blogged on The GENES Blog that LivingDNA (www.livingdna.com) had updated its site with several new European regions - for that announcement visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2020/01/living-dna-updates-european-panel.html.

My own DNA ethnicity estimates have now been updated for the first time since mid 2017, and I have been somewhat pleasantly surprised by the new estimate which seems to bear a bit more trace of reality!

The following is the map showing my new deduced breakdown across Britain and Ireland:

Now in a week which has already seen something of an attempted assault on my identity through Brexit (attempted - I also have an Irish passport!), it seems that a second wave has now attempted to knock my identity for six with this redefined ethnicity profile - for I have now been deprived of my Scandinavian, Basque, Pashtun, North Caucusus and North Turkish identity, as stated in my previous estimate! There goes my three year old dream now of setting up a kebab shop in Irvine...

It turns out that I am now 100% from Britain and Ireland, but with something of a more accurate distribution than that previously noted. I now have a whacking great 53% mix from the Northern Ireland and Southwest Scotland region (I mean, yeah, the previous 18% was nonsense!), a somewhat non-defined 9% southern Irish (I suspect from around Dublin), and 9% Northwest Scotland and Aberdeenshire, with 4.6% and 4.5% indicated respectively - which is interesting as I already know about my Perthshire and Invernessshire lines, but with Aberdeenshire needing some explanation.

I am delighted to say that I am also 3% Yorkshire, because I have a lot of time for Yorkshire, and I think I know where that line is in my tree, through a fourth times great grandfather called Joseph Woodroffe. He met his Scottish wife in Stirling, and remains stubbornly as a brick wall, having died in the military, and with no attestation record available, save that he served in the Duke of York's Own, the 15th Regiment of Foot.

I'm bizarrely now also 3% Welsh, and with a 14% mix from Cumbria and Northumberland, which I suspect traces to my Graham lines, and other Borders Scots based lines through the Plantations in Ireland and in Scotland itself. There is also a 9% South Central England definition, which I have absolutely no idea about, save to say that it must be wayyyyy back, and possibly through Ulster Plantation settled stock also.

On the potentially useful bit, Family Networks, I am still Johnny no-mates with a further hearty rendition of "We haven't caught you any matches yet".

An interesting update, but Ancestry DNA is still the more productive tool for me on the DNA front for now - although the Yorkshire link has cheered me up no end!

Chris

You can pre-order my new book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 (out April). Also available, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.