Group 2 Update (June 2019)

Description of the Group

There are 10 people in Group 2 (4 more since the previous Clan Rally). All of them carry the O'Malley surname. Five of them go back to the same ancestor - a Michael O'Malley born about 1780; another 3 go back to another individual ancestor - Dennis O'Malley (born 1793); one goes back to a Patrick O'Malley (born 1798), and the remaining person goes back to a Denis O'Malley, born about 1810 in Drombana, Co. Limerick.

The 10 members of Group 2 with their MDKAs (Most Distant Known Ancestors)
(click to enlarge)

Group members have tested two types of Y-DNA marker - STR markers and SNP markers. The results of each type of test allow us to draw conclusions about how closely group members are related to each other, how old the group is overall, and the deeper origins of the group.

Y-STR Results

The group is fairly tight-knit and there are no big Genetic Distances between group members. This suggests that they are all relatively closely related and probably share a common ancestor within the last several hundred years (say since 1600).

STR marker values for the 10 group members showing relatively few mutations (in blue/violet or pink)
(click to enlarge)

Pedigrees go back to the late 1700s (1780 is the earliest). The largest TiP Report scores [1] between the various group members suggest that the MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestor) for the entire group was born about 1830 (50% probability level) or 1650 (95% probability level). So taking the pedigree information and TiP Report information together, the MRCA for this group was probably born some time between 1650 and 1780 (assuming the average year of birth of group members is 1950, and assuming 30 years per generation). Thus the group is about 300 years old.

Consequently, there is a gap of about 700 years back to the origins of the surname for this group (assuming it arose about 1000 AD). Was there an SDS (Surname or DNA Switch) during this time period? The chances are about 30%. [2] Consequently, there is about a 70% chance that the O'Malley surname has been associated with the genetic signature for Group 2 since the time when surnames were founded in Ireland (about 1000 AD). And this suggests that this group arose independently of the O'Malley's of Mayo.

The connection between group members based on their genealogies and their Y-DNA data is summarised in the "best fit" family tree below (you may have to click to enlarge it and then save it in order to see the detail). The STR mutations indicate which members are likely to be more closely related to each other and fit well with the known genealogies. Of note, DOM-7121 & MOM-1630 share the same mutation on STR marker dys712 (22>23) which suggests that they are more closely related to each other than the rest of the group, and thus may share a common ancestor one or more generations above their respective MDKAs (Denis 1810 & Patrick 1798). We will return to this question in the section on autosomal DNA results below.

Mutation History Tree for Group 2 showing where mutations occurred
(yellow boxes are test-takers; Y111 = Y-DNA111 test, etc;
SP = SNP Pack; BY = Big Y; SNPs in blue, STRs in red)
(click to enlarge)

Y-SNP Results

Two members have done the Big Y test and another 2 have done SNP Pack tests. These results confirm that group members have been correctly grouped together and also indicate that the SNP marker that defines this group is DC735. Nobody other than O'Malley's bears this SNP marker indicating that (currently) it is unique to the O'Malley's of Group 2 and probably defines this particular group.

The SNP Progression [3] for this group is as follows:

• R-P312/S116 > Z290 > L21/S145 > DF13 > ZZ10 > Z253 > Z2534 > BY25450 > FGC5618 > FGC5625 > L226 > FGC5660 > Z17669 > A10950 > DC29 > DC735

According to the Big Tree analysis of the two Big Y testers, one has a unique / private SNP (DJOM-7319) and the other has no unique / private SNPs (GOM-0664). DC735 actually represents a 7-SNP Block. Thus we can estimate that it arose about 750 to 1100 years ago (allowing 100-150 years per SNP). This translates crudely to 900-1250 AD.

We know from the pedigrees of the group members that their ancestry goes back to Limerick in the late 1700's but where were they before this? The SNP results give us further clues.

Firstly, Group 2 members test positive for the "upstream" SNP marker L226. This SNP marker is associated with the "tribe" of the Dal gCais (pronounced Doll Gosh). [4] This was a tribe/sept/clan that descended from a man called Cas (born 347 AD) whose 5x times great grandfather was Oilioll Olum, King of Munster (and therefore born about 150 AD). This sept rose to prominence in the south of Ireland and was centred around Clare, Limerick & northern Tipperary. One of its most famous sons was Brian Boru, first High King of Ireland, who was killed at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. Thus Brian Boru would be a distant cousin of all members of Group 2.

One of the earliest representations of Brian Boru
from O'Connor's translation of Keating's "History of Ireland" 1723
(from https://dh.tcd.ie/clontarf/)

The SNP results also allow us to place the O'Malley's of Group 2 on a specific branch of the Tree of Mankind. And from this we can see that the nearest genetic neighbours of Group 2 are people called Curry, O'Hara, Hehir, O'Loughlin, Griffin, McInerney, Slattery, O'Neill, McNamara, Davis, & FitzGerald (see screenshot from The Big Tree below). The common ancestor for all these people would have tested positive for the SNP markers DC29 & DC32 (which we can estimate to have arisen about 950-1300 years ago, and thus at or before the foundation of surnames).

The O'Malley's of Group 2 on The Big Tree (far right)
(click to enlarge)

We can also explore the relevant Haplogroup Projects (e.g. L226 Project) for other related surnames (i.e. who test positive for DC29) and some additional related surnames are identified: Nealy, Roche, James, O'Halloran, Hartigan, Cline, O'Brien, Corry, Slater, Slattery, Savage, Mack, Small, Gleason, Bryan, & Harris.

DC29+ surnames from the L226 Haplogroup Project

We can then explore the distribution of these surnames on Surname Distribution Maps [5] to see if there is a particular concentration of these surnames in one particular area ... and there is - the highest concentration of these genetically-related surnames is in the Clare / Limerick area, the traditional ancestral homeland of the Dal gCais.

Distribution of selected surnames genetically-related to Group 2
(maps based on Griffith's Valuation, mid-1800s,
from https://www.swilson.info/sdist.php)
(click to enlarge)

So not only do the pedigrees of the individual group members go back to Limerick, but the deeper genetic origins of this group (i.e. pre-1000 AD) also go back to the same area. Thus we can be reasonably certain that Group 2 arose in the Limerick area some 1000-1500 years ago, and adopted the O'Malley surname some time between 1000 AD and about 1650-1750.

The history behind some of these related surnames helps explain the genetic association with this area, as many of the surnames are documented to have arisen there or nearby. The following are excerpts from O'Hart's Irish Pedigrees:

• 5. O'Haichir (or O'Hehir), chief of Hy-Flancha and Hy-Cormac, districts in the barony of Islands; and (according to O'Halloran) of Callan, in the county Clare.
• 8. MacConmara or MacNamara (literally "a warrior of the sea") was chief of the territory of Clan Caisin, now the barony of Tullagh, in the county Clare  The Macnamaras were also sometimes styled chiefs of Clan Cuilean, which was the tribe name of the family; derived from Cuilean, one of their chiefs in the eighth century. This ancient family held the high and honourable office of hereditary marshals of Thomond.
• 10. O'Loughlin, chief of Burren, now the barony of Burren, county Clare  which was sometimes called Eastern Corcomroe. The O'Loghlins and O'Connors here mentioned were of the same descent: namely, a branch of the Clan na Rory, descended from the ancient kings of Ulster of the race of Ir.
• 12. MacEneiry, [MG: McInerney?] chiefs of Corca Muiceadha, also called Conaill Uachtarach, now the barony of Upper Conello, in the county Limerick. The MacEneirys were descended from Mahoun, king of Munster, and brother of Brian Boru; and had their chief residence at Castletown MacEneiry.
• 14. O'Cullen, O'Kenealy [MG: maybe abbreviated to Nealy], and O'Sheehan, were chiefs in the baronies of Conello, county Limerick.
• 15. O'Macassa (Macassey, and Maxey) [MG: maybe abbreviated to Mack], chief of Corca Oiche: and O'Bergin, chief of Hy-Rossa, districts in the county Limerick.
• 21. O'Kenealy [MG: maybe abbreviated to Nealy], chief of Eoganacht Grian Guara, a district comprising parts of the baronies of Coshma and Small County in Limerick.
• 23. O'Caolidh or O'Keely, and O'Malley are given as chiefs of Tua Luimnidh or "the district about Limerick."

The last excerpt above states that there was an O'Malley sept in the region near Limerick city. Woulfe also states that O'Malley was "a Thomond family who were chiefs of Tuath Luimnigh, a district in the neighbourhood of the city of Limerick". [6]

In addition, the passage below is from Begley's The Diocese of Limerick: Ancient and Medieval (page 13). [7] This refers to a topographical poem written by O'Heerin (before 1420, the year he died) and translated by O'Donovan (and published in 1862). From this we can assume that the O'Malley's had a distinct and notable presence in Limerick in the 1300s at least, if not earlier.

The O'Malley territory included the parish of Knocknagaul
(due south of Limerick city)

I have not been able to locate any further information on this particular sept (so if anyone comes across anything, please leave a comment below).

It is entirely possible (if not likely) that the O'Malley's of Group 2 are the descendants of the O'Malley's of Tuath Luimnigh (pronounced Too-a Lim-nee).

Autosomal DNA Results

The O'Malley DNA Project welcomes everyone who has had a DNA test (and not just those who have done a Y-DNA test, which can only be done by men, because only men have a Y chromosome).

Autosomal DNA (atDNA) can be useful in determining the relationship between people when the records run out. And in Ireland there are few records before 1800. We see this reflected in the pedigrees for the members of Group 2, which only go back as far as the early 1800s or late 1700s.

As mentioned at the very beginning of this article, five group members share the common ancestor Michael O'Malley (born c.1780); another 3 share Dennis O'Malley (born 1793); one goes back to Patrick O'Malley (born 1798), and the last one has Denis O'Malley (born about 1810) as his MDKA (Most Distant Known Ancestor). The question remains: how are these MDKA's related to each other?

We previously combined the known genealogies and the Y-STR data to generate a "best fit" family tree (also known as a Mutation History Tree, see diagram above) but what happens when we add atDNA to this diagram? Does it help us determine how the four MDKA's are related?

We mentioned above that two of the members shared a Y-STR mutation (namely dys712 22>23) which allows us to group them together as more closely related to each other than to the rest of the group. Let's call them Branch B and the others Branch A and Branch C, as illustrated in the revised "best fit" family tree below, which also includes the amount of atDNA shared between those members who have done the atDNA test (i.e. Family Finder). I have renamed the various branch members A1, A2, A3, etc for ease of reference.

McGuire Chart for those men who have also done atDNA testing
(numbers represent amount of DNA shared in cM)
(click to enlarge)

Branch A
A1 and A5 are 3rd cousins once removed (3C1R) according to their genealogies. They should therefore share an average of 48 cM (range 0-173 cM). They in fact share 153 cM which is toward the high end for a 3C1R relationship (you can see the probabilities on the Shared cM Tool the DNAPainter website). This suggests that there may be a double-connection between their respective family trees (e.g. they are 3C1R via their O'Malley line and maybe 4th cousins via a second ancestral line).

Branch B
B1 shares 144 cM with B2. According to the Shared cM Tool, the most likely relationship for this amount of shared DNA is 2nd cousin once removed (2C1R). However, their genealogies indicate that they cannot be closer than 4th cousins via their respective O'Malley ancestral lines. And the probability of them being 4th cousins is <2% (according to the Shared cM Tool). So there is probably a double-connection between these two people. They may be 4th cousins on their O'Malley line, but 3rd cousins (for example) on some other ancestral line.

Branch C
C2 & C3 share 842 cM (as expected for 1st cousins).
C1 & C3 share 391 cM, which is towards the high end for 2nd cousins.
C1 & C2 share an unusually low amount of DNA (56cM) - we would have expected much more for a 2nd cousin relationship.

How closely are the different branches related?
Branch A members appear to be more closely related to B2 than B1 ... but there is no guarantee that this is via their O'Malley lines - it could be via some other ancestral line. The amount of DNA they share with B2 (108 & 91 cM) suggests a 2C1R or 3C relationship, but the known genealogies suggest at least a 4th cousin relationship. The probability of 4th cousins sharing 108 or 91 cM is less than 10% so there may be a second (non-O'Malley) connection between B2 and Branch A members.

Branch A members share no DNA with C1 - this suggests the relationship cannot be closer than 3C1R and is more likely to be 4th cousins (or more distant). They also share an average of 85 cM with C2 & C3 ([130+113+56+43)] / 4). This 85 cM suggests a 2C1R to 3C1R relationship but the known genealogies suggest the connection can be no closer than 4th cousins. The probability of a 4C relationship sharing 85 cM is 10% so this relationship is possible. Alternatively there may be a second connection somewhere in their respective family trees.

Branch B members do not share any atDNA with Branch C members C1 & C3 - they only share DNA with member C2 (42 & 60 cM). This amount of DNA is consistent with a 4th cousin relationship but it could also be due to a second connection within their trees.

So even though atDNA analysis can help to interpret the connections between branches, the ever present possibility of a second connection (or more) hinders interpretation. In addition, FTDNA calculates the amount of shared DNA in a slightly different way to other companies (it includes smaller segments that may be false positives). As a result, the total cM values at FTDNA are about 10-20% higher than at other companies. This may make some of the atDNA matches look more closely related than they actually are.

Adding additional atDNA data from other project members (especially women members) to the McGuire Chart above could shed further light on the connections and may allow for more accurate estimates of how the four MDKAs are related. And it might be possible to use Triangulated Segments to help distinguish between O'Malley atDNA and atDNA passed down for a second common ancestor (but that is a big job requiring a lot more people to contribute their atDNA data).


Conclusions

The common ancestor for Group 2 was born some time around 1650 to 1750 in county Limerick (most likely).

The group has been in the Limerick area going back 1000 years or more, and descends genetically from the Dal gCais.

It is quite possible that the members of Group 2 are descendants of the O'Malley's of Tuath Luimnigh.

The connection between the four identified MDKAs remains elusive. Interpretation of atDNA data is plagued by the possibility of second connections between the project members.


Next Steps

In order to establish that the group has carried the O'Malley name since surnames were first founded (about 1000 AD), it will be important to Y-DNA test descendants of more distant branches of the family ... if they exist - they may have died out or daughtered out. Ideally we need to test O'Malley's whose MRCA with the rest of the group is 800-1000 years ago.

How can we establish the nature of the connection between the four identified MDKAs? There are several options available in this kind of situation but not all of them will help here:

• Upgrading to 111 markers would be of limited benefit because sufficient numbers of people from each Branch have already upgraded. It would help confirm the mutations already identified for each of the three branches, and clarify which are shared mutations and which are unique mutations.
• Upgrading everyone to the Big Y-700 would help as this would allow us to compare 700 STR markers and would help us generate a more detailed Mutation History Tree for the group (i.e. the "best fit" family tree). Both Branch B members should test, and the Branch A and C members who have tested should upgrade to Big-Y-700.
• Adding more atDNA data to the McGuire chart above would also help, but second connections within trees would have to be identified and (if possible) shared cM values adjusted accordingly (but this will require speculation so caution is advised).

As more people join the project and undertake more specialised DNA testing, some of these questions will be answered.

Maurice Gleeson

June 2019

Footnotes & Sources

[1] the TiP Report score is an estimate of the probability that two people share a common ancestor within a certain number of generations. The midpoint score (50% probability) and 95% probability score are the most useful of the estimates. You can get the TiP Report score for any of your Y-DNA matches by clicking on the orange TiP icon underneath the name of each match in your list of matches.

[2] the risk of an SDS (Surname or DNA Switch) is calculated thus:

• 650 years represents approximately 22 generations (allowing 30 years per generation)
• The rate of SDS's is about 1-2% per generation (based on several published studies)
• The probability of having no SDS's in 22 generations given a 1% SDS probability per generation is 0.99^22 = 0.8016 (80%). So the probability of having at least one SDS is 1 - 0.8016, that is 20%.
• The probability of having no SDS's in 22 generations given a 2% SDS probability per generation is 0.98^22 = 0.6412 (64%). So the probability of having at least one SDS is 1 - 0.6412, that is 36%.
• So there is a 20% to 36% chance that there was a switch in the surname or the DNA for Group 2 during the 650 year period between the foundation of surnames (1000 AD) and the MRCA for the group (born between 1650 & 1780 approximately).

[3] A SNP Progression is simply the sequence of SNP markers that characterises each branching point on the Tree of Mankind, starting "upstream" at the level of the Haplogroup (R in this case) and progressing all the way "downstream" (i.e. towards the present day) to the Terminal SNP. Comparing SNP Progressions helps us see exactly where each terminal SNP sits on the Tree of Mankind relative to all the other SNPs.


[4] Dennis M Wright, 2009. A Set of Distinctive Marker Values defines a Y-STR Signature for Gaelic Dalcassian families. Journal of Genetic Genealogy, 5(1):1-7. Available at http://www.jogg.info/pages/51/files/Wright.pdf


[5] Surname Distribution Maps for Ireland can be found on several websites:

• John Grenham's website (www.johngrenham.com) has maps based on Griffith's Valuation (from the mid-1800s)
• so too does Shane Wilson's website (https://www.swilson.info/sdist.php)
• Barry Griffin's website has maps based on the 1901 & 1911 censuses, including maps identifying just the farmers (whose families are likely to have held the land for several generations at least).

[6] There are several sources for Surname Histories and the most useful are:

• Woulfe, Patrick. Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames, collected and edited with explanatory and historical notes (1923). ... available at https://www.libraryireland.com/names/contents.php

• O'Hart, John. Irish pedigrees; or, The origin and stem of the Irish nation (1892, 5th edition) ... available at https://www.libraryireland.com/Pedigrees1/title.php

• MacLysaght, Edward. Several books but unfortunately not available online:

The Surnames of Ireland. 1957 (sixth edition 1991)

Irish Families. Their Names, Arms and Origins. 1957 (fourth edition 1985)

More Irish Families. 1970 (first paperback edition 1996, incorporating Supplement to Irish Families, 1964)

[7] Begley, John. The diocese of Limerick: Ancient and Medieval. Dublin: Browne & Nolan, 1906. Page 13. Available to download from http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/digital-book-collection/digital-books-by-subject/church-history/begley-the-diocese-of-lim/

Birth of a New Genetic Family - Group 5

A new project member recently joined the O'Malley DNA Project (KOM-7207). He matches one other member within the project (MOM-7546) and that particular member has been in the Ungrouped section since he joined the project. But now that the two of them match each other, a new Genetic Family has been born - Group 5.

The two members of this project are a Genetic Distance of 4/37 from each other (i.e. 4 steps away from an exact match). The STR markers where they differ are indicated in the diagram below.

Arrows indicate mutations on specific markers
(click to enlarge)

How old is the new group?
The TiP Report predicts an approximate 50% probability that they share a common ancestor within the last 6 generations (i.e. born about 1770 AD) and an approximate 95% probability within the last 14 generations (i.e. about 1530 AD). More accurate predictions could be achieved if both members tested to a higher number of STR markers (e.g. Y-DNA-111, and MOM-7546 has just done this) but there would still be a range of about +/- 200 years on either side of the midpoint estimate. In other words, these estimates will always be crude (from a genealogical perspective). At the moment, our best guess is that they shared a common ancestor sometime in the 1600s or 1700s.

Another way to estimate the TMRCA (Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor) would be for both members to do autosomal DNA testing (e.g. with FTDNA's Family Finder test, or with the Ancestry test). MOM-7546 has already done this test so if KOM-7207 did this test and they did not match each other, we could be reasonably confident that the connection was somewhere beyond the 3rd cousin level (i.e. beyond their respective great great grandparents, born about 1830).

We could also compare their pedigrees to see if they share a common ancestor in their trees and when he was born. Currently, MOM-7546 has provided information on his MDKA (Most Distant Known Ancestor) and he was born about 1840 (in Kilmilkin, Co. Galway, Ireland). KOM-7207 has posted a pedigree that identifies his MDKA as being born in 1887 (with an ancestral location in Co. Roscommon, adjacent to both Galway & Mayo).


Where did they come from?
There are three chief sources of information about any group's origins:

1. the birth location of the MDKAs within the group
2. the surnames of their matches
3. the surnames associated with the particular branch of the Tree of Mankind upon which the group sits (as determined by their Terminal SNP)

MDKA Information
As noted above, MDKA info for one member is Co. Roscommon, and for the other member is Kilmilkin, Co. Galway. This was also known as Kilmeelickin and is situated within the area known as Joyce Country (see map below). One O'Malley family from this area produced a famous eye surgeon who also became an O'Malley Chief - Charles Conor O'Malley (1889-1982).

Matches' Surnames
Both members have a plethora of matches to men with the surname Joyce. At the 37-marker level of comparison, MOM-7546 has 19 matches of which 15 are Joyce (79%).  KOM-7207 has 57 matches of which 40 are Joyce (70%). These Joyce matches belong to the Joyce Country Group in the Joyce DNA Project at FTDNA. Several of the members of this group have MDKA origins in Mayo and Galway.

The Genetic Distance to these Joyce men varies from 0/37 to 4/37, suggesting that the common connection is certainly within a genealogical timeframe (i.e. some time in the past 1000 years). So the most obvious question is: which came first ... Joyce or O'Malley?

Furthermore, there seems to be more genetic diversity within the Joyce Country Group (see screenshot below) and this suggests that it is an older group than O'Malley Group 5. However, this preliminary interpretation may change as more people join the respective Joyce and O'Malley projects.

The Joyce County Group from the Joyce DNA Project
(TMRCA estimates may be pre-1600s)

The surname Joyce is reported to have origins in Wales and was introduced to Connaught some time in the 1100s. It became particularly numerous around the area now known as Joyce Country. This is not that far from the ancestral territories of the Mayo O'Malley's, who were largely concentrated around the Baronies of Burrishoole and Murrisk in Mayo (northwest of Joyce Country).

Joyce Country (in green) with Kilmeelickin indicated by the yellow dot

Another surname among Group 5's matches is Coyne. This too was mainly concentrated in the Galway / Mayo area in the mid-1800s. This lends further support to the contention that Group 5's ancestral origins are around the Galway / Mayo area. Other surnames within Group 5's matches that have an association with the Galway / Mayo area include Newell and Nally (apparently of Welsh origin).

Distribution of the surname COYNE in the mid-1800s

Distribution of the surname NEWELL in the mid-1800s

Distribution of the surname NALLY in the mid-1800s

Matches' Terminal SNPs

Several members of the Joyce County Group have undertaken downstream SNP testing (probably with the Big Y test). The results indicate that two members test positive for the SNP marker YP6008 (this also shows up among our members' matches), as well as the SNP markers YP4660, and Y4380. It is likely that the O'Malley Group 5 members sit on or near the branch of the Tree of Mankind characterised by these markers.

The positions of these SNP markers on the Tree of Mankind are summarised in the SNP Progressions below. Note: A SNP Progression is simply the sequence of SNP markers that characterise each branching point on the Tree of Mankind, starting "upstream" at the level of the Haplogroup (R in this case) and progressing all the way "downstream" to the Terminal SNP.  Comparing SNP Progressions helps us see exactly where each terminal SNP sits on the Tree of Mankind relative to all the other SNPs:

• R-M198 > M417 > Z645 > Z283 > Z282 > Z280 > S24902 > YP561 > YP564 > YP4664 > YP4660 > YP6007 > YP6008
• R-M198 > M417 > Z645 > Z283 > Z282 > Z280 > S24902 > YP561 > YP564 > YP4664 > YP4660
• R- M198 > M417 > Z645 > Z283 > Z282 > Z280 > CTS1211 > Y35 > CTS34-2 > Y33 > CTS8816 > Y2902 > Y4380

This indicates that YP6008 is two branches further downstream from YP4660, but Y4380 is a very distinct branch, with the common branching point characterised by the SNP Z280 (which YFULL dates as arising some time between 4600 and 4900 years ago). In other words, the member testing positive for  Y4380 does not belong within the Joyce County Group - he does not share a common ancestor with them within a genealogical timeframe. (Incidentally, his surname is Gross, not Joyce).

This particular portion of the Tree of Mankind is summarised below. The nearest genetic neighbours to the Joyce branch (YP6008) are on YP6007 (formed about 1700 AD) and the nearest neighbours prior to that are on branch YP4660 (formed about 200-900 AD) and have English ancestry. This could be in keeping with the putative Welsh origins of the Joyce surname.

Unfortunately there are no surnames associated with this part of the Big Y Block Tree and thus it is not possible to draw any conclusions from this SNP data regarding the origins of Group 5. Furthermore, this portion of the Tree on The Big Tree website is still undergoing analysis and the YP6008 branch has not been added - thus it offers no additional information at this time.

The Joyce Country Group's branch of the Tree of Mankind (YP6008) with very crude date estimates
(based on the Big Y Block Tree at FTDNA with some dates from YFULL estimates)

If one or both of the O'Malley Group 5 members did the Big Y test, this could reveal that they sit on the YP6008 branch, or the one above it (YP6007) or possibly an as-yet-unidentified adjacent branch. The latter situation could result in the splitting of the 8-SNP "SNP Block" headed by YP4660 into two separate SNP Blocks, with the Joyce's on one branch and the O'Malley's on another.

Searching the Ireland Y-DNA Project and the R1a Haplogroup Project reveals that the SNP YP6008 is rare and is only associated with the surname Joyce. The upstream SNP YP4660 is associated with the surname Sayers and probably with the surnames Payne, McHale & Guinane. McHale is chiefly concentrated in Mayo and interestingly may be of Welsh origin (like Joyce). Guinane is mainly concentrated in the Limerick/Tipperary area.

Conclusions

The strong association with the surname Joyce (and to a lesser extent the surname Coyne, Newell & Nally) suggests that Group 5 has ancestral origins in the Galway / Mayo area, not far from the ancestral territories of the O'Malley's of Mayo. And in fact one of the group members does have a MDKA from this area (Kilmilkin).

The preponderance of the Joyce surname among Group 5 members' matches suggests that there may have been a Surname or DNA Switch (SDS) at some time along the direct male line of the O'Malley members of Group 5. The evidence suggests that the switch was from Joyce to O'Malley. Firstly, there are many more Joyce's than O'Malleys with this particular STR signature (31 in the Joyce County Group and two in O'Malley Group 5). And secondly, there appears to be more genetic diversity (i.e. more mutations) within the Joyce County Group compared to O'Malley Group 5, suggesting that Joyce came first and O'Malley later.

The Group 5 members probably share a common ancestor some time in the 1600s or 1700s, so if there was an SDS, it may have happened many centuries ago. There are many causes for an SDS and it could be that a Joyce man switched his surname as a sign of loyalty to an O'Malley.


Next Steps

1. Both members should join the Joyce DNA Project and ask the Admin for an assessment of their results.
2. They should also join the relevant Haplogroup & Geographic Projects and seek further advice from the Admins of those projects. For now, until Big Y data is available, only topline recommendations can be made re potentially relevant projects:
1. Ireland Y-DNA Project
2. R1a Haplogroup Project
3. It would be helpful if more Joyce's (and one or both of the O'Malley members) were to do the Big Y test. This would help clarify the relationship of the O'Malley men to each other and to the Joyce group. It would also help us answer the question: which came first - the Joyce chicken or the O'Malley egg? And it would isolate on which particular branch of the Tree of Mankind they sit. This in turn could give further clues as to their origins.
4. If both members upgraded to the Y-DNA-111 test, this would allow a better estimate of the TMRCA (Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor).
5. If both members did the autosomal test (Family Finder or Ancestry test), this could help confirm if the common ancestor is beyond the 3rd cousin level. 
6. Hopefully distant cousins of these Galway O'Malley's will continue to join the project over time (both with Y-DNA and autosomal DNA data) and this will allow us to grow this particular group and answer some of the remaining genealogical questions.

Maurice Gleeson

June 2019

Group 1 - Status Update (May 2019)

Description of the Group
There are 3 people in Group 1 (one additional member since the previous update in 2017). One is a Maley, one O'Maley, and the third is O'Malley. But interestingly, even though they each have a different surname variant, they are all 3rd cousins to each other. They share the same great great grandfather on their direct male lines, namely John O'Maley, born about 1795 in Galway. This is their MDKA (Most Distant Known Ancestor). Their MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestor) is one generation below this - his son, Michael O'Maley born in Boston, MA in 1845 (see diagram below).

(click to enlarge)

STR Results
All three have done the Y-DNA-111 test which tests for 111 STR markers. Among these 111 markers there are 3 mutations in total - 2 on the descendant line from James 1876, 1 on the descendant line from Joseph 1887, and none on the descendant line from John 1874. This translates into a Genetic Distance of 1/111, 2/111 and 3/111 for the three cousins (as illustrated in the diagram below). As they are 3rd cousins to each other, there have been 4 cell divisions (i.e. DNA transmission events or meioses) along the path of each of their direct male lines from their MRCA (Michael 1845), giving us a total of 12 transmission events for all three cousins together. Thus, over the course of these 12 DNA transmissions (dating from 1845), 3 mutations have occurred. This gives an average of 1 mutation every 4 generations (over the 111 markers tested).

Direct Male Line pedigrees of Group 1 members
(also available on our Pedigree Page)

SNP Results
One group member has done the Big Y test. His terminal SNP was A8611 (Jun 2017) but is now BY37245. The terminal SNP will be further revised as more people do the Big Y test, thus revealing the finer "more downstream" branches in this particular section of the Tree of Mankind.

The SNP Progression for this group is shown below. The SNP Progression is the sequence of SNP markers that characterise each branching point in the Tree of Mankind, starting "upstream" at the SNP marker for the major Haplogroup (Haplogroup I in this case) and ending "downstream" with the project member's current terminal SNP:

• I-M170 > P215 > CTS2257 > L460 > P37 > M423 > CTS5375 > L161 > S2639 > L1498 > A1150 > A8611 > BY37245

The only other person in the entire FTDNA database who tests positive for the SNP marker BY37245 is someone called Pietz whose direct male line goes back to an O BRYAN from Ireland. The Big Y Block Tree for this portion of the Tree of Mankind is shown below with approximate dates for some of the branching points (allowing 100-150 years per SNP marker). The Group 1 branch (BY37245) is on the far left. This branch is about 3000 years old or more, and is quite isolated from nearby branches. The 2 people on this branch are our Group 1 member and the Pietz individual with the O Bryan ancestor - they share a common ancestor about 700 to 1050 years ago.

Big Y Block Tree with the BY37245 branch far left
(click to enlarge)

Ancestral Origins

We can get important clues to the likely origins of a particular group by examining the surnames and locations of their DNA matches. There are several sources for this information:

1. the Big Y Block Tree
2. the relevant Haplogroup & Geographic Projects
3. the surnames of the STR matches of the individuals within a particular genetic group

As we saw in the Big Y Block Tree above, only 1 other person sits on the BY37245 branch and that is an O' Bryan but with no ancestral location specified (although the surname is most likely to be Irish in origin). Furthermore, the nearby branches to Group 1 on the Tree of Mankind are more than 3000 years old so the surnames & locations of people on these branches are not likely to be hugely informative for Group 1's origins within the last 1000 years. Unfortunately surnames are not displayed on the Big Y Block Tree and only some people have included ancestral origins. Nevertheless, you can see from the flags in the diagram above that "Old World" origins for this part of the Tree of Mankind are centred around Ireland or Britain.

There is limited information on surnames & locations on the Big Y Block Tree because not many people have done the Big Y test. There is potentially more information in the I2a Haplogroup Project (which includes people who have not done the Big Y). The administrators of the project have placed the Group 1 member in the BY37245 subgroup of the Isles B3 subgroup which itself is a subgroup of I2a2b (known elsewhere as I2a1b). [1] In this BY37245 subgroup, two additional people are included - O'BRIEN & CASHIN (Tipperary). (As an aside, it would be very helpful if these people did the Big Y test.) Adjacent branches have surnames and locations which suggest that the deeper origins (3000+ years ago) are in Britain (see Table below). Unfortunately not everyone has included an ancestral location so again only limited conclusions can be drawn from the available data.

The I2a Haplogroup is thought to have originated in Eastern Europe / Western Asia around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum (approximately 20,000 years ago) and the I2a2b/I2a1b subclade is found in particular high concentrations in Western Ireland (5-10%) and the Scottish Highlands (1-5%). It is likely to have arrived in Ireland before the Celts (i.e. some time before 2000 BC) and thus is a very old genetic group. [2,3]

Another source of information is the surnames of the STR matches of Group 1. The following ancestral surnames (and locations) appear among the STR matches for Group 1 members: CASHIN (Tipperary), CASHEN, VOLLBRECHT, O'BRIEN (Ireland), O BRYAN, GLEASON. In addition, one of the Group 1 members has tested at Genebase where he has a match (Genetic Distance 1/26) to someone called NEALON.

Two O'Malley "clans" are mentioned in surname dictionaries and Ancient Annals, one in Mayo (famous for Grace O'Malley) and one in the old Kingdom of Thomond (on the Limerick / Clare border) but there may be other origins for the surname. O'Brien is a prominent Irish surname with "clan territories" in and around county Clare. In the mid-1800s the highest concentrations were in south-west Ireland (in the province of Munster), specifically the counties Limerick, Clare, Tipperary & Cork (see map below). Gleason was heavily concentrated in Tipperary. Cashen is an unusual Irish surname and distribution maps suggest ancestral origins in the area around counties Kilkenny, Tipperary & Laois (see maps below).

The overlap between these surnames suggests that the ancestral origins for Group 1 (within the last 1000 years or so) could lie somewhere between Clare & Kilkenny. This could tie in with historical associations with the Kingdom of Thomond, but this is merely a theory and would need to be proved.

Distribution of Malley surname in Ireland in the mid-1800s
(from www.johngrenham.com)

Distribution of O'Brien surname in Ireland in the mid-1800s
(from www.johngrenham.com)

Distribution of Gleeson surname in Ireland in the mid-1800s
(from www.johngrenham.com)

Distribution of Cashen surname in Ireland in the mid-1800s
(from www.johngrenham.com)

Distribution of Nealon surname in Ireland in the mid-1800s
(from www.johngrenham.com)

Possible origins of Group 1 in the past 1000 years
(click to enlarge)

Chicken or Egg?

So which came first? O'Maley, Cashin or O'Bryan? or some other surname? It is difficult to say. Here is what we do know:

• The direct male line of Group 1 bore the O'Maley name as far back as 1845 (their MRCA).
• Before that, there may have been an SDS (Surname or DNA Switch), or the O'Maley name may have gone all the way back along the direct male line to the formation of the O'Maley name approximately 1000 years ago. [4]
• Allowing 30 years per generation, the chances of an SDS between 1000 AD and 1845 are 24-42% (say about 33%) [5]
• And therefore there is a 67% chance (approximately) that, in this group, the pairing of the Maley name and the DNA signature of Group 1 continues along the Direct Male Line for 1000 years to the origin of their Maley surname.

Conclusions

Where are they from?

• Group 1 has origins in Galway in the late 1700s.
• Prior to that their origins are probably Irish but the precise location is not clear. 
• The close STR match with people called O'BRIEN, GLEASON and CASHIN / CASHEN suggests a possible origin (within the last 1000 years) somewhere between counties Clare & Kilkenny.

How old is the group?

Group members have been carrying the same Y-DNA and surname (with minor variations) since 1845 but prior to that there may have been a Surname or DNA Switch (33% probability since 1000 AD).

Is there an association with an Irish "clan"?

None is apparent at this point in time. However, given the area of their possible origin, there may be an association with the O'Malley's of Thomond (Limerick / Clare).

What are the Next Steps?

More people are needed to join the FTDNA database in order to get closer matches and establish the more precise origins of this group and how long their DNA signature has been associated with the Maley surname.

Maurice Gleeson

May 2019

Notes & Sources

[1] Nomenclature varies due to frequent revisions and is thus confusing. Be warned. Alternative nomenclature for this group is I2a1b.
[2] 12a Haplogroup Project on FTDNA ... https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/i-2a-hap-group/about/background
[3] Haplogroup I2 page on Eupedia ... https://www.eupedia.com/europe/Haplogroup_I2_Y-DNA.shtml#I2a1b
[4] There are many possible causes for a Surname or DNA Switch (SDS) including swearing allegiance to the Clan Chief, a young widow remarries and her children take her new husbands name, adoption, etc. You can read more here.
[5] The SDS rate is approximately 1-2% per generation. Allowing 30 years per generation translates into roughly 27 generations between 1000 AD and 1845. Therefore the overall SDS rate over this time period can be calculated using the following formula: 1-(0.99^27) to 1-(0.98^27) 

Acknowledgements
A big thank you goes out to Patti Easton who judiciously complied the O'Malley pedigrees submitted by group members. Patti was co-administrator from 2017 to 2019, when she left to pursue other interests.

Getting the Most out of your Y-DNA Test

There are a few essential actions you should take to get the most out of your Y-DNA test. The main objective of these actions is to make yourself visible to your O'Malley cousins so that you optimise your chances of making a breakthrough in your research. Here are my top tips.

1) Add your O'Malley Ancestral Line as a Comment on our Post your Pedigree Page. This will potentially help other people to connect with you. It would help if you could provide it in the following format:

1) James O'MALLEY b c1835 Ardagh, Co.Longford, d 12 Nov 1879 Keenagh, Co. Longford, m 13 Apr 1860 Maria COYLE, Keenagh, Co. Longford
2) Mortimer O'MALLEY b 1861 etc ... (birth, death, marriage details)
3) Abigail O'MALLEY b 1890 ... (as above)
4) Francis KENNEDY b 1914 … as above, but not including dates for a) births <100 years ago, b) marriages <75 years ago, or c) deaths <50 years ago
5) BOM (father)
6) DOM-9482 (test taker = initials plus last 4 digits of kit number)
Researcher's email address: someone AT something.com
Link to online tree: (insert your link here) www.somewebsite.com

2) You should also add your MDKA information (Most Distant Known Ancestor) including dates & locations for both birth and death. The format we recommend is the same as the one above, but you may have to abbreviate it as only a certain number of letters (50) are allowed in this field. Location of birth is the most important piece of information so make sure this gets in there. Here is an example:

James O'MALLEY b1835 Kilcullen, Co.Kildare, d1879 New York

To add this information, simply click on your name in the top right of your homepage - Account Settings - Genealogy - Earliest Known Ancestors ... and then go to Direct Paternal Ancestor and enter the above information in the first field entitled "Name and Birth/Death Date". This is important. If you don't put it all on the one line it will not show up on the Results Page.

This is what your results will look like to the general public. Recognise anyone? No. Exactly! That's the point. Your anonymity is preserved.

3) Optimise your Privacy settings so that your potential cousins can see your results. This will still preserve your anonymity, but will allow them to see your surname, your Earliest Known Ancestor, your ancestral locations, and the string of numbers representing your DNA results:

• Hover over your Name in the top right
• Click on Account Settings, then the Project Preferences tab, then scroll down to Group Project Profile and then click on the "Opt in to Sharing" slider.

4) Join the relevant Haplogroup & Geographic DNA Projects

Your results will reveal your haplogroup (your branch of the Tree of Mankind). Once your results arrive, make sure you join all the relevant projects as these will assist us in the further analysis of your data and in particular your deep ancestry (where in the world your particular ancestors originated several thousand years ago). The projects are run by volunteer project administrators and they are a rich source for advice, guidance, and support. Frequently there is an associated mailing list or Facebook group you can join to keep abreast of up-to-date developments (this is a fast-moving field).

Relevant Y-DNA haplogroup projects identified thus far include the following:

• R-M269 members should join R1b ALL subclades (and other relevant subclade projects)
• R-M198 members should join the R1a Project
• I-P37 members should join the I2a subclade project

Relevant Y-DNA geographical projects include the Ireland Y-DNA Project, but there may be more.

You can see if there are any other relevant projects to your research on these lists below:

• http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Y-DNA_haplogroup_projects
• http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Geographical_DNA_projects

Maurice Gleeson

May 2018

What can Y-DNA Results tell us?

Most people who join surname projects (like the O'Malley DNA Project) start off with the Y-DNA-37 marker test. This tests 37 STR markers, and you can later upgrade to 67 or 111 STR markers. Some people also do SNP marker testing, either via a special "SNP Pack" or the Big Y test. So there are two types of DNA markers - STR markers and SNP markers. You can read more about them here.

Each type of marker gives different kinds of information. The SNP markers help define the exact location that someone sits on the Tree of Mankind, whilst the STR markers give an indication of how closely two people are related within the last several hundred years. Both types of marker can provide crucial information that helps the interpretation of the overall data and allows us to draw specific conclusions about each of the genetic groups within the project.

But DNA data is not the only type of data that we analyse. We also analyse the direct male line pedigrees that project members have provided, and in particular the birth location of each MDKA (Most Distant Known Ancestor).

On an individual level, a simple Y-DNA-37 test may help you identify people to whom you are closely related. An exact match at 37 markers (i.e. no mutations; Genetic Distance = 0/37) suggests that you and the other person have a 50% chance of being related on your direct male line within 5 generations and a 95% chance of being related within 8 generations. The probabilities are even stronger for an exact match at 67 markers (50% probability within 3 generations, 95% probability within 5 generations) and 111 markers (3rd cousins or closer). Thus your own individual Y-DNA results can help you with your personal family tree research.

But you get additional value from your Y-DNA results by joining DNA projects - surname projects, haplogroup projects & geographic projects. And at this project level, your Y-DNA results can tell us a lot about the deeper origins of your specific genetic group. Here's how ...

In most projects, distinct genetic groups can be identified from the DNA data. These are groups of people who all share a broadly similar genetic signature, suggesting that they all descended from the same common ancestor some time in the last 1000 years or so (i.e. "within a genealogical timeframe", or "since the advent of surnames"). The key questions that we can ask about any genetic group within a project are:

• Where are they from?
• How old is the group?
• Is the group associated with a specific Irish "clan"?

And as the Y-DNA database has grown, various DNA projects have indeed been able to identify the genetic signatures of specific Irish "clans", thus connecting people with their deeper Irish roots and a history that few may have imagined.

Brian Boru (941-1014), High King of Ireland 

One of the earliest examples of this is the O'Brien DNA Project. The Administrators of this project worked closely with Haplogroup Project Administrators to identify a specific signature for the "tribe" of the Dal gCais (pronounced Doll Gash), one of whose most famous descendants was Brian Boru, 1st High King of Ireland, who was killed at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. [1] The evidence collected in support of this conclusion (that a specific signature is that of the Dal gCais) includes the following:

• a specific Y-DNA signature (called the Irish Type III STR signature, which is associated with the L226 SNP marker) is in turn associated with: 

1. a significant surplus of Dal Cassian surnames (e.g. O'Brien, Casey, McGrath, Hogan, etc)
2. a higher frequency in the clan territories of the Dal gCais (centred around Clare & Limerick)

• Sir Conor O'Brien shares the same specific signature (he has a 32-generation direct male line pedigree going back to Brian Boru)

Distribution of L226 is strongest in Dal gCais territories

So Y-DNA results can help you identify matches with whom you share a fairly recent common ancestor (on your direct male line) and can link you up to the deeper origins of your surname and where it came from. This can be particularly helpful for descendants of the Irish Diaspora, many of whom do not know from which part of Ireland their ancestors originated. Knowing the deeper ancestral locations of your surname can be a starting point for focussed documentary research.

We will see in subsequent posts how the deeper origins of the various groups within the O'Malley DNA Project are coming close to identifying specific DNA signatures of specific O'Malley "clans". One group shares a probable connection to Grace O'Malley (the Pirate Queen), and another shares a connection to Brian Boru.

Maurice Gleeson

May 2019

References:

[1] Dennis M Wright, 2009. A Set of Distinctive Marker Values defines a Y-STR Signature for Gaelic Dalcassian families. Journal of Genetic Genealogy, 5(1):1-7. Available at http://www.jogg.info/pages/51/files/Wright.pdf

Recruitment to the Project (May 2019)

The O'Malley DNA Project currently boasts a total membership of 125 people. These members have done a variety of different DNA tests as follows:

• 71 have done a Y-DNA test (for tracing the father's father's father's line) 

• of these, 67 have done the Y-DNA-37 test (i.e. 37 STR markers) 

• 44 have done Y-DNA-67 

• 29 have done Y-DNA-111 

• 31 have done a mitochondrial DNA test (i.e. mtDNA, for tracing the mother's mother's mother's line) 

• 56 have done a Family Finder test (i.e. autosomal DNA, useful for connecting to cousins on any ancestral line) 

• 54 have done either FF or mtDNA but not Y-DNA (adding these numbers to the numbers who did a Y-DNA test gives the project total of 125)

• 24 have done the Big Y test (the ultimate Y-DNA test - it helps identify your exact placement on the Tree of Mankind)

Further information on the tests that members have taken can be seen on the Project Statistics page.

Below is a graph showing recruitment to the O'Malley DNA Project since its inception in 2005. Recruitment has been very steady over the years but there was a noticeable jump in the recruitment rate following the last O'Malley Clan Rally in 2017. Prior to this the recruitment rate was 4.6 members per year whereas afterwards it increased to 35.5 members per year.

(click to enlarge)

Because the timeline (X-axis) on the above graph is not linear, a more accurate representation of the recruitment rate can be seen in the graph below.

(click to enlarge)

So the project is progressing well and we may see a further jump in recruitment following the upcoming Clan Rally in June 2019 (21st-23rd).

Maurice Gleeson

May 2019

Previous Updates on the DNA Project

The O'Malley DNA Project has been running since 2005. Annual updates have been published since 2017 on the FTDNA website here, and are copied and pasted below in reverse chronological order.

13 Apr 2018
Group 3 update
This group now has 27 members (up from 22 in January) but has been split into 5 distinct sub-groups - 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d & 3e. The reason for this split is because Big Y results have indicated that the subgroup are in fact quite distantly related to each other (as described in the update below from 1 Dec 2017). However new Big Y results have helped clarify the situation:

• Subgroup 3a ... M222 > DF106 > DF104 > DF105 > BY35730 > BY35759 ... this is a completely new branch of the Tree of Mankind (discussed below).
• Subgroup 3b ... M222 > DF106 > DF104 > DF105 > DF85 ... no one has done the Big Y test as yet and until this happens we cannot define which branch of the Tree of Mankind this group sits on. It may be related to Subgroup 3c below.
• Subgroup 3c ... M222 > DF106 > DF104 > DF105 > DF85 > S673 > S668 > BY11548 > A10680 (Melloy B3380) - this branch has Kilcoyne, Claycomb, Lloyd, Craig, Galyean & Gallagher as genetic neighbours.
• Subgroup 3d ... M222 > DF106 > DF104 > DF105 > ZS8379 > BY11707 > A11227 > A11427 > BY21143 (Malloy B2799) - this branch is primarily associated with people named Molloy (x4) and Malloy (x2) and probably represents the Firceall Molloy's from Offaly.
• Subgroup 3e ... M222 > DF106 > DF104 > DF105 > A10528 (Molloy 310572) - this branch is associated with the surnames McFadden, Cryans, Lindsey, John & Fullerton.

The 3 Big Y results for Subgroup 3a suggest that this group sits on a completely new branch of the Tree of Mankind. This new branch is characterised by the SNP markers BY35730 & BY35759. The latter SNP marker (BY35759) is only found in 3 people within the entire FTDNA database - two called O'Malley & one called Donaho. The other SNP marker (BY35730) is only shared by 4 people in the entire database - the O'Malley & Donaho people described above and a third person called Maley. There are several points to note about these results:
1) this subgroup has several members from Mayo (everyone needs to supply me with their earliest known ancestor information and not everyone has). This could indicate that this group is related to Grace O'Malley. Please send me your earliest known ancestor information if you have not done so already (name, birth year, birth location).
2) It could be that the Donaho individual has had a surname switch earlier in his direct male line ancestry and is in fact a Donaho by name and an O'Malley by DNA. Or he could represent a family genetically related to the O'Malley's just prior to the introduction of surnames 1000 years ago (approximately). Further Big Y results from other Subgroup 3a members will help to clarify which of these two scenarios is the most likely.
3) it may be that we are very close to identifying the genetic signature of Grace O'Malley. Only further in-depth analysis by Alex Williamson and his colleagues will tell us this (see below)

Members of all the Group 3 subgroups should join the R-M222 Haplogroup Project. They should also send their Big Y data to Alex Williamson for additional (free) in-depth analyses (instructions here). Alex will add the data to The Big Tree which will place Group 3 members in a very nice graphical representation of the Tree of Mankind, and will help dating the age of each branch and when the O'Malley's of Subgroup 3a split away from their genetic neighbours. 

Maurice Gleeson

7 Dec 2017
A new genetic group has been discovered and has been named Group 4. It consists of two individuals (Maley & Meally) with a Genetic Distance (GD) of 1/67. They also match people called Phelan, Whalen & Markham, some of whom have done the Big Y and sit on this particular branch of the Tree of Mankind, characterised by the SNP Progression below. It is likely that these Group 4 members would also sit on this branch or somewhere close by, and this could be confirmed by Big Y testing ...  

• R-P312/S116 > Z290 > L21/S145 > DF13 > Z39589 > CTS1751 > Z17966 > Z17969 > Z17967 > BY596 > BY595 > FGC35783 > S22219

It is difficult to know how old this group is as the two members are quite closely related. A review of their pedigrees (pending) might reveal a common ancestor. At this stage we don't know if there was a DNA switch in the last 1000 years or if this group carries the DNA of the founder of their surname. Of note, their GD to their Phelan, Whalen, & Markham matches is mainly 5-7/67 so the connection is not close.

The origins of this group are likely to be Irish, given that 2 of the 7 members on the S22219 branch of the Tree of Mankind are Irish, and given that 6 of the surnames on that branch are Irish. Where in Ireland they are from remains to be defined but their pedigree review (pending) may help, as might a review of their close neighbours in relevant Haplogroup Projects (which they should join).

Maurice Gleeson

1 Dec 2017
Group 2 update
Membership has grown to 12 members (up by 5 since June). Two members have done the Big Y test (357319 & 350664) and their results have identified a further downstream sub-branch on which they sit, characterised by the newly discovered DNA marker DC735. As a result they now sit in Group 15C of the R-L226 Haplogroup Project. Because only O'Malley's have tested positive for this SNP marker, it is quite probable that this particular SNP marker characterises the Group 2 O'Malley's. The new SNP Progression for Group 2 is as follows:

• R-M269 … > P312/S116 > Z290 > L21/S145 > DF13 > ZZ10 > Z253 > Z2534 > FGC5618 > L226 > FGC5660 > Z17669 > A10950 > DC29  > DC362 > DC735

Both members have been asked to send their data for incorporation into The Big Tree (instructions here) for additional (free) analyses, so that this new sub-branch can be added to the tree and the age of the branch can be calculated. If Group 2 represent descendants of the original bearer of the O'Malley name, the age of DC735 should turn out to be about 1000 years old.

Group 3 update
This group now has 22 members (up from 9 in June). In addition, 3 more members have done the Big Y test (Molloy 310572, Maley 43481, & O'Malley 590113 - the latter's results are expected in Jan 2018). These additional results paint a very confused picture for this group. The genetic family tree for the 4 members with Big Y results can be drawn as follows:

• M222 > DF106 > DF104 > DF105 > ZS8379 > BY11707 > A11227 > A11427 > BY21143 (Malloy B2799) - this branch is primarily associated with people named Molloy (x4) and Malloy (x2) and probably represents the Firceall Molloy's from Offaly.
• M222 > DF106 > DF104 > DF105 > DF85 > S673 > S668 > BY11548 > A10680 (Melloy B3380) - this branch has Kilcoyne, Claycomb, Lloyd, Craig, Galyean & Gallagher as genetic neighbours and may represent the genetic signature of the Mayo O'Malley's (see June update below).
• M222 > DF106 > DF104 > DF105 > A10528 (Molloy 310572) - this branch is associated with the surnames McFadden, Cryans, Lindsey, John & Fullerton.
• M222 > DF106 > DF104 > DF105 (Maley 43481) - this SNP marker is not yet on the Big Tree and is not yet in the R-M222 Haplogroup Project so it is not possible to ascertain which surnames are its nearest genetic neighbours.

This indicates that the 4 people with Big Y results thus far are all distantly related to each other, with no common ancestor (DF105) until at least 1800 years ago. Thus they represent a disparate group of "unrelated" people who all bear similar surname variants, but which appear to have arisen at different points in time. The results of the 5th Big Y test may reveal which of the terminal SNP markers above represents the "true" SNP marker that characterises the Mayo O'Malley's. 

The above results serve to emphasise how important Big Y data is for anyone who belongs to the M222 branch of the Tree of Mankind ... Convergence is widespread and chance matches are common, even with similar surname variants.

Again, all members of this group should join the R-M222 Haplogroup Project and send their Big Y data to Alex Williamson for incorporation into The Big Tree (instructions here) and for additional (free) analyses, so that each sub-branch can be added to the tree and the age of each branch can be calculated.

Maurice Gleeson

25 June 2017
An analysis of the project was presented at the O'Malley Clan Rally at the Claregalway Hotel in Galway, Ireland. This was recorded for YouTube and can be seen here ... https://youtu.be/jyHsuieMJ3Y
In brief, there are 3 genetic groups identified thus far within the project. Group 1 (2 members) has origins in Galway, Group 2 (7 members) has origins in Limerick, and Group 3 (13 members) has probable origins in Mayo. There is an Ungrouped section of 14 members who either 1) represent the only member to test thus far from a rare branch of the O'Malley's; or 2) there has been a Surname or DNA Switch (SDS or NPE) somewhere along their direct male line and they are O'Malley by name but carry someone else's Y-DNA . This could arise due to adoption, illegitimacy, legal name change, etc.

Group 1 consists of 2 closely related individuals (Genetic Distance 2/111) with the same common ancestor, namely John O'Malley born c.1795 in Galway, making them 2nd to 3rd cousins. One member has done the Big Y test and has thus identified the branch of the Tree of Mankind on which they sit, namely ...

• I-L460 > P37 > M243 > Y3104 > L161 > S2639 > L1498 > A1150 > A8611 (which is about 3000 years old)

This places them in Haplogroup I2, subgroup I2a1b, which appears to have emerged some time during the bronze age in Britain/Ireland. In the I2a Haplogroup Project, they are grouped under I2a2b ‘Isles-B3’ which only contains 13 members and there is no close connection to any of them.
Thus, given the current data, it is not possible to say how long this genetic group has carried the O'Malley name, or where it originated 1000 years ago. Additional matches and additional Big Y testing will help address these questions.

Group 2 has 7 members, with two sets of close cousins - one related to a Michael O'Malley born 1780 in Murroe, Limerick; the other related to a Denis O'Malley born 1793 in Cappamore, Limerick. The largest Genetic Distance (GD) of 14/111 generates a midpoint estimate for the age of this group of 240 years, which equates to a common ancestor born around 1710 AD (assuming that 1950 is the average year of birth of the group's members). Without more members and more Big Y data, we cannot say at this stage for how long before 1710 that this group has carried the O'Malley name.

Two members did the R-L226 SNP Pack and thus identified a downstream branch of the Tree of Mankind on which they sit, namely ...

• R-M269 … > P312/S116 > Z290 > L21/S145 > DF13 > ZZ10 > Z253 > Z2534 > FGC5618 > L226 > FGC5660 > Z17669 > A10950 > DC29 (which is about 3000 years old)

This places them in Haplogroup R1b, sub-branch R-L226 which appears to have emerged in Ireland at least 1450 years ago and is the hallmark of the Dalcassian group of surnames associated with Brian Boru. The results also identify a further sub-branch below L226, namely DC29, which is at least 800 years old and therefore emerged some time before 1200 AD.

A review of the surnames associated with this branch of the Tree of Mankind was undertaken, based on data from The Big Tree and the R-L226 Haplogroup Project, (where they are grouped in Group 15 of that project). This indicated a predominance of several of the "genetically close" surnames in and around County Clare (namely O'Loughlin, McInerney, and to a lesser extent Slattery & McNamara). This suggests a Clare origin for this group, which is in keeping with Woulfe's Surname Dictionary which describes "a Thomond family who were chiefs of Tuath Luimnigh a district in the neighbourhood of the city of Limerick". It would be interesting to track down the ancient texts referring to this particular sept / clan and see if the associated surnames include the "genetically close" surnames identified.

Thus, given the current data, it is not possible to say how long this genetic group has carried the O'Malley name prior to about 1710, but there is some good evidence that it originated in County Clare and may represent the descendants of the Tuath Luimnigh. Additional matches and additional Big Y testing will help address these questions.

Group 3 has 13 members, 4 with MDKAs (Most Distant Known Ancestors) from Mayo, 2 others from Ireland, 2 from England, 1 from Scotland, and the rest from the New World (mainly USA). The members belong to Haplogroup R1b, subclade M222, which is renowned for a high incidence of Convergence, resulting in many Chance Matches. This was detected in this group too because 2 members had done the Big Y test (Malloy B2799 & Melloy B3380 - note the surname variants). Despite the fact that their Genetic Distance (based on STR markers) is 7/67, they sit on different branches of the Tree of Mankind (A11427 & A10680 respectively), and their common ancestor carries the SNP marker DF105 which is at least 1800 years old. Thus they cannot be related within the last 1000 years since the presumed introduction of the O'Malley surname. Thus, any matches within this group must be treated with a degree of caution until downstream SNP testing (e.g. with the Big Y) has confirmed that members have been accurately grouped in this group.

In fact, it turned out that the Malloy B2799 member is more closely related to Molloy's from Offaly with whom he shares the same terminal SNP marker (A11427). This makes it more likely that the results of Melloy B3380 are more representative of this group.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding "true matches" within this group, estimating the age is more unreliable than with other groups within the project. The best estimate (using a GD of 15/67) gives a midpoint estimate of 20 generations, which equates to about 600 years, which equates to a crude year of birth of 1350 for the group's common ancestor. But we need more members and more Big Y data to generate a more accurate estimate.

The range of Genetic Distances between Melloy B3380 and other group members (comparing 67 marker results) is 15/67 (1 member), 14/67 (1), 11/67 (3), 10/67 (1), 8/67 (2), and 7/67 (3). In addition there are several people in the Ungrouped section that may very well belong in Group 3 - their surnames, kit numbers, & GD are: Curley 591619 13/67, Malia 577761 10/67, McGovern 509238 10/67, Mullin 228786 8/67. Only Big Y testing will determine whether or not they should be placed in this group.

Several members did the R-M222 SNP Pack and together with the Big Y results of member B3380, this suggests that they sit on the downstream branch of the Tree of Mankind characterised by the SNP marker A10680 (or a branch nearby). The SNP Progression for this branch is as follows:

• R-P312/S116 > Z290 > L21/S145 > DF13 > Z39589 > DF49/S474 > Z2980 > Z2976 > DF23 > Z2961 > M222 > DF106 > DF104 > DF105 > DF85 > S673 > S668 > BY11548 > A10680

This places them in Haplogroup R1b, sub-branch R-M222, which appears to have emerged in Ireland at least 2000 years ago and is the branch to which Niall of the Nine Hostages apparently belonged. The results also identify further sub-branches below M222, including DF105 (at least 1800 years old), S668 (at least 1500 years old), BY11548 (at least 1000 years old). 

A review of the surnames associated with this branch of the Tree of Mankind was undertaken, based on data from The Big Tree and the R-M222 Haplogroup Project, (where they are grouped in Group 92.2 of that project). This indicated a predominance of one particular surname (i.e. Kilcoyne) in County Mayo. This suggests a Mayo origin for this group, which is in keeping with the Surname Dictionaries of MacLysaght and Woulfe (among others) which describe one branch of the O'Malley's as being "a Connacht family who were chiefs of the two Umhalls now the baronies of Burrishoole and Murresk in the west of Co. Mayo and were particularly celebrated as naval commanders being called the Manannans or sea-gods of the western ocean and having a considerable fleet always under their command". This particular group of O'Malley's gave rise to Grace O'Malley (Gráinne Mhaol), the celebrated sea captain and Pirate Queen who controlled the waters off County Mayo for much of the 1500s.

A next step in the research would be to consult the ancient genealogies for the Mayo O'Malley's and determine if any of the surnames that allegedly "sprung from the same stock" are indeed genetically related to Group 3. This would help confirm that they are descendants from the Mayo O'Malley's. Additional matches and additional Big Y testing will also help address these questions.

Maurice Gleeson

4 May 2017
Membership now stands at 55 with 11 new members since February.


14 Feb 2017

As the project grows, more genetic families will be identified. The challenge will be to try to identify the ancestral origins of each. This is where the MDKA information is most important (MDKA stands for Most Distant known Ancestor). So too is “downstream SNP testing” as this will help us place each genetic family on the Haplotree (Human Evolutionary Tree) revealing who their nearest neighbours are. These nearest neighbours may help tie specific genetic families to the ancient annals and genealogies. I am using this technique with my other projects and currently Gleeson Lineage II is the most advanced example.

Melia being R-M269 indicates a common ancestor with Malley … but the connection is thousands of years ago. Downstream SNP testing will be needed to define the “characteristic SNP Signature” for the "O’Malley clan” and to see if it is the same as that for the Melia surname … and I use inverted commas because we already know there are several O’Malley genetic families - the question is which one goes back to the originator of the surname, and where did the other ones come from? Time and "More recruits, more MDKA info, more downstream SNP testing” will tell. 

Clustering them all together (Melia, Maley, Malley, etc) in the same project makes sense for now. We may even throw in a few Malloys for good measure, if nothing else but to illustrate that they are indeed members of a different genetic family, related to the O’Malley’s some 2000 year ago perhaps (and therefore not really related at all).

Maurice Gleeson

6 Feb 2017
Following a reanalysis of the results by the new Project Admin (Maurice Gleeson), the members were divided into 3 major genetic groups:

• an I-P37 group with Maley/O’Maley as the dominant surname and apparent origins in Galway (but both these individuals have the same common ancestor)
• an R-L226 group with O’Malley as the dominant surname and origins in Limerick (again 2 pairs within the group share the same common ancestor)
• an R-M222 group with Malley/O’Malley as the dominant surname but of uncertain origin (other than “Ireland”)

Further SNP testing is recommended as follows:

1. people in I2-Group 1 (Galway) should do the I2-P37 SNP Pack (unless a known close Maley relative has already done the Big Y test or similar downstream SNP testing)
2. people in R1b-Group 1 (Limerick) should do the R-L226 SNP Pack (unless a known close O'Malley relative has already done the Big Y test or similar downstream SNP testing)
3. people in R1b-Group 2 (Ireland) should do the R-M222 SNP Pack (unless a known close Maley/Malley/O'Malley relative has already done the Big Y test or similar downstream SNP testing

Anyone who has only tested to 12 markers should upgrade their test to 37 markers. It is not possible to group them otherwise.

Maurice Gleeson