A Remarkable Coincidence

The Three Collas lived in Ireland in the 4th century A.D. Their descendants have been kings, lords, chiefs, and saints. Their history survived through oral tradition and eventually written histories. Recent Y-chromosome DNA tests show a remarkable coincidence between two sets of surnames:

1. Surnames of men with a certain type of DNA and
2. Surnames mentioned in histories of The Three Collas.

We have two people with Colla DNA who can trace their ancestry back to the Three Collas: a McDonald and a McMahon.

DNA has confirmed ancient Irish history, but it has also shown that the history is wrong in some areas. For example, the Three Collas were said to be related to Niall of the Nine Hostages. The DNA of the descendants of the Collas, however, does not match the DNA of the descendants of Niall. See History Lessons.

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An Unusual Test Result. In July 2008, with some skepticism, I had my Y-chromosone DNA tested for 67 genealogical markers. Results showed that I was of Atlantic European ancestry and matched up well with people named Biggins or Beggan. That was interesting but expected. Results also showed a good match with people named Maguire, Carroll, McDonald, McKenna, and McMahon. Furthermore, we all had an unusual null value for DNA marker 425. I described the results on my Web page: Biggins/Beggan Irish Roots.

My Web page related a conversation I had with Gerard Beggan, whom I had met in September 2007 at his home in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. Gerard told me that in 1969 Rev. Peadar Livingstone (1932-1987) told him that Beggan was a branch of the Maguire family. I had found Gerard's name on the Web site of Al Beagan. Father Livingstone was a renowned scholar in both the Irish language and local history. He wrote comprehensive histories of two counties in Ireland, The Fermanagh Story in 1969, and The Monaghan Story in 1980.

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Prehistoric burial-cairn within circular enclosure at Cornashee, Co. Fermanagh, reputedly Sciath Gabhra, inauguration-place of the Maguires, six-tenths of mile northeast of Lisnaskea, seat of the Senior branch of the McGuires.

An Email from Josiah McGuire. In March 2009, I received an email from Josiah McGuire. He was getting reports that he was matching up with me and found my Web page. He said, "I think it is really quite amazing and very interesting that Peadar Livingstone thought the Beggans had their origins from the Maguires, and here, of all things, are some fairly close matches that may confirm this."

Josiah's email went on: "I have been watching and studying the 425 nulls between the Carrolls, McMahons, McKennas, and McGuires since I had my markers upgraded to 67 markers in 2006. I suspected that we probably shared a common ancestor, but very few researchers took my comments very seriously. These surnames and several others who I also have matches with are said to descend from "Colla da Chrioch" as stated in the Irish Pedigrees by O'Hart." In 2007 Josiah computed modal values for the DNA of the Three Collas and put it on Ysearch with the user ID of DURRQ.

In June 2009, Josiah started the Clan Colla Null 425 Project at FTDNA to attract Clan Colla descendants, encourage upgrades to the 67-marker test, and promote Clan Colla research. I agreed to be a co-administrator and was the first one to join the new Clan Colla project.

Participation in the Biggins DNA project has turned out to be worth far more than I had anticipated. It confirms that the names Biggins, Beaghen, Beggan, and Little are based on the Irish word for small, beag, as mentioned in Irish surname books by Patrick Woulfe (1923) and Edward MacLysaght (1969). And it confirms what Professor Peadar Livingstone had told Gerard Beggan in the 1970s--that Beggans are related to Maguires. But most importantly, the DNA project established a connection with ancient Irish history. We Beggans were no longer just a humble people with a name based on the Irish word for little. With big names like Carroll, McMahon, McKenna, and Maguire, we were descended from the Three Collas who lived in the 4th century and established the ancient kingdom of Oriel in Monaghan and Fermanagh.

Corroborating Evidence. While Josiah was researching Clan Colla DNA, others were independently coming to the same conclusions. In February 2008, Kevin Carroll, administator of the Carroll DNA Project, posted this news: "We think that a group of our participants may have hit the Jackpot! They may be related to the O'Carroll Princes of Oriel (Monaghan and Louth). This Kingdom located in the North of Ireland was founded by the three Collas Brothers around the year 327 AD. Wow! Will keep you posted on this as we get more news."

In December 2008, the McQuillan Clan Association announced "DNA Project Sheds New Light on McQuillan Connections." Specifically, they said that "our first "cluster" shows recent shared ancestry for Monaghan & Fermanagh McQuillans. The close match between these three McQuillans reveals the first localized McQuillan haplotype cluster to emerge in our study. This cluster also shows a relationship with some Cullens, and perhaps with the McMahons of Monaghan."

In August 2009, Joseph A. Donohoe V (1941-2011) reported on the DNA of descendants of the Three Collas in his Breifne Clans DNA Report 5, Subgroup O1, posted at Results of Projects of the O'Donoghue Society. He independently identified the Clan Colla group that was identified by the Clan Colla project started by Josiah McGuire in June 2009. He called it Airghialla 1 because he was not sure it was Clan Colla. He said he was "not fully persuaded yet of the validity or applicability of the Colla tradition, particularly in view of the great number of traditionally Colla surnames not represented here." As part of his study, Joseph established a modal DNA for Airghialla 1 at Ysearch under the user ID of WHYAA. It is the same as the DURRQ modal used here, which was established by Josiah McGuire in June 2009. To test the validity of Airghialla 1, Joseph came up with a second group called Airghialla 2. As part of his study, Joseph established a modal DNA for Airghialla 2 at Ysearch under the user ID of 9U5BW. In comparing Airghialla 1 and 2 on page 184 of the report, Joseph says that Airghialla 1 "appears to have been prominent in the South Tyrone – North Monaghan area from the sixth century, if not earlier," while Airghialla 2 "rose to historical prominence later . . . in the ninth century." He concludes that Airghialla 1 "would appear to be the best candidate" to represent the DNA of the Three Collas. Joseph himself is not Airghialla 1 or 2. He is a descendant of Niall of the Nine Hostages, also called R-M222 or Northwest Irish.

The Clan Donald DNA Project was started in 2003 and is now one of the largest surname DNA projects. As of September 2012, the project had 27 Clan Colla (with 67 markers) spread among four subgroups:

• 16 in Magenta-Black,
• 5 in Pale Violet,
• 2 in Yellow Green-Black
• 4 in Yellow Unclassified.

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Four Colla Descendants. This study of the Y-chromosome DNA of the Three Collas is the product of four descendants of the Three Collas--Colla da Crioch to be specific.

• Josiah McGuire. Josiah McGuire had his DNA tested in 2004. By early 2005 he recognized that he matched several other people with Colla surnames and began studying those matches. After upgrading to 67 markers in 2006, Josiah learned that he had a null value for marker 425, as did the other Colla surnames. In 2007 Josiah computed modal values for the DNA of the Three Collas and put it on Ysearch with the user ID of DURRQ. In June 2009, he started the Clan Colla Null 425 Project at FTDNA to attract Clan Colla descendants, encourage upgrades to the 67-marker test, and promote Clan Colla research. He is also an administrator of the Mag-Uidhir Clan Project. Josiah's DNA is kit #23171. His genetic distance from the Colla Modal DNA is 9. He traces his family back to the eponymous Josiah McGuire, who was born in 1794 in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He has a McGuire family heritage website called A McGuire Family in America. Josiah lives in Indiana, USA. His email address is: j_j_mcguire@msn.com
  
  
• Peter Biggins. Peter had his DNA tested at FTDNA in 2008. When he realized with Josiah's help in May 2009 that he was descended from the Three Collas, he added this page on the DNA of the Three Collas to his genealogy website called PetersPioneers. In addition to the Clan Colla Null 425 Project, Peter is an administrator of the Biggins Project, the Carroll Project, the Ely Carroll Project, and the Drueke Project. His DNA is kit #127469. His genetic distance from the Colla Modal DNA is 6. Peter has traced his family back to Patrick Biggins (Beggan), who was born in 1807 in Ireland, most likely Drumgill, County Cavan (see Patrick Beggan of Drumgill). Peter lives in Connecticut, USA, where he is a director of the Middlesex Genealogical Society. His email address is: pabiggin@optonline.net
  
  
• Patrick McMahon. Patrick Ciaran McMahon had his DNA test in 2009. He is administrator of the McMahon Project at FTDNA as well as the Clan Colla Null 425 Project. In addition to being a fellow Colla descendant, Patrick spent his career working as a geneticist/operational analyst for the British Ministry of Defence. Patrick's DNA is kit #145687. His genetic distance from the Colla Modal DNA is 4. Patrick has an advanced degree in genetics from Trinity College Dublin. He and his brother Eugene have traced their family back to Faolan MacMathghamhna (Felim/Phelan MacMahon), who lived in County Monaghan in the early 12th century (see 49 Generations: Colla to McMahon). Patrick also has done an in-depth analysis of McMahon DNA, Oriel and Thomand McMahon DNA, and Colla and Its Wider Diaspora. Patrick grew up in Hampstead Park, Glasnevin, Dublin, and now lives in Gorey, Ireland. His email address is: mcmahongorey@utvinternet.com
  
  
• Thomas Roderick. Thomas H. Roderick, PhD, was one of the original members of the international Human Genome Organization in 1988 and had his DNA tested at FTDNA in 2003. He is administrator of the Roderick-Rhydderch Family Project at FTDNA as well as the Clan Colla Null 425 Project. In addition to being a fellow Colla descendant, Tom is a research geneticist and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy. Tom is one of the original founders of the Center for Human Genetics. He is on the Emeritus Staff at The Jackson Laboratory. Tom's DNA is kit #8551. His genetic distance from the Colla Modal DNA is 8. He has a PhD in genetics from the University of California, Berkeley. Tom is a member of the National Genealogical Society and has traced his family back to Rhydderch Evan who was born circa 1700 in Llantrisant, Glamorgan, Wales. Tom lives in Bar Harbor, Maine, USA. His email address is: roderick@gwi.net

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Origin of the Three Collas

1. Cousins of Niall. The traditional explanation is that the Three Collas are descended from the kings of Ireland and are cousins, twice removed of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The Three Collas were the sons of Eochaid Dublein, who was the younger son of Cairbre Lificar, the 117th King of Ireland. The older son, Fiacha Sraibtine, was the 120th King of Ireland. The Three Collas waged war against their uncle Fiacha Sraibhtine and slew him in the battle of Dubhcomar, AD 322. Colla Uais then ascended the throne as the 121st King of Ireland. In AD 326, he was deposed by Muredach Tirech, son of Fiacha Sraibtine. Muredach Tirech then banished to Scotland the Three Collas and their principal chiefs, to the number of three hundred; but through the influence of the King of Alba, and the mediation of the Druids, they were afterwards pardoned by the Irish King, who cordially invited them to return to Ireland, and received them into great favor.      ...more
2. Romanized Trinovantes. In 1998, Donald M. Schlegel, suggested in his article "The Origin of the Three Collas and the Fall of Emain" in the Clogher Record that the Three Collas were Romanized Britons from the Trinovantes, a celtic tribe from Colchester, the oldest recorded Roman town in England. They received military training from the Romans and eventually went to Ireland as mercenaries in the service of the King of Ireland. The Three Collas were not descended from the kings of Ireland and were not related to Niall of the Nine Hostages. This is consistent with recent DNA findings.      ...more
3. Tribal Drift. In 2010, Patrick McMahon, a geneticist and a contributor to this study, cited a westward and north westward movement of bronze-age Celts through Europe, including the L21 line which started north of the Alps about 4,000 years ago. He estimates that L21 Celts started to populate Ireland about 3,000 years ago. By the time the Romans came to Britain, these Celtic people would have subsumed earlier cultures and diverged from one another over the 30 or so generations. There arose in one L21 tribe, Clan Colla, the relatively rare and stable null mutation at marker 425 shortly before the Roman invasion of Britain. In addition to names representing Wales, there is an equally strong contingent of Scottish names. This, in conjunction with the occurrence of the null mutation at the beginning of the first milennium, is strongly suggestive that the Colla tribe was well established and had branched in northwest Britain before coming to Ireland. The three Colla brothers arrived in Ireland about A.D. 300, allegedly as mercenaries to the High King. Based on his analysis of the DNA data, Patrick sees no confirmation that specific surnames descended from specific brothers. See his McMahon DNA.      ...more

Stone of Destiny, where Kings of Ireland were crowned in a fort on the Hill of Tara, County Meath.

Cousins of Niall. In 1892, genealogist John O'Hart (1824-1902) published a two-volume book entitled Irish Pedigrees; or, the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation. Copies of these volumes at the University of Michigan were digitized by Google in June 2008: Volume I and Volume II. On page 575 of Volume II, O'Hart says the Three Collas invaded Ulster, conquered the country, and there formed for themselves and their posterity, the Kingdom of Orgiall (latinized Orgallia), sometimes called Oriel, and Uriel.

The Three Collas were the sons of Eochaid Dublein, who was the younger son of Cairbre Lificar, the 117th King of Ireland. The older son, Fiacha Sraibtine, was the 120th King of Ireland. The Three Collas waged war against their uncle Fiacha Sraibhtine and slew him in the battle of Dubhcomar, AD 322. Colla Uais then ascended the throne as the 121st King of Ireland. In AD 326, he was deposed by Muredach Tirech, son of Fiacha Sraibtine. Muredach Tirech then banished to Scotland the Three Collas and their principal chiefs, to the number of three hundred; but through the influence of the King of Alba, and the mediation of the Druids, they were afterwards pardoned by the Irish King, who cordially invited them to return to Ireland, and received them into great favor.

The Three Collas are a separate line from Niall of the Nine Hostages. Both are descended from Conn of the Hundred Battles and the Milesian Kings.

An Irish priest, Geoffrey Keating (1569-1644), had this to say in Book I, Section XLVII (pages 358 and 359) of The History of Ireland, published in 1629-31 and translated into English by David Comyn and Patrick S. Dinneen:

It is at Cairbre Lithfeachair that the Oirghialla—that is, the family of the Collas—separate in their pedigree from the clanna Neill and the Connachtaigh. And Fiachaidh Sraibhthine son of Cairbre Lithfeachair was grandfather of Eochaidh Muighmheadhon son of Muireadhach Tireach, son of Fiachaidh Sraibhthine; and it is from this Muireadhach that the clanna Neill and the men of Connaught are descended. Eochaidh Doimhlean son of Cairbre Lithfeachair was brother to Fiachaidh Sraibhthine; and this Eochaidh had three sons, to wit, the three Collas, and from these are descended the Ui Mac Uais, the Ui Criomhthainn, and the Modhornaigh. The real names of the three Collas referred to were Cairioll, Muireadhach, and Aodh.

In 1946, Thomas O'Rahilly took the position in his book Early Irish History and Mythology that the Three Collas did not exist. They were simply Eoghan, Conall, and Enda, the three sons of Niall of the Nine Hostages who conquered northwest Ireland.

For more information on the traditional origins of the Three Collas, see the Edward Cartin website and the Alec Conn website.

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Romanized Trinovantes. Donald Schlegel has proposed an alternate explanation of the origin of the Three Collas. He starts by saying that the Collas are perhaps the only instance in prehistoric or early historic Ireland of three brothers having each a personal name, a name incommon, and an epithet. The implication is that such a naming convention must have been imported, and the obvious source is the Roman Empire. He suggests they were not descended from Irish Kings but instead were Romanized Britons, originating in the Celtic tribe named Trinovantes from Colchester, the oldest recorded Roman town in England. They received military training from the Romans and eventually went to Ireland as mercenaries in the service of the King of Ireland. Don presented this theory in the 1998 Clogher Record. It is one of the many articles he has had published in the Clogher Record, a local history journal published annually since 1953 by the Clogher Historical Society at St. Macartan's College in the townland of Mullaghmurphy on the outskirts of the town of Monaghan, County Monaghan.

See The Clogher Record, "The Origin of the Three Collas and the Fall of Emain," by Donald M. Schlegel, Volume XVI, No. 2, 1998, pp. 159-181. Also see The Clogher Record, "Reweaving the Tapestry of Ancient Ulster," by Donald M. Schlegel, Volume XVII, No. 3, 2002, pp. 689-749.

The first part of this alternative explanation is consistent with DNA results. Descendants of the Three Collas have a unique DNA which is significantly different from the DNA of descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages. So, it seems pretty clear that the Three Collas were not cousins of Muredach Tirech, 122nd King of Ireland and grandfather of Niall of the Nine Hostages. See Modal DNA of Clan Colla Versus Niall of the Nine Hostages and L21 DNA.

The second part of this alternative explanation has not been verified yet by DNA. We have not found a family that matches Clan Colla DNA and traces itself back to the area around Colchester. There are, however, two families that match Clan Colla DNA and trace themselves back to towns that had Roman settlements in Wales on the west of England.

• The Calkins family matches Clan Colla and traces itself back to Chester, England, on the northern border with Wales near Deva, a town occupied by the Cornovii, a Celtic tribe, and where the Roman city of Viroconium Cornoviorum was from 70 AD to 410 AD.
• The Roderick family matches Clan Colla and traces itself back to southern Wales near Caerleon, a town occupied by the Silures, a Celtic tribe, and where the Roman city of Isca Silurum was from 75 AD to 410 AD.

As shown in the study above, there are a number of people, like the Calkins and Roderick families, with DNA similar to the descendants of the Three Collas who do not have the surnames of the descendants. These people could be descendants of cousins of the Three Collas who remained in Briton or went elsewhere, and evolved their own unique surnames. Some of these people may be descendants of the Three Collas who were adopted by a non-Collas or simply had their names changed over time. And, the historical lists of Colla descendants may well be incomplete.

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Tribal Drift. The archeological and geneology evidence indicates a westward and north westward movement of bronze-age Celts through Europe. Among these would be the L21+ line which started north of the Alps about 4,000 years ago. Judging by todays distributions of L21+, the heaviest concentrations are found in Ireland and the Celtic fringes of Britain. It is estimated they could have started to populate Ireland about 3,000 years ago. By the time the Romans came to Britain, these Celtic people would have subsumed earlier cultures and diverged from one another over the 30 or so generations. They probably developed into tribal groups as they did in Ireland which the Romans, for their administrative convenience, gave them names such as the Trinovantes, Cornovii etc. Genetically, they would have similarities and differences as exhibited between Irish tribes. There arose in one such L21+ tribe, the relatively rare and stable null mutation at DYS 425, which our working hypothesis claims is the key identifier of Colla DNA. A trawl through the L21+ Project showed that only about 5% had this Colla DNA.

The DNA evidence would appear to indicate that the ancestors of the Colla brothers were part of a gradual westward migration through Britain to Ireland in either pre-Roman or Roman times. The current study would position the null mutation as having occurred shortly before the Roman invasion of Britain. Interestingly, a present-day Roderick family who have Clan Colla DNA and traces itself back to southern Wales near Caerleon, a town occupied by the Silures just north of the Bristol Channel, where the Roman city of Isca Silurum thrived from 75 A.D. to 410 A.D. Prior to that, the local Celtic people, loosely defined as Silures, mounted a fierce resistance c. 48 A.D. to the Roman conquest. It is therefore possible that the ancestors of the Colla brothers formed part of a minor Celtic exodus to Ireland following the collapse of that resistance in the first century A.D. A similar argument could be made for yet another family, the Calkins, who are also of Clan Colla and come from Cheshire/North Wales, being proto Colla and originating in another Roman Town, Chester. Equally, they could have come from any part of Britain, propelled westward by the Romans following failed uprisings such as Bodicea’s in East Anglia. This family might bear a derivative of the original tribal name, Colla Kinsmen or abbreviated to Colla-kin.

The most colourful explanation of Colla origins has been put forward by Don Schlegel in the Clogher Record. He states that the Collas are perhaps the only instance in prehistoric or early historical Ireland of three brothers having each a personal name, a name incommon, and an epithet. The implication is that such a naming convention must have been imported, and the obvious source is the Roman Empire. He suggests they were not descended from Irish Kings but instead were Romanized Britons, originating in the Celtic tribe named Trinovantes (who fought with Bodicea) from Colchester, the oldest recorded Roman town in England. They received military training from the Romans and eventually went to Ireland as mercenaries in the service of the King of Ireland.

In addition to the above well represented names (among testees) representing Wales, there is an equally strong contingent of Scottish names. This, in conjunction with the occurrence of the null mutation at the beginning of the first milennium, is strongly suggestive that the Colla tribe was well established and had branched in NW Britain before coming to Ireland.

It is well documented that the three Colla brothers arrived in Ireland about A.D. 300, allegedly as mercenaries to the High King. As such it has to be assumed they were trained soldiers of some sort and would have been accompanied by a band of warriors (otherwise they would never have established themselves in a hostile environment). A further assumption might be that the band of warriors was composed of their 425 null bearing kinsmen, kinsmen without the null and co-opted non-kinsmen.

Whatever the starting ratios were and how these fluctuated over time, we know that among todays descendants, only about 25-30% have the 425 null. It is not possible to track back from today’s ratios to establish the starting ones as too many survival factors would have been involved1. If as alluded to in this study, there was an additional earlier 425 null mutation, their descendants formed a much lower proportion of the Colla population. In addition, during the course of their warlike activities they would have enslaved/subsumed their defeated enemies who could have been part of an earlier indigenous population thus accounting for the few from haplogroups E & I with a Colla name.

Following their successful campaigns in Ulster, the Colla tribe would have continued to diverge both genetically (markers other than 425) and geographically but those with the null would continue to retain it. At a much later date (c. A.D. 950), surnames were gradually adopted by the various Colla branches and depending on where they were living and to which Colla chieftan they owed fielty to, they would have been granted that name irrespective of their DNA. Thus, those living in different parts of Oriel became Carrolls, McKennas, McMahons, McGuires etc. It is difficult to understand how these tribal branches (now clans) had more or less similar proportions of null to non-null.

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John O'Hart, 1824-1902.

Colla Surnames

Ireland was one of the first European countries to adopt hereditary surnames. At the end of his chapter on the Middle Ages in his 1969 book The Fermanagh Story, Rev. Peadar Livingstone (1932-1987) says on pages 23 and 24 that "Irish people in this era seem to have been obsessed with names. Long pedigrees are drawn up, giving the origins of most common families. As might be expected, most of the Fermanagh families trace themselves back to an Oriel origin. This, for the most part, is genuine enough. However, since an Oriel line ruled the country, it must have been popular to have Oriel origins. Some of the earlier Leinster Fir Manach must have been tempted to invent an Oriel connection where it did not exist." With that caveat in mind, we will take a look at the surnames of Clan Colla. See also Multiple-Sept Surnames.

John O'Hart's Irish Pedigrees. "From the Three Collas descended many noble families in Ulster, Connaught, Meath, and Scotland, The families descended from them were known as the Clan Colla." This is the way John O'Hart introduces the pedigrees of Three Collas in his book, Irish Pedigrees; or, the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation, published in 1892 (fifth edition), Volumes I and II.

Google Books has made the 1892 edition available online:

• Volume I
• Volume II

O'Hart provides two lists of surnames of Colla descendants:

• Volume I, pages 669-670 and
• Volume II, pages 575-582.

The list of Colla desendants is not meant to be exhaustive. Some Colla surnames are not on O'Hart's two lists, but are referred to as Colla descendants elsewhere in his book. Page numbers are in parentheses.

The general surname indexes for the 1892 edition are:

• Volume I, pages 861 to 896 and
• Volume II, pages 852 to 945.

The University of Pittsburgh Library System has made the 1892 edition available online as a PDF file or Ebook:

• Volume I
• Volume II

Library Ireland has made a transcript of Volume I available online.

Other on-line sources on Irish surnames are: Patrick Woulfe's 1923 Irish Names and Surnames, John Grenham's Irish Times, and Go Ireland.

Surnames from Hy-Maine have been removed from O'Hart's list of Colla surnames because DNA has shown them to have a different DNA (see Hy Maine Modal):

• O Kelly, princes and lords of Hy-Maine, a territory in Galway and Roscommon. See O'Hart, page 684.
• Madden, lords of Siol Anmcha or Silancha, which ancient territory comprised the present barony of Longford, in the county Galway, and the parish of Lusmagh on the other (Leinster) side of the river Shannon, near Banagher, in the King's County. See O'Hart, pages 568 and 572.
• Traynor. See O'Hart, page 572-573.
• Naghtan or Norton, chiefs in Hy-Maine See O'Hart, page 603
• Hoolahan, chiefs of Siol Anmchada in Hy-Maine. Also Oulahan, a branch of Hoolahan, and variants Holland and Holligan. See O'Hart, page 487
• Leahy, chiefs in Hy-Maine. See O'Hart, Volume II, page 577

Several Colla names not listed by O'Hart have been accepted on the authority of Peadar Livingstone or Edward MacLysaght:

• McAuley, a variant of McCawley, which is listed by Peadar Livingston in The Fermanagh Story (exerpt), page 436, as a descendant of Maguire.
• Biggins/Beggan/Beaghen/Little/Bigham, which was said by Peadar Livingstone to be descended from Maguire.
• Collins, a variant of Callan, which MacLysaght shows as an Oriel sept from Armagh/Monaghan.
• O'Donoghue, a variant of Donaghy, which is listed by Peadar Livingston in The Fermanagh Story (exerpt), page 426, as a descendant of Maguire.
• Smith, which is mentioned by Peadar Livingston in The Fermanagh Story (exerpt), page 444, as a variant of Gavin and Goan, descendants of the O'Gabhann sept, herenachs of Drummally in Fermanagh. Gavan is on the O'Hart list.

John O'Hart (1824-1902) said he himself was a descendant of the Three Collas. He is generation No. 125 on page 679. As indicated in his footnote on page 678, one of John's relatives was John Hart (1713-1779) who signed the Declaration of Independence for New Jersey on July 4, 1776. There are several Harts who have Clan Colla DNA: kit Nos. 48620, 166797, and 182999. At least one of these Harts, 166797, goes back to James Hart, born in 1835 in County Cavan, Ireland. However, there are several Harts who claim descendance from Hart the Signer who do not have Colla DNA: kit Nos. 48743, 173068, and 196006. At least one of these Harts goes back to Joseph Hart, born in 1688 in Newtown, New York. Information on John Hart the Signer can be found at: Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, by members Grace Keiper Staller and Thornton C. Lockwood; Independence Hall Association, by Thomas E. Kindig; Glen Valis, a descendant of John Hart.

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Annals of the Four Masters. The Annals of the Four Masters were composed from 1632 to 1636 in the Franciscan Monastery of Donegal chiefly by Michael O'Clery (1580-1643). In 1845, Irish historiographer Owen Connellan translated the book from Irish to English. In May 2007, Google digitized a copy of the translation from the Library at Oxford University: Annals of the Four Masters. A long footnote that starts on page 2 describes the ancient kingdom of Oriel and includes the descendants of the Three Collas. "The posterity of the three Collas, called clan Colla, founded many powerful clans and noble families in Ulster and other parts of Ireland.

• From Colla Uais were descended the MacDonnells, earls of Antrim in Ireland, and lords of the Isles in Scotland; also the MacRorys, a great clan in the Hebrides, and also many families of that name in Ulster, anglicised to Rogers.
• From Colla da Chrich, were descended the MacMahons, princes of Monaghan, lords of Ferney, and barons of Dartree, at Conagh, where they had their chief seat. The MacMahons were sometimes styled princes of Orgiall. An interesting account of the Mac Mahons, of Monaghan, is given by sir John Davis, who wrote in the reign of James the First. It may be observed that several of the MacMahons in former times changed the name to Mathews. The other chief clans of Monaghan were the MacKennas, chiefs of Truagh; the MacCabes; the MacNeneys, anglicised to Bird; the MacArdells; MacCassidys; O'Duffys, and O'Corrys; the O'Cosgras, MacCuskers or MacOscars, changed to Cosgraves, who possessed, according to O'Dugan, a territory called Fearra Rois, which comprised the district about Carrickmacross in Monaghan, with the parish of Clonkeen, adjoining, in the county of Louth; the Boylans of Dartree; the MacGilMichaels, changed to Mitchell; the MacDonnells; the O'Connellys, and others.
• From Colla-da-Chrich were also descended the MacGuires, lords of Fermanagh, and barons of Enniskillen; the O'Flanagans of Fermanagh; the O'Hanlons, chiefs of Hy-Meith-Tire, now the barony of Orior in Armagh, who held the office of hereditary regal standard-bearers of Ulster; the MacCathans or MacCanns of Clan Breasail, in Armagh; the O'Kellys, princes of Hy Maine, in the counties of Galway and Roscommon; and the O'Madagans or O'Maddens, chiefs of Siol Anmchadha or Silanchia, now the barony of Longford, in the county of Galway."

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Don Schlegel's Colla Family Trees. Jim McMahon's Web site, Clan McMahon of the Kingdom of Oriel, has several family trees for the Three Collas. The family trees were created by Donald M. Schlegel.

1. na tri Colla shows the three brothers and the tribes and family names descended from them.
   • Colla Uais: MacDugal, MacRory, MacDonald of Scotland, O'Flynn, O'Donnellean
   • Colla da Crioch: Maguire, MacMahon, MacCafferty, MacDonnell of Clan Kelly, MacManus, O'Connolly, O'Hanratty, O'Cooney, O'Neillan, O'Hanlon, Kearney
   • Colla Menn: O'Heenan, MacAllan, O'Lannan
2. Ui Chrimthainn, a particular tribe descended from Chrimthann Liath, the great great grandson of Muredach Colla da Crioch, the first King of Airghialla. You can see on this chart that Eochaid, son of Crimthainn Liath was King of Airghialla and a contemporary of Saint Patrick.
   • Daimin: O'Hart, MacDonnell of Clan Kelly, O'Kelly, O'Keran
   • Cormac: Maguire, McManus, McCaffery
   • Nadsluag: O'Carroll of Oriel, McMahon
3. Clan Nadsluaig from whom descended the MacMahons and the O’Carrolls. This chart shows Clan Nadsluaig descending from Fergus, son of Nadsluag, grandson of Eochaid. As you follow this chart, you can see that the Lords of Fernmaig were of this line, including Mathgamna, from whom came the name MacMahon. From the line of Mathgamna come both the families of O’Carroll, known as the Kings of Oriel at the height of its power just prior to the coming of the Normans, and the MacMahons, the latter descending from Niall, brother of Murrough O’Carroll the last O’Carroll King of Oriel. (According to "The MacMahon Pedigree: A Medieval Forgery," by Katharine Simms, in Regions and Rulers in Ireland, c.1100-1650, David Edwards, Editor, 2004, the McMahons did not descend from O'Carrolls but co-existed with them in the same time frame. See also: 49 Generations: Colla to McMahon.)

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Maguires. The Maguires of County Fermanagh, descendants of Colla da Crioch, spawned many other Colla surnames in the period 1250 to 1350 AD.

• Edward MacLysaght (1887-1986) in his Irish Families, Their Names, Arms and Origins mentions nine surnames descended from the Maguires: MacAwley, McCaffrey, O'Corrigan, Corry, Devine/Davin, Fitzpatrick, O'Hanraghty/Enright, MacAlilly/Lilly, and McManus.
• Rev. Peadar Livingstone (1932-1987) in his 1969 book The Fermanagh Story (exerpt) includes 15 surnames descended from Maguire: MacAuley, Breen/McBrien, McCaffery, Corry, McCusker, Donaghy/Donahoe, McElroy/Gilroy, Fitzpatrick, Gilleece/McAleese, McGrath, McHugh/McGee, Lilly, McLaughlin (possibly), McMahon, McManus, Martin (possibly), Murphy. Father Livingstone told Gerard Beggan in Clones in 1969 that the Beggan surname also is descended from Maguires. Gerard lives in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan.
• Maguire Princely Pedigree, by Jim Maguire, presents a chart of descendants of the Maguires, including 12 surnames descended from Maguire: MacAuley, Breen/McBrien, McCaffery, Corry, Gilleece/McAleese, McGrath, McHugh/McGee, McLaughlin, Lilly, McMahon, McManus, Murphy.

1969 map of surnames in County Fermanagh from Chapter 31, "Fermanagh Families," in The Fermanagh Story by Rev. Peadar Livingstone, Cumann Seanchais Chlochair, 1969.

1979 map of surnames in County Monaghan from page 51 of The Monaghan Story by Rev. Peadar Livingstone, Clogher Historical Society, 1979.

RootsWeb. Another excellent source for information on the Three Collas is the RootsWeb article on the Kingdom of Airghialla by Dennis Walsh.

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FTDNA Clan Colla DNA Project

The two swabs and scraper tubes in the FTDNA Kit. For more on how it's done, see "DNA Collection Method" by Dave Dorsey.

If you are a male with the name of a Colla descendant, you may benefit from participating in the Clan Colla 425 null project at Family Tree DNA.

Family Tree DNA has the largest DNA database in the field. For a look inside the FTDNA lab, see "A Visit to Family Tree DNA's State-of-the-Art Lab," written by Cece Moore in February 2013 based on a tour in November 2012.

Josiah McGuire started the Clan Colla 425 Null Project in June 2009 and serves as administrator of the project along with Peter Biggins, Patrick McMahon, and Thomas Roderick. The project is designed to attract Clan Colla descendants, encourage upgrades to the 67-marker test, and promote Clan Colla research.

You can participate in our Colla project as well as a project specifically set up for your surname. There is no additional cost for being part of two projects.

By testing the Y-chromosome DNA, males can determine the origin of their paternal line. Note that the Y-chromosome DNA strictly checks the paternal line, with no influence of any females along that line. Females do not receive the Y-chromosome, and therefore females cannot be tested for the paternal line. If you are a female and would like to know about your paternal line, you would have to find a brother or a male relative from that line willing to be tested.

You sign up online for FTDNA and they deduct the cost from your credit card. They send you in the mail a kit containing three scrapers that you use to swab the inside of your cheeks in four-hour intervals. You return the scrapers in receptacles and mailer provided in the kit. You get final results on line two months later.

If you decide to have your DNA tested, you should choose the 67 markers. The lesser tests of 12, 25, or 37 markers do not include markers 511, 425, 413a, and 534, which are key to verifying a match with Colla descendants.

Most names have multiple origins. For example, there are Monaghan McMahons (Colla descendants) and Clare McMahons (not Colla descendants). For this reason, your results may show that your DNA does not match the Colla DNA, which will lead you in a different ancestry direction.

Predicting a Clan Colla Match. If you have a Colla name, you can use the values of key markers in the table to the right to predict your chances of matching the DNA of Colla descendants. If you have done the 12-marker test, you have a better chance of matching Clan Colla if you have a value of 15 or more for Marker 385b and 13 or more for 439. If you have neither marker, you stand practically no chance of being a Clan Coll descendant. If you have both, you have a better chance of being descended from the Three Collas than if you have only one.

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FTDNA Project Results. Following is a chart showing values of the Y-DNA of markers 1 to 111 for the current participants in the Clan Colla 425 null project, by surname category. The category descriptions include:

• Surname
• Page in O'Hart's Irish Pedigrees that describes the surname pedigree
• Unique markers for category members
• The range of genetic distances from the 67-marker Clan Colla modal DNA

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FTDNA Project SNPs. Following is a chart showing the positive and negative Y-DNA SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) test results for the current participants in the Clan Colla 425 null project. All who have tested 67 markers are predicted by FTDNA to have the M269 SNP. The termional SNP for Clan Colla is Df21. The Clan Colla SNPs downstream of M269 are L23, L11, P312, L21, DF21. Clan Colla shares the DF21 SNP with a number of other people, some of whom have further downstream SNPs. See L21 and DF21 SNPs.

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Clan Colla DNA Database

In March 2009, Josiah McGuire sent me an email saying our DNA matched up pretty closely, and he saw on my Biggins/Beggan Irish Roots Web page that Peadar Livinstone told Gerard Beggan that Beggan was descended from McGuire. Josiah had read that McGuires and other surnames are descended from Clan Colla. He also noticed that we had an unusual null value for marker 425. This was exciting news. In May 2009, I started this Web page. And I started building a database of people with Clan Colla surnames who had a null value for marker 425. By June 2009, we had a Clan Colla database 61 people gleaned from various projects at Family Tree DNA that included Colla surnames. It was fairly easy to construct this database. We had the names from Irish histories. We went to FTDNA surname projects for those surnames and pulled off the data for people who had tested 67 markers and had the null value for marker 425.

In late June 2009, Josiah started the Clan Colla project at Family Tree DNA, and we went about recruiting members. The database helped us find people to recruit to the Clan Colla project. The matches of the people in the Clan Colla project helped us to expand the database. By November 2011, the database had 259 people, and the FTDNA project had 170. By December 2012, the database had over 300 people, and the FTDNA project had over 200.

Not all of the people with Colla surnames had the null value for marker 425, but the ones that did all seemed to match up fairly closely to our modal DNA. The ones that did not have the null value did not match up closely.

Our database with its established modal allowed us to include the people, regardless of surname. This has resulted in a list of people with Colla DNA--some with Colla surnames and some without. There were plausible reasons for the existence of this latter group: adoption, name change, genealogical omissions, and distant cousins.

A Reference Group was put together of people who do not have the Colla DNA. This group helps to understand how close the people are who have the Colla DNA. It also helps make predictions about closeness to Colla DNA based on markers other than the null 425.

The ancient genealogies and DNA test results seem to be confirming each other. A pattern or "signature" DNA has emerged for Colla descendants identified long ago by John O'Hart and his predecessors. And the ancient genealogies have given us a clue as to which people have Colla DNA.

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DNA Testing. By testing the Y-chromosome DNA, males can determine the origin of their paternal line. Note that the Y DNA strictly checks the paternal line, with no influence of any females along that line. Females do not receive the Y-chromosome, and therefore females cannot be tested for the paternal line. If you are a female and would like to know about your paternal line, you would need to have a male relative from that line to be tested.

The test results evaluated here all came from Family Tree DNA. Only 67 or 111 markers tested are included here because those tests include the 48th marker, 425, which is crucial to the analysis. The cost of this test varies from time to time, but the average is approximately $250. More advanced "deep-clade testing" provides more specific information about origin but is not essential to this study.

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Colla Modal DNA. The genetic distance for participants in all groups is computed from a Colla Modal DNA. This study began with a preliminary Colla modal DNA for relatively small number of people who had Colla names and the null value for marker 425. This modal DNA evolved into a modal DNA that was essentially the same as one established by Josiah McGuire in June 2009, based on data from the Colla DNA Project, under the user ID of DURRQ at Ysearch. This DURRQ Colla Modal DNA is now the one used in this study. Since June 2009 the database of people with Colla DNA has expanded and the modal has been recomputed. Each time, the modal has remained the same.

There are several over-represented families included in the database now. To assure that these were not skewing the data, the five largest surname groups were removed, and the modal was recomputed without them. The resulting modal, however, remained the same.

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Genetic Distance. The next step was to compute the genetic distance from Colla Modal DNA for each person in the study. Genetic distance occurs because of mutations from one generation to another. If two people are identical in all markers except they are off in one marker by 1 point, the genetic distance would be 1. If they were off at 2 different markers by 1 point in each marker, then the genetic distance of those two samples would be 2. If they are off by 2 points at one marker and 1 point in a second marker, then the genetic distance would be 3. Genetic distance for certain markers or marker groups is limited to 1. This method of computing genetic distance is called the hybrid mutation model. If a marker has a null value for one person and a positive value for another, the marker is ignored.

Actual calculations were made using the FTDNA 111 Mode BETA version of the McGee Utility.

As of June 2011, there were 232 people included in the Colla Group. They have been included because their DNA has been found to match fairly closely with Colla Modal DNA. Of these 232, 148 were included in the Clan Colla 425 null project at Family Tree DNA. The rest have been by searching surname studies at FTDNA and through the use of Ysearch.

The genetic distance between the Colla Group and the 67-marker Colla Modal DNA ranges between 1 and 11, and averages 6. Of the 232 people, 219 or 94% of the group have a genetic distance of 3 to 9.

Distribution of people by genetic distance from Colla Modal DNA. For example, it shows that 40 people have a genetic distance of 4 from the Colla Modal.

There are 26,796 possible comparisons among the 232 people: n*(n-1)/2, where n is the number of people. The genetic distances for these pairs range between 0 and 21. The average is 9.9. The total of such genetic distances up to 7 is 4,937, or 18% of the total possible matches. So, the matches that Colla people see are probably all fellow Collas, but only 18% of the total. If FTDNA were to raise the limit to 10, people would see 57% of the total possible matches, but they might also see some non-Colla matches.

Distribution of genetic distances in DNA among participants. For example, it shows that 232 people have 2,161 genetic distances of 7 among themselves.

FTDNA shows each participant his 67-marker matches up to a genetic distance of 7 on his homepage. And it allows participants to restrict the showing of their matches to the people in their surname project. The theoretical 67-marker match experience (within a genetic distance of 7) varies considerably by individual, from 1 to 145. The average is 43. The person with 145 theoretical matches has only 94 showing on his homepage at FTDNA because some participants restrict display of their matches to the people in their surname project. Another person has a theoretical 33 but actually sees only 25 because of the restrictors. Yet another person has a theoretical 55 but actually sees only 45 because of the restrictors.

Scattergram of genetic distance from Colla modal and number of matches up to -7 for 232 people. For example, there is one person who has a genetic distance of 4 from the Colla modal and has 27 matches with genetic distance of 7 or less. Another with a GD of 4 has 105 matches.

As indicated above, the genetic distance between the Colla Group and the 67-marker Colla Modal DNA ranges between 1 and 11. The table below shows the percentage ditribution of genetic distances at 67 markers and for lesser markers.

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Surname: Subgroup

Colla Subgroups. As of May 10, 2013, Y-chromosome DNA data had been collected on 323 men with Clan Colla DNA. See Source Data. This included 238 in the FTDNA Clan Colla project, supplemented by another 85 gleaned from FTDNA surname projects. To better understand the DNA data that has been accumulated, the Colla group has been broken down into 42 subgroups. The subgroupings are based on:

• Surname
• Family genealogy
• Genetic distance among group members
• Uniqueness of certain markers

Genetic distance occurs because of mutations from one generation to another. If two people are identical in all markers except they are off in one marker by 1 point, the genetic distance would be 1. If they were off at 2 different markers by 1 point in each marker, then the genetic distance of those two samples would be 2. If they are off by 2 points at one marker and 1 point in a second marker, then the genetic distance would be 3. Genetic distance for certain markers or marker groups is limited to 1. This method of computing genetic distance is called the hybrid mutation model. If a marker has a null value for one person and a positive value for another, the marker is ignored. Actual calculations were made using the FTDNA 111 Mode BETA version of the McGee Utility. Input to the utility consists of the DNA of the participants from the Source Data.

The subgroup table below shows the genetic distances from the Clan Colla modal DNA. It shows the genetic distance among the group members. It also has a link to the page in O'Hart's 1892 Irish Pedigrees that ties the group surname to Clan Colla. And it indicates, where applicable, any unique markers for the group.

Subgroup	N	Genetic Distance from Colla Modal Mean (Low-High)	Genetic Distance from Each Other Mean (Low-High)	Genetic Distance Matrix	History	FTDNA Surname Project	Comments
Biggins	8	5.4 (4-7)	5.3 (2-7)		Descended from Maguire	Biggins Bingham	Group has a unique 413b=24. Descended from Maguires based on historian Peadar Livingstone conversation with Beggan 166169. Closest to McGuire 3. Surname comes from beag, Irish for small, hence the variant Little. See Biggins/Beggan Irish Roots
Boylan	3	5.0 (3-8)	5.3 (1-8)		O'Hart 365	Clan Colla 425 null Ireland	Variant of Boland
Calkins	25	4.6 (3-7)	3.1 (0-7)		O'Hart 608 (Colcan) or 671 (Colgan of Ulster)	Calkins	Possibly a variant of Colcan or Colgan Ancestor Hugh Calkin from the Chester area of Cheshire, England went to America with The Blynman Party, a group of Welshmen, in 1640 (New England Historical Genealogical Register, January 1899, 234-241). Some Calkins researchers believe their ancestors were Irish in origin and emigrated to England at some point in time.
Carroll 1	15	5.6 (4-6)	2.6 (0-6)		O'Hart 379	Carroll	O'Carrolls were kings of Airghialla down to the 12th century.
Carroll 2	3	4.0 (3-6)	6.7 (5-9)		O'Hart 379	Carroll	O'Carrolls were kings of Airghialla down to the 12th century.
Clarke	4	5 (4-7)	5.7 (0-9)			Clark Clery Ulster	Variant of Clery
Connolly	8	6.5 (5-9)	7.0 (3-11)		O'Hart Vol. II, 577	Conley Clan Colla 425 null	Connollys were chiefs of Fermanagh
Devine	2	4 (2-6)	6 (6-6)		O'Hart 403	Devine Clan Colla 425 null	Variant of Davin
Duffy	5	5.4 (3-9)	5.2 (2-7)		O'Hart 670	Duffy
Hart	3	5.7 (5-7)	4.0 (2-6)		O'Hart 664	Hart
Higgins	4	7.0 (5-9)	5.8 (1-10)		O'Hart 669	Higgins
Hughes	10	5.5 (4-7)	5.1 (0-9)		O'Hart 542	Hughes McHugh McGee	Includes McGee, variant of McHugh Includes Campbell. See O'Hart 509 Several Hughes are descended from Andrew Hughes born 1755 in Lancaster, Pennsyvania
Judd	5	4.8 (4-5)	4.6 (1-7)			Bumgarner Clan Colla 425 null	Group has unique 487=12 Includes Almond, Bumgarner, Goggins
Kelly	4	7.3 (6-8)	11.2 (10-13)		O'Hart 669	Kelly
MacDougall	5	8.4 (8-10)	5.8 (2-9)		O'Hart 539	MacDougall	Group has a unique 511=10 MacDougall 21971 has an ancestor, Iain MacDhubhghaill, who is from Lorne in Scotland according to an 1890 history of Christmas Island, Nova Scotia Includes 3 White. Lorne is on Oban Bay in Scotland. The Gaelic word for white is ban.
McAulay	4	4.8 (4-6)	4.8 (4-7)		O'Hart 829, 565, 842	McAuley McBee Clan Colla 425 null	Includes Beeman, a variant of McBee, which is a variant of MacVeagh/MacEvoy, which is a variant of MacUais
McClain 1	3	3.3 (2-4)	2.7 (2-4)		O'Hart 669	MacLean
McDonald 1	10	7.6 (6-9)	3.9 (1-7)		O'Hart 527, 536	McDonald Ulster	Group has unique 437 & 446=14 McDonald 133546 has traced his ancestry back 43 generations to Lieutenant Brian McDonald, Charles Thurlough Mor McDonald, Alasdair Og MacDonnell, Somerled, Goffrad, and Carrell Colla Uais
McDonald 2	5	4.0 (3-5)	3.2 (1-5)		O'Hart 527, 536	McDonald Ulster
McDonald 3	13	3.8 (1-6)	4.5 (1-9)		O'Hart 527, 536	McDonald Ulster	Includes Alexander, a variant of McDonald Includes Rattray, from Glamis, Scotland
McDonald 4	3	5.0 (3-8)	4.7 (2-7)		O'Hart 527, 536	McDonald Ulster
McGinnis	2	5.5 (5-6)	1 (1-1)			McGinnis Null 425 DNA project	Includes McAtee, a variant of McEntee found in Oriel
McGuire 1	12	7.7 (6-9)	2.4 (0-5)		O'Hart 576	Maguire Mag Uidhir Clan	Group has unique 438=10
McGuire 2	6	8 (7-10)	2.5 (1-5)		O'Hart 576	Maguire Mag Uidhir Clan
McGuire 3	3	5 (4-7)	4 (2-5)		O'Hart 576	Maguire 1790 USA Mag Uidhir Clan	Includes Martin whose ancestor is from Dunleer, where the 6th century Monastery of Lann Leire is said to be connected with descendants of Colla da Crioch in Christian Inscriptions in the Irish Language, Volume 2, by George Petrie, 1868, page 68 Martin is possibly a descendant of McGuires, according to Peadar Livingston in Fermanagh Story
McKenna 1	16	6.0 (4-10)	5.1 (0-12)		O'Hart 543	McKenna
McMahon 1	22	4.0 (2-6)	3.9 (0-8)		O'Hart 549	McMahon	Includes Matthews, a variant of McMahon Includes McArdle, a branch of McMahon McMahon 145687 has traced his ancestry back 49 Generations to Faolan MacMathghamhna (Felim/Phelan MacMahon) who lived in the early 12th century, to Cairbre an Dam Airge who died in 513, to Muredach Colla da Chrioch
McMahon 2	3	7.7 (7-8)	14.3 (14-15)		O'Hart 549	McMahon
McQuillan	7	4.3 (3-5)	5.5 (0-9)		O'Hart Vol. II, 578	McQuillan Collins
Monaghan	2	6.0 (5-7)	3.0 (3-3)		O'Hart 639	Monaghan
Morris	4	7.5 (6-9)	2.0 (1-3)			Morris	Group has unique 385a=10
Neal	5	5.6 (4-8)	2.0 (1-3)		O'Hart 604	Neal-O'Neal
Newell	3	8.7 (7-10)	4.0 (2-5)			Newell	Group has unique 388=9 May be anglicized from Neal
Paden	11	3.9 (3-5)	2.4 (0-5)			Paden	Paden is a patronymic name from the Gaelic "Paidin", the diminutive of Padraig (Patrick). Padens have their origins in the western isles of Scotland and descend from Colla Uais. Pedens are recognized as a sept of Clan MacDonald of the Isles
Pate	3	5.7 (5-6)	0.7 (0-1)			Pate
Plunkett	2	5.0 (5-5)	0.0 (0-0)			Plunkett
Roberts 1	2	5 (5-5)	2 (2-2)		O'Hart 565, 566	Roberts	Group has unique 446=12
Roderick	14	8.3 (7-11)	2.1 (0-6)		O'Hart 371, 383	Roderick	Group has unique 485=14 Family from 1675 in Llantrisant, Glamorgan, southern Wales. The earlier Welsh name was Rhydderch
Shannon	2	7.5 (7-8)	1.0 (1-1)		O'Hart 640	Shannon
Smith 1	6	7.8 (7-10)	1.9 (0-4)		O'Hart 467	Northeastern Smith	Group has unique 385a=10 and 490=13-14 Smith is a variant of Gavin/Gavan
Smith 2	5	8.0 (7-9)	5.0 (1-9)		O'Hart 467	Northeastern Smith	Group has a unique 570=15-16 Smith is a variant of Gavin/Gavan
Diverse 1	25	6.3 (4-9)	10.3 (4-17)			Various	Includes Courtney, a variant of MacCourt. See O'Hart 539 Includes Dunphy, a variant of Donaghy, which is listed by Peadar Livingston in The Fermanagh Story, page 426, as a descendant of Maguire Includes Heaney, a descendant of Mulrooney, 104th King of Oriel, who was descended from Colla da Crioch. See O'Hart 818 and 672 Includes Kern, a variant of Kearns and Cairns. See O'Hart 374 Includes Lawlor. See O'Hart 514 Includes Lynch. See O'Hart 669 Includes McArthur. See O'Hart 477 Includes Rice, a variant of O'Mulcreevy, an Oriel sept Includes Robertson. See O'Hart 565, 566
Diverse 2	21	9.0 (7-13)	14.6 (6-21)			Various	Includes Feehan. See O'Hart 671 Includes Godwin, a variant of McGuigan, Geoghegan, Pigeon. See O'Hart 855 Includes McDonald. See O'Hart 527, 536 Includes O'Donoghue, a variant of Donaghy, which is listed by Peadar Livingston in The Fermanagh Story, page 426, as a descendant of Maguire. Includes Rogers, a variant of MacRory. See O'Hart 669
Total	323	5.9 (1-11)	9.9 (0-21)				Source Data

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Historical Surnames. Most of the participants, 80%, have surnames that the ancient genealogies say are descended from the Three Collas. The surnames are related to both Colla Uais and Colla da Crioch. There are none related to Colla Menn, but relatively few surnames are attributed to him.

Many people do not know where their patronymic ancestor came from, which is not uncommon. Only a small number of those tested live in Ireland or Scotland. Most live in America. Many of those have resorted to DNA testing for the very reason that they do not know where there ancestors came from when the emigrated to America.

The Colla Group includes some people with non-Irish sounding names. It includes some people who are related to each other. It includes surnames where there is only one representative.

As of June 2011, there were 232 people included in the Colla Group. They have been included because their DNA has been found to match fairly closely with Colla Modal DNA. Within the Colla group, 146 have been assigned to Muredach Colla da Crioch and 54 have been assigned to Carrell Colla Uais. None have been assigned to Aedh Colla Menn. Assignment to a brother is based on the tester's surname appearing in O'Hart's Irish Pedigrees. O'Hart indicates which brother the ancient histories say the name is descended from. In the case of McDonald, however, the name is descended from both Crioch and Uais.

Those assigned to a brother have 35 different Colla surnames. Only 30 percent of O'Hart's list of Colla Surnames are included in the study. There are a number of good reasons.

• Many Colla names are uncommon.
• Only a small number of people have had their DNA tested thus far.
• Many who have had their DNA tested have tested only 12, 25, or 37 markers rather than the 67 required for this study.
• Some people have been tested by an organization other than Family Tree DNA.
• Some people may have lost their name because an ancestor changed his name or was adopted. These people would show up in the Unassigned Group.
• O'Hart probably included some surnames of people who were not really Colla descendants.

• There was a name change by an ancestor.
• They or an ancestor were adopted. Seven are known to be adopted or have an adopted ancestor.
• The historical lists of Colla descendants were incomplete.
• The name is on an historical list of Colla descendants but we have not found it yet.
• Their ancestors were descended from cousins of the Three Collas; and their surnames, therefore, evolved differently.
• In early Irish history there was the concept of “fostering,” where two powerful tribal leaders would place their infant son with the other family to seal a defensive alliance. It is likely that some of these sons took on the tribal name of the family with whom they were placed.

First sketch of the deoxyribonucleic acid double-helix pattern in 1953 by Francis Crick.

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Null Value for Marker 425. All Colla participants by study design have taken the 67-marker test conducted by FTDNA. One of the markers in the 67-marker test that is not in lesser tests is marker 425. A null value for marker 425 separates the Colla Group from the Reference Group, but it only accounts for a genetic distance of 1.

A special test, called the DYF371X test, is offered for those who have the null value for marker 425, and a Null 425 DNA project. The DYF371X test has been done for 35 Clan Colla descendants: 34 have subvalues of 10c-12c-13c-14c and one has subvalues of 10c-12c-14c-14c.

As indicated by the Null 425 DNA project, there are people with the null value for marker 425 other than Colla people. These people do not match the Clan Colla modal. Only one of them has the L21 SNP.

There have been people who match the Colla Group but do not have a null value for marker 425. According to Thomas Krahn at FTDNA, the null 425 can be very difficult to identify. When one of these cases arises, Thomas has retested, and the null value is finallly identified. It is very unlikely that a null value would ever be reversed.

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Key Markers. Clan Colla DNA has three markers that distinguish it from other groups: 511=9, 425=0, and 505=9. In April 2013, a study was done of the values of these three markers.

• Marker 511=9. 98% of people in the Colla database had this value (312 out of 319). The other 7 had values of 10. Only 3% of the L21 haplogroup are 9.
• Marker 425=0. 99% of people in the Colla database had this value (316 out of 319). The other 3 are probably errors. Less than one-half of 1% of other people in of the L21 haplogroup have the null value.
• Marker 505=9. 99% of people in the Colla project at FTDNA had this value (104 out of 105). The other 1 had a rare value of 10. No one else in the L21 haplogroup is 9.

The percentage distribution of marker values was determined for each group. The eight markers with the largest differences in the distribution of values were 385b, 439, 449, 570, 511, 425, 413a, and 534. For the source data and frequencies for all 67 markers for the Colla and the reference group, see: Reference Source Data.

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L21 and DF21 SNPs

All Clan Colla participants who have done "deep-clade testing" for the L21 SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) have tested positive. L21 was discovered in October 2008. People with the L21 SNP are said to be members of the R1b1a2a1a1b4 haplogroup. As groups of scientists discover SNPs, they are named for the research lab and the order in which they are found. The L in L21 indicates that it was found at the Family Tree DNA Genomic Research Center in Houston, Texas. The L stands for Leo Little who did much pioneering work in genetic genealogy and who died in 2008. He kept enormous Excel spreadsheets of results – before they all got sub-divided into what the various Haplogroups are today. (L21 is known as S145 in some testing organizations.)

The L21 SNP is estimated to be 4,000 years old. It is sometimes referred to as a "Celtic" SNP. In their 2011 book The Scots, A Genetic Journey, Alistair Moffat and James F. Wilson say L21 "could be said to be the most emphatic signal of the Celtic language speakers of the British Isles. It is found in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland and it is almost certainly characteristic of those farming communities who may have spoken early forms of Celtic languages in the centuries around 2,000 BC."

Source: Mike Walsh, L21 Yahoo Group

Clan Colla participants also have tested positive for the DF21 SNP, which is downstream of L21. The first Clan Colla member tested positive for DF21 in August 2011. As of April 2012, 19 Clan Colla members have tested for DF21 all have tested positive. This further narrows the haplogroup for Clan Colla descendants. All Clan Colla descendants are expected to have the DF21 SNP. Other groups also have the DF21 SNP--perhaps 10 percent of all those with the L21 SNP. The DF21 SNP is estimated to be 2,500 to 3,000 years old, compared with 4,000 for the L21 SNP. It was discovered by an anonymous researcher using publicly available full-genome-sequence data, including the 1000 Genomes Project data. The DF in DF21 is taken from DNA-Forums.org, a now-defunct genetic genealogy community. (DF21 is known as S192 in some testing organizations.)

Clan Colla participants are urged to join the DF21 project at FTDNA and order the DF21 SNP test. The DF21 project has been set up by David Reynolds for people who have tested positive for the DF21 SNP or are interested in ordering the test.

The DF21 SNP is not yet part of deep clade testing and it may be a few months before FTDNA creates a new haplogroup designation. To order the DF21 test from your FTDNA home page, go to ORDER ADVANCED TESTS (not ORDER ADVANCED SNP TESTS nor ORDER DEEP CLADE TEST). The cost is $29.

There are four SNPs downstream of DF21: S190, P314.2, Z246, and L720. Clan Colla members have tested negative for all except S190. There is no test available yet at FTDNA for S190, but the DNA of people with this SNP is quite different from Clan Colla DNA. As of April 2012, 22 Clan Colla members had tested negative for P314.2 (part of "deep-clade testing"), 6 members had tested negative for Z246, and 1 had tested negative for L720.

A R-L21 project and R-L21 Walk Through the Y project have been set up for people whose DNA haplogroup is L21. This type includes other subgroups as well as Clan Colla. The purpose of the project is to find a special identifying a SNP for subgroups of L21. SNPs are very difficult to find. This effort is being directed and managed by Dr. Thomas Krahn, Technical Laboratory Manager of FTDNA's Genomics Research Center in Houston, Texas.

A Discussion Group has been set up for the L21 Yahoo Group. Included is a spreadsheet compiled by Michael Walsh that identifies Clan Colla members. The discussion includes the DF21 SNP.

Robert Casey has a website for L21 Private SNPs. It is aimed at testing new SNPs, but includes information on established SNPs as well. The site also is a good place to find educational information about Y-DNA testing.

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L21 and DF21 Subgroups

Several subgroups within L21 have been identified and are outlined below. Based on very rough estimates, these groups constitute 50% of L21.

The genetic distances among the 67-marker modal DNAs of the subgroups listed above range between 9 and 26 as shown in the following table. Calculations were made using the FTDNA 111 Mode BETA version of the McGee Utility. The method of computing genetic distance is the hybrid mutation model. If a marker has a null value for one person and a positive value for another, the marker is ignored. So, the genetic distances between the Clan Colla modal and other modals ignore marker 425 and are a little low.

Using data prepared by Alex Williamson based on data from Michael Walsh in August 2012, Patrick McMahon has added data on Clan Colla and created the following graph showing the descendancy of many of the SNPs outlined in the table above. It shows, for example, that Clan Colla first appeared about 2000 years ago and DF21 first appeared about 3000 years ago. The arrows indicate measures of uncertainty. The numbers under the SNP are sample sizes and the labels indicate associated haplogroups (where known). The horizontal space is for separation of lines and labels.

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History Lessons

Verification of Ancient Irish History

DNA testing has verified some ancient Irish genealogies.

• Clan Colla existed back in 4th century Ulster.
• Cian, the progenitor of Ely Carroll, existed back in 3rd century Munster.
• Brian Boru existed back in 10th century Ireland.
• Hy Maine existed back in 4th century Connacht.
• Niall of the Nine Hostages existed back in 4th century Ulster and Lowland Scotland.
• McGuire/McManus existed back in 14th century Ulster.
• The Lords of the Isles existed back in 12th century Scottish Highlands.

Correction of Ancient Irish History

DNA testing has also corrected some ancient genealogical connections that had historically been thought to exist.

• McDonalds who were Lords of the Isles had previously been thought by some to be descended from Colla Uais, but a group descended from the Lords of the Isles, including chiefs and chieftans, has been found by Clan Donald DNA project to have Viking DNA. There is, nevertheless, a significant number of McDonalds with Clan Colla DNA, some of whom are descended from Colla da Crioch, but most of whom appear to be descended from Colla Uais. There are also a number of McDonalds descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages and a Scottish cluster thought by some to be from Dalriada or Pictish. A December 2010 study of 213 McDonalds with 67 markers showed the following distribution: 21 Clan Colla, 18 Niall of the Nine Hostages, 27 Scottish cluster, 61 Norse, and 86 ungrouped.
• All McGuires had previously been thought by some to be descended from Clan Colla, but there is a significant group of McGuires and their McManus descendants that have different SNPs from Clan Colla and a genetic distance of 21 from Clan Colla.
• Hy Maine and Clan Colla had previously been thought by some to be descended from a common ancestor, but they have different SNPs and there is a genetic distance of 17 between their modals. There are Kellys with Clan Colla DNA, but they are likely from another Kelly pedigree called Clankelly.
• Northwest Irish (Niall) and Clan Colla had previously been thought by some to be descended from a common ancestor, but they have different SNP and there is a genetic distance of 20 between their modals.
• South Irish, Brian Boru, and Ely Carroll had previously been thought by some as descended from a common ancestor, Olioll Olum. DNA testing has proven otherwise, as they have different SNPs and significant genetic distances between their modals:
  • 9 between South Irish and Brian Boru,
  • 13 between South Irish and Ely Carroll, and
  • 12 between Brian Boru and Ely Carroll.

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Deep Ancestry

Patrick McMahon analyzed the geographic distribution of the members of the L21 project at FTDNA in January 2011 and made the following observation.

Assuming today's testers are a random sample, these results support the views put forward by many that the L21 SNP occurred somewhere north of the Alps (about 4,000 years ago) and the L21 population drifted Northwest over time concentrating in the western fringes of the British Isles mainly in Ireland. North of the Alps would most likely be Germany or France where the original (presumed) high numbers would over time be replaced by further waves of migrants or simply driven North by more advanced civilisations.

How they made their way to Ireland is open to conjecture. The shortest sea journey then (3,000 to 4,000 years ago) as now would be from France to Southern England. However, they could have made their way directly to Ireland from Brittany (or via Cornwall or Wales). The figures support the view that there was no significant migration towards the Eastern parts of Europe and only minor ones to Scandinavia and Spain with the main thrust through Northern France to Britain and Ireland. Archaeologists have termed these peoples (and the proto-Collas are part of this population) as 'Bronze-age' Britons.

For a good presentation of the origins, age, spread, and ethnic association of Europeans see The Peopling of Europe and Eupedia. Following is a haplogroup timeline taken from Eupedia. "ybp" is years before the present.

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Multiple-Sept Surnames

The descendants of the Three Collas share a common pattern of Y-chromosome DNA markers, and many have surnames mentioned in ancient genealogies as descending from the Three Collas. Not all people with Clan Colla surnames, however, have Clan Colla DNA. In the early days of Y-DNA testing, there was a tendency for people with Colla names to think that they were descended from Clan Colla just because they had a Colla name. For example, in 2004, a Clan Donald press release said that they believed a group of McDonalds (now called the Scottish Cluster) was Clan Colla. This turned out to be wrong. As more people with other Colla names tested their DNA, it became apparent that another somewhat smaller group of McDonalds was Clan Colla because their DNA matched up with people with other Colla surnames, such as, McMahon, McGuire, Carroll, etc. Of the 234 Collas in the Clan Colla project today, only 12, including one McDonald and two McMahon, had been tested at the time of the Clan Donald press release in 2004.

To verify that we have the right Clan Colla group, we have examined the variety of septs that exist within the surname projects that include the major Clan Colla surnames. On April 19, 2013, data was drawn from surname projects at Family Tree DNA that descendants of the Three Collas participate in. The people in those surname projects were categorized according to haplogroup based on their actual or projected haplotype. These categories indicate the variety of septs with the same or similar surname. The following table shows the distribution among various R haplogroup septs of people with the more common Colla database. The first four surnames are the most well-known Colla surnames: McDonald, McMahon, McGuire, and Carroll. Only four of the surnames have a majority in Clan Colla: McKenna, Calkins, Roderick, and Biggins. There are 158 Collas in the table, about half of the total Colla database of 319 as of April 19, 2013.

Most people with Colla DNA are not the majority of those with their surname. In fact, the majority of people with Colla DNA are a minority of those with their surname. And, therefore, most people with Colla surnames do not have Colla DNA. The reason is that most Irish surnames appear in mutiple septs. For example, as shown above, there are McDonalds descended from Clan Colla, but there are also McDonalds descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages (Northwest Irish) and the Scottish cluster. There are many McDonalds in the R1b haplogroup for whom a sept has not been identified. There are 84 McDonalds in the R1a-L176 haplogroup descended from the Lord of the Isles. There are McGuires descended from Clan Colla, but there are also many Maguires descended from another unrelated sept in the Fermanagh area, called Airghialla 2.

There are several explanations for this phenomenon of multiple-sept surnames.

• The same surname developed independently in different geographic areas.
• At the time surnames came into being around a thousand years ago, many surnames were based on relatively common given names.
• A male was adopted by a clan other than the one he was born in.
• A male married a woman from another clan and took her surname, perhaps because it was a more respected name.
• A male changed his surname when he was ennobled or otherwise came into possession of territory, perhaps adopting the name of a respected prior holder of that territory.
• A male was a subordinate (vassal, servant, slave, etc) of a member of another clan and took his master's surname when he became free.
• A male took the surname of another clan without any connection to the clan, simply because it was a respected name.

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Two McGuire Septs

Donohue Study. In August 2009, Joseph A. Donohoe V (1941-2011) reported on the DNA of descendants of the Three Collas in his Breifne Clans DNA Report 5, Subgroup O1, posted at Results of Projects of the O'Donoghue Society. He independently identified the Clan Colla group that was identified by the Clan Colla project started by Josiah McGuire in June 2009. He called it Airghialla 1 because he was not sure it was Clan Colla. He said he was "not fully persuaded yet of the validity or applicability of the Colla tradition, particularly in view of the great number of traditionally Colla surnames not represented here." As part of his study, Joseph established a modal DNA for Airghialla 1 at Ysearch under the user ID of WHYAA. It is the same as the DURRQ modal used here.

To test the validity of Airghialla 1, Joseph came up with a second group called Airghialla 2. As part of his study, Joseph established a modal DNA for Airghialla 2 at Ysearch under the user ID of 9U5BW.

In comparing Airghialla 1 and 2 on page 184 of the report, Joseph says that Airghialla 1 "appears to have been prominent in the South Tyrone – North Monaghan area from the sixth century, if not earlier," while Airghialla 2 "rose to historical prominence later . . . in the ninth century." He concludes that Airghialla 1 "would appear to be the best candidate" to represent the DNA of the Three Collas.

Joseph himself is not Airghialla 1 or 2. He is a descendant of Niall of the Nine Hostages, also called R-M222 or Northwest Irish.

Both Airghialla 1 and 2 contain significant groups of McGuires. It is now gernerally accepted that Airghialla 1 is Clan Colla and Airghialla 2 is a separate group without a clan name. Airghialla 2 surnames include McGuire, McManus, Byrne, Corrigan, Donohoe, McCauley, Garvey, Plunkett, McCown. The DNA of Airghialla 1 and 2 is very different. Airghialla 1 has been found to have the DF21 SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism). Airghialla 2 has been found to have the L69 SNP. L69 is a sublclade of L513. Both DF21 and L513 are subclades of L21. There is a genetic distance of 21 between the 67-marker modals for Airghialla 1 and 2.

McGuire Projects. There are three McGuire projects at FTDNA. Patrick Meguire started the McGuire DNA project in June 2004. It focuses on McGuires whose ancestors lived in Colonial America. Josiah McGuire started the Mag-Uidhir Clan DNA project in April 2010. Brad McGuire started the Airghialla Mag Uidhir DNA project in October 2010.

Airghialla 2 Pedigree. There is a Charles Robert McGuire (kit #21228), whose ancestry has been traced back to the the McGuire "Junior Line" from Tempo, County Fermanagh. His DNA is clearly Airghialla 2 rather than 1. There are several sources that refer to this pedigree.

• Maguire Princely Pedigree.
• The Fermanagh Story (exerpt) (1969) by Rev. Peadar Livingstone (1932-1987) - page 116
• Captain Cohonny: Constantine Maguire of Tempo 1777-1834, by W. A. Maguire, Ulster Historical Foundation.

Peadar Livingstone. How do we explain the two different Airghialla 1 and 2 McGuires? One of the two Airghialla McGuire groups must have received their name through adoption or some other way at some point in the history of the McGuires.

• An Airghialla 2 McGuire may have adopted an Airghialla 1 McGuire sometime before or after Donn Mor.
• An Airghialla 1 McGuire may have adopted an Airghialla 2 McGuire sometime before Donn Mor.

Chapter 1 is about Early Fermanagh. It does not say that there were two Maguire clans, but it identifies two possible sources of the McGuires: the Fir Manach of Old Leinster and the Three Collas.

• Three Collas. "Who were these people of Oriel or Airghialla? This is one of the many questions . . . that we cannot answer yet. . . . Possibly they lived here as a subject race to the Ultaigh before the Ui Neill eventually 'liberated' them. They may have been the descendants of hostages (Airghialla) captured by the Ui Neill and used by them to 'plant' their new conquest. . . . Later genealogists make them descend from Cormac Mac Airt's grandsons, the Three Collas. . . . Many modern scholars deny that the Collas existed at all." - page 5
• Leinster Fir Manach. "If the legend can be believed, they reached the Upper Lough Erne country long before [400 A.D.]. They hailed from Leinster. According to one story they killed Eanna, the king's son, and had to leave. They . . . . came north-west, entered the country from the east and settled along the north shore of the lake. It is most probable that Lisnaskea was the centre of their operations. . . . Soon we will see the Oriel families come and take control of it." - page 6

Chapters 3 and 4 cover the Middle Ages (500-1300) and the Maguire Years (1300-1589). Here Livingstone expresses uncertainty about the origin of the Maguires several times:

• "Irish people in this era seem to have been obsessed with names. Long pedigrees are drawn up, giving the origins of most common families. As might be expected, most of the Fermanagh families trace themselves back to an Oriel origin. This, for the most part, is genuine enough. However, since an Oriel line ruled the country, it must have been popular to have Oriel origins. Some of the earlier Leinster Fir Manach must have been tempted to invent an Oriel connection where it did not exist." - pages 23-24
• "we . . . are doubtful about Fermanagh's greatest family, the Maguires, who come into our picture towards the end of the thirteenth century. Genealogists give them Oriel ancestors. But were they really of Ulster stock?" - page 24
• "where the Maguires come from or from what origins we do not know with certainty" - page 25
• "Possibly they were of old Leinster Fermanagh stock, now again asserting themselves after the Oriel ascendancy." - note 65 (chapter 3)
• "we do not know who the Maguires really were or where they came from. Faulty-looking genealogies give them an Oriel pedigree. Possibly they were descended from the old Leinster settlers" - page 26

What would Peadar Livingstone say if he knew what we know today about the DNA of the Three Collas and people named McGuire and McManus? I think he would say that the McGuires with Airghialla 1 DNA have Oriel roots and are descended from the Three Collas. And he would say that the people with Airghialla 2 DNA are descended from the McGuires perhaps back to Donn Mor McGuire but have other roots such as Leinster Fir Manach or possibly Ultaigh. Other than that, he would have to say "we do not know who the earlier McGuires really were or where they came from."

Patrick Stephen Dinneen. In 1917, Patrick Stephen Dinneen translated into English a story written in Irish not long before the year 1716, which he thinks came originally from a McGuire family history by O'Luinan, chief chronicler to Maguire, who died in 1478. The 1917 translation is called The Maguires of Fermanagh.

The story is about the three surviving sons of Donn Mór Maguire:

1. O'Donnell, adopted by Donn Mór Maguire when he married the widow of O'Donnell of Tyrconnell, nee O'Neill; lived in Ballyshannon, County Donegal
2. Maghnus, the first natural-born son of Donn Mór Maguire and the widow O'Donnell, nee O'Neill; inherited the realm of Donn Mór Maguire; lived on Belle Isle in Lough Erne, County Fermanagh
3. Giolla 'Iosa, the second natural-born son of Donn Mór Maguire and a daughter of O'Reilly of Breifne; lived in East Breifne (County Cavan after 1579)

The story is about Maghnus, who inherits the realm of his father but is disabled and loses the support of O'Flanagan and other chiefs. Maghnus asks his brother Giolla 'Iosa to help him regain the support of O'Flanagan and the other chiefs. Giolla 'Iosa seeks the aid of O'Donnell and the two of them together take O'Flanagan and the other chiefs to Maghnus and regain their support. Maghnus then passes on the Maguire realm to Giolla 'Iosa.

The story suggests that there might be two McGuire DNAs, but it does not explain Airghialla 1 and 2 DNA. Irish history and modern DNA indicate that O'Donnells are descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages, not Airghialla 1 (Clan Colla). And, the story says that Donn Mór Maguire is descended from Clan Colla, but modern DNA says that McManuses are descended from Airghialla 2.

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Two Somerled Pedigrees

As of April 2013, there were 25 McDonalds with Clan Colla R1b DNA (DF21 SNP) and 84 McDonalds with Viking R1a DNA (L176 SNP). They were not all descended, necessarily, from Alasdair Og and Angus Og. This data is from a total of 338 R1b and R1a McDonalds who had tested 67 markers in the Clan Donald project. The Clan Colla McDonalds are in four R1b subgroups: Pale Violet, Magenta-Black, Yellow Green-Black, and Yellow Unclassified. They can be distinguised by their null valuie for marker 425. The Viking McDonalds are in one R1a subgroup: Red. See Multiple-Sept Surnames.

The Clan Donald DNA project is one of the oldest and largest surname projects at FTDNA. The project administrator is Mark MacDonald, National Historian for Clan Donald U.S.A. The project co-administrator and webmaster is professor J. Douglas McDonald of the University of Illinois.

There are two subgroups in the Clan Donald DNA project with different DNA who descend from different sons of Angus Mor MacDonald, a great grandson of Somerled.

• The R1b Pale Violet subgroup, who have Clan Colla DNA. The subgroup includes Frank Everett McDonald (Clan Donald code &NHHMM). Frank's pedigree, 43 Generations: Colla to McDonald, goes back to Somerled through Alasdair Og, son of Angus Mor who was a great grandson of Somerled. Alasdair Og allied himself with Edward I, the king of England, against Robert the Bruce, the titular king of Scotland, in the War of Scottish Independence.
• The R1a Red subgroup, who have Norse DNA. This subgroup includes several McDonald Chiefs and Chieftans (Clan Donald codes &CXYIE, &5XOBA, &EDC4L, and &BATPB). The Chiefs and Chieftans have pedigrees from Burke's Peerage that go back to Somerled through Angus Og, son of Angus Mor who was a great grandson of Somerled. Angus Og deposed his brother Alasdair Og in 1308. Angus Og had allied himself with Robert the Bruce, the titular king of Scotland, who was battling Edward I, the king of England, during the War of Scottish Independence.

The Clan Donald DNA results for its R1b Magenta subgroup state that "signatures parallel to this group can be found among the McMahons of Fermanagh (one of the territories of ancient Oriel founded by the Collas who allegedly conquered Ulster around 330 AD)." Furthermore, their R1b Pale violet subgroup results state that "this group is probably a subset of the Magenta group, but we are not including them together since these people have not tested for DYS425. This group appears to all be descendants of Lt. Brian McDonald, chief line of Leinster and Ulster in Ireland who emigrated to Brandywine Creek Delaware in the late 1600s."

Two opposing positions on the ancestry of Somerled have been taken by Donald Schlegel and Clan Donald:

• Donald Schlegel takes the position that Somerled was Clan Colla, and a Norse descendant adopted the McDonald name sometime later.
• Clan Donald takes the position that Somerled was Norse and that a Colla descendant adopted the McDonald name sometime later.

Clan Donald graciously admits that Donald Schlegel has done a "very persuasive analysis" of the Colla Irish lines in his book, The Ancestors of McDonalds of Somerset, and the portion of that book describing the Colla ancestry of Somerled is reproduced on the Clan Donald site.

A son or grandson of Somerled was Dugall, Lord of Lorne, from whom MacDougalls are said to descend. The MacDougall DNA project includes two Clan Colla descendants and one Norse descendant. One of the Clan Colla dscendants, David MacDougall (FTDNA kit #21971), has an ancestor, Iain MacDhubhghaill, who is from Lorne according to an 1890 history of Christmas Island.

Norse Versus Colla Ancestry for Key Somerled Descendants

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43 Generations: Colla to McDonald

Our study of the DNA of the Three Collas, who lived in the 4th century, is based on present-day Y-chromosome DNA and surnames from ancient pedigrees. It is not based on genealogies which show a paper trail from the 4th century to today. One of the McDonalds in this study, however, can trace his ancestry back to one of the Three Collas, Colla Uais, who lived in the 4th century. He is Frank Everett McDonald, Jr., a retired dairy farmer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. He was born there in 1926. His FTDNA kit is #133546. His Clan Donald Code is &NHHMM. The genetic distance of 67 markers of his Y-chromosome DNA from the Colla Modal DNA is 8. He participates in the Clan Colla 425 Null DNA Project. The genealogy and DNA of Frank E. McDonald, Jr., were brought to our attention by Vaden McDonald, who is unrelated.

The Generations. Frank has 43 generations back to Colla Uais, as shown on the right. Included among the 43 generations are the following:

• 1. Carrell Colla Uais, brother of Muredach Colla da Chrioch and Aedh Colla Menn
• 12. Goffrad: left by Kenneth MacAlpin in the west of Scotland to try to hold the isles against the Northmen. He was styled toiseach, (prince) of Insi-Gall (all of the Hebrides); died in 853
• 20. Somerled (from Gaelic Sòmhairlidh): Thane of Argyll, the patriarch of the McDonalds, early in the 12th century acquired the Western Islands, by his marriage with Effrica, daughter of Olavus, King of Man; and assumed the designation of King of the Isles, which his successors held, independent of the Scottish Kings, for three generations; died in 1164
• 24. Alasdair Og MacDonnell: ancestor of all the MacDomhnaill Gallóglach families; died 1308
• 27. Charles Thurlough Mor McDonald: born in Antrim; acquired lands being known as the Clan Donnell Country, including Tynekill Castle at the base of the boundary of the mountains of Leix and Wicklow; died 1435
• 36. Lieutenant Brian McDonald, who served in an Irish Volunteer Regiment in the cause of King James II. Emigrated to America in 1684
• 38. Bryan McDonald III, born 1732 in Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle Co., Delaware; married Susannah Ogle in 1752 in Wilmington, Delaware; died 1777 in Buffalo Creek, Botetourt County, Virginia
• 43. Frank Everett McDonald, Jr.; born in Virginia in 1926; married Betty Jean Verna in 1951; FTDNA kit #133546

Generation 27. Tighearna Coille (Forest Manor), County Laois. Also known as Tinnakill or Tynekill, this tower house, built c.1450 by John Carrogh (Thirlough Oge) McDonald, served as the “Caput” (Seat) of the MacDonnells of Leinster for more than two hundred years. See The MacDonnells of Leinster.

Generation 38. Bryan McDonald House, Botetourt County, Virginia. Constructed in 1766, the house is associated with one of the early families to settle in Botetourt County. The McDonald House is the earliest known extant building in the 27-county western region of Virginia. A brick addition was added to the house around 1840. Today’s house sits on 5.9 acres, which is substantially less than its original acreage, however, the house still retains the feeling of its original setting within the landscape. Approved June 2011 for listing on the Virginia Landmarks Register. See Virginia Department of Historic Resources .

• Generations 1 to 20: The Ancestors of the McDonalds of Somerset (exerpt from Clan Donald DNA Project), by Donald M. Schlegel, 1998. Sources consulted by Schlegel include: Book of Ballymote (ca 1400), Book of Lecan (Early 1400s), Nat. Lib. Scot. MS 72.1.1 (1467), Monro (1549), Harleian MS 1425/190-191 (ca 1620), Annals of Clan Macnoise (1627), Geoffrey Keating (ca 1634), O'Clery
  (mid 1600s), and Book of Clanranald (ca 1715). Also see The Three Collas - An Alternative Explanation.
• Generations 20 to 36: The MacDonnell Family of Leinster, 1100 AD to 1707, Irish Midlands Ancestry, compiled by the Family History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland
• Generation 36: Contributions to the Early History of Bryan McDonald and Family, 1879 , by Frank V. McDonald
• Generation 36 to 40: Kegley's Virginia Frontier, 1938 (or selected pages)
• Generations 25 to 43: Genealogy of Frank Everett McDonald, Jr. by Vaden McDonald, 2007.
• Generation 39 to 43: 1820-1930 U. S. Censuses:
  • Buffalo Creek, Botetourt County, Virginia: 1820 for generations 39 (widow Ruth) and 40
  • McDonalds Mill, Montgomery County, Virginia: 1830 for generations 39 (widow Ruth) and 40
  • McDonalds Mill, Montgomery County, Virginia: 1840-1, 1840-2, 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 for generations 40 and 41
  • Salem, Roanoke County, Virginia: 1880 for generation 41
  • Chamblissburg, Bedford County, Virginia: 1900, 1910, and 1920 for generations 41 and 42
  • Roanoke Creek, Big Lick District, Virginia: 1930 for generations 42 and 43

Other Sources. See also

• The MacDonnells of Leinster
• Clan Donald Heritage
• Clan Donald, by Donald J. McDonald of Castleton, 1978
• The Clan Donald, by Angus and Archibald MacDonald: Volume I, 1896; Volume II, 1900; Volume III, 1904
• McDonald Map

Patrick McMahon, a co-author of this Web page, has identified a Colla Subgroup of 8 Colla descendants who have similar DNA: Frank McDonald, three other McDonald, three McDaniel, and an Edwards. The subgroup has values of 14 for Markers 437 and 446. The modal values for Clan Colla are 15 and 13.

The genetic distances among the 8 people range from 1 to 7 and average 3.9.

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The McMahons of Trohanny

Our study of the DNA of the Three Collas, who lived in the 4th century, is based on present-day Y-chromosome DNA and surnames from ancient pedigrees. It is not based on genealogies which show a paper trail from the 4th century to today. One of the McMahons in this study, however, can trace his ancestry back to one of the Three Collas, Colla da Crioch, who lived in the 4th century. He is Patrick Ciaran McMahon, a co-author of this Web page and a co-author with Eugene McMahon of The McMahons of Trohanny, a Private Publication. His FTDNA kit is #145687. The genetic distance of 67 markers of his Y-chromosome DNA from the Colla Modal DNA is 4. He participates in the Clan Colla 425 Null DNA Project. Patrick has an advanced degree in genetics from Trinity College Dublin and lives in Gorey, Ireland.

Patrick has 49 generations back to Colla da Chrioch, as shown on the right. Included among the 49 generations are the following:

• 1. Muredach Colla da Chrioch, brother of Carrell Colla Uais and Aedh Colla Menn
• 5. Cairbre an Dam Airge, d. 513
• 22. Faolan MacMathghamhna (Felim/Phelan MacMahon), early 12th century
• 49. Patrick Ciaran McMahon; born in Ireland; FTDNA kit #145687

• Generations 1 to 5: The Clougher Record, "Reweaving the Tapestry of Ancient Ulster," by Donald M. Schlegel, Volume XVII, No. 3, 2002, pages 689-749
• Generations 5 to 22: Irish Pedigrees; or, the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation, Volume I, 1892, by John O'Hart: MacMahon (No. 1) for generations 5 to 22 (91 to 108 on pages 549-550)
• Generations 22 to 42 are derived from genealogical charts reproduced in The McMahons of Trohanny by Patrick and Eugene McMahon, Private Publication, February 2008, pages 155 & 157-158, augmented by recent confirmatory information from Katharine Simms (Senior Lecturer in Medieval History, Trinity College Dublin) in her article "The MacMahon Pedigree: a Medieval Forgery" in Regions and Rulers in Ireland, 1100-1650, edited by David Edwards, 2004, pages 27–36.
• Generations 42 to 49: The McMahons of Trohanny by Patrick and Eugene McMahon, Private Publication, February 2008.

In his McMahon DNA, Patrick McMahon analyzes the DNA of other McMahons who have tested their DNA, indicating that his ancestry may be helpful to other McMahons in understanding their ancestry.

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FTDNA Presentation, Houston, 2011

Peter Biggins speaking at the 2011 FTDNA Conference. Photo by Steve Danko.

Peter Biggins, in collaboration with Thomas Roderick, made a presentation on the Clan Colla Project on November 6, 2011, at Family Tree DNA's 7th Annual International Conference on Genetic Genealogy in Houston, Texas. The presentation concluded with the following summary:

• The growing Clan Colla data is showing that the cluster is representative of a unique stable population within the R-DF21+ population.
• The DNA picture that has emerged is consistent with the perceived historical knowledge pertaining to Oriel in the early part of the first millennium.
• The data also supports the view that Clan Colla originated in a Celtic tribe in NW Britain before migrating to Oriel.
• Y-chromosome DNA has verified an ancient Irish pedigree for historians, and genetic genealogists.

The presentation was created by Peter and Tom along with fellow Clan Colla project administrators, Josiah McGuire and Patrick McMahon. Patrick and Josiah could not make it to the Conference. So, only Peter and Tom attended. Tom was responsible for getting us on the program. He has attended the conferences every year since 2006. Tom somehow got Peter to make the actual presentation.

The presentation was based on a database of 259 men with Clan Colla DNA as of November 2011. See Summary Report, November 2011.

See slides. See also Steve's Genealogy Blog.

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Clan Colla Saints

In his Irish Pedigrees; or, the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation, published in 1892 (fifth edition), Volume II, page 581, John O'Hart says The Four Masters record 39 saints as descended from the Three Collas: 19 from Colla-da-Chrioch, 16 from Colla Uais, and 4 from Colla Meann.

The following were the 19 saints descended from Colla-da-Chrioch.

1. St. Begg (1st August)
2. St. Brughach (1st Nov.)
3. St. Curcach, virgin
4. St. Daimhin (or Damin), abbot of Devenish Abbey (see page 189), on Devenish Island, Lough Erne.
5. St. Defraoch, virgin.
6. St. Donart.
7. St. Duroch, virgin.
8. St. Enna of Aaron (21st Mar.)
9. St. Baodan (5th Feb.)
10. St. Fergus (29th March)
11. St. Fiachra (2nd May)
12. St. Flann Feabhla (20th April)
13. St. Lochin, virgin
14. St. Loman of Loughgill (4th Feb.)
15. St. Maeldoid (13th May)
16. St. Mochaomog.
17. St. Muredach (15th May)
18. St. Neassa, virgin
19. St. Tegan (9th Sept.)

Saint Berchan. Saint Berchan lived in the 5th century and is listed on page 17 of the The Martyrology of Donegal: A Calendar of the Saints of Ireland, translated by John O'Donovan in 1864. He lived on Inish-Rochla, an island in Lough Erne near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Ireland. He was five generatiions down from Colla da Crioch, one of the Three Collas. His feast day is November 24.

Saint Cinnia. Saint Cinnia lived in the 5th century. She was a princess of Ulster, Ireland. Saint Cinnia was converted to Christianity by Saint Patrick. When she entered a convent, Saint Patrick gave her the veil. She was descended from Colla da Crioch, one of the Three Collas. Her feast day is February 1.

Saint Tigernach. Saint Tigernach was said to have been the godchild of Saint Brigid, and educated in Scotland. He may have been a monk at Clones as well as a bishop of Clogher in County Monaghan, but accounts are not too clear. He also is called Tierney and Tierry. Saint Tigernach died in 549. He was descended from Colla da Crioch, one of the Three Collas. His feast day is April 4.

Saint Cairnech. Saint Cairnech was born after the middle of the 5th century. His brothers were St. Berchan and St. Ronan. His monastery was probably at Cruachan Ligean on Loughh Foyle, near Lifford. He died about 530. He was descended from Colla da Crioch, one of the Three Collas. His feast day is March 28.

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