What does Black Irish mean?

Question

What are some characteristics of the Black Irish. How are they different from other Irish people? Just wondering.

Answer 1

The Black Irish refers to people who came over to Ireland from Spain during the Renaissance.  They're called that since the Spanish tend to have darker coloring than the Irish, not because they are literally "black."

Answer 2

they say stuff like "what's up my drunk?"

sorry. It's the beer talking.

Answer 3

I'd go to war wit a black irisn man, Real talk

Answer 4

It's Spanish blood, darker hair and skin. Irish tend to be quite pale as the Spanish have more melanin and are usually brunettes.  

Answer 5

They are african descent. Get it?

Answer 6

It's just a darker phenotype often seen particularly in the west,Gaelighe speaking part of Ireland. It can vary a bit from black hair with blue eyes and pale skin to very black/dark brown hair,brown or hazel eyes and olive skin.

The old myth is that sailors who survived the wreck of the Spanish Armada married local women,...but although this is still widely believed, dna testing (among other things)has blown this out of the water.

Most of the Irish descend from either people from the Basque regions (so there IS a Spanish connection, just thousand of years ago!) who came there after the last Ice Age, or from neolithic farmers from the near east. Most of them,especially the latter, were probably dark-haired--their bones as we find them in the ancient megalithic tombs show they are a long headed Mediterranean type people. In the west, this darker strain was less diluted by viking invasions or more modern immigration coming through the main ports in the East,hence its survival.

Answer 7

They normally have dark hair and blue eyes.  I'm half black Irish.  My dad have coal black hair fair skin and blue eyes.