The Fomorians
There are many oblique references to the presence of Black people in ancient Ireland. Ancient Irish mythology refers to the original inhabitants of the island as being a giant, sea-faring people called the Fomorians (Fomors), which means “dark of the sea”. According to the ancient lore, they were a cushitic people from the African continent. Often depicted as demons, they defeated the first few incoming waves of invaders, but could not defeat the Firbolgs, who settled the land and lived side-by-side with the native Fomors.
Those myths may have a factual historical basis. It is proposed that the Formorians were a real people who were in all likelihood sailors from the African continent.
Two more invasions, the first led by the godly Tuatha de Danaan, and the second by the Celtic Milesians, took control of Ireland, mixing together with the Fomorians until they were no more.
There are credible sources for the African association with Ireland. The most likely of these is that they were Phoenicians and/or Egyptians. The Phoenicians were Canaanites, which came from the line of Ham. Ham is the mythological ancestor of the Black nation.
The Phoenicians were also well-known for their sailing skills, and are said to have traveled to the British Isles, which they called the “Tin Islands”. Perhaps, before Ireland was a Celtic domain, which it wasn’t until a few centuries BCE, the Phoenicians colonized it. It is noteworthy that the name Fomorians sounds a bit like Phoenicians.
There is also a legend that an Egyptian princess, Scota, left Egypt with some followers and journeyed to Ireland. Legend has it that Egyptians left many ancient tin mines all over Britain but especially Ireland which was their major source of the valuable metal.
Another idea is that they were Taureg Berbers. The Berber language is Hamitic, and the Berber people live in an area from which travel to Ireland would be easily accessible. The Berbers perhaps set sail from western Morocco, and settled on Ireland before the Celts, making it their new home.
Moorish Science Temple founder Drew Ali teaches that Ireland was once part of a Moorish empire, and that the Irish are a Moorish people. Perhaps there is a common root between the “moor” sound in Fomor and the word Moor?
Selkies and Half-Breeds
Another Irish legend tells of the Selkies, a sort-of “wereseal” that is a seal during day, but a human by nightfall. Sometimes, in an Irish family of fair-skinned, light-haired people, a child is born with dark hair eyes, and skin, and is called a Selkie.
The concept of the Selkies appears to make subliminal reference to the half-breed children that resulted from the extensive miscegenation that occurred between the Celts and the dark skinned original inhabitants that they had met upon their arrival in Ireland.
Many people of Irish descent have distant and recent African roots, and these features can still be seen in the people and in the culture. There are some Irish people with Afros (just like Andre the Giant a late continental European wrestler with afro-hair). In Southern Ireland, some people, referred to as “Black Irish”, are noted for their strikingly dark features, as opposed to the fair-skinned, light-haired north.
Although many Irish descendants are particularly pale, they do have pronounced Africoid facial features, as well as dark brown eyes, and dark brown hair that is sort-of kinky, especially in moist conditions. A sub race of the Irish called the Bronn are noticeably Mediterranean (read: African) in features especially their hair.
In addition to all of this, Celtic music is distinctly different from the rest of Europe, and easily comparable to African music.
Black, Viking and Irish
Unlike Scotland and England, Ireland was never colonized by the Romans. As a result, Ireland remained relatively isolated.
The Vikings established port cities like Dublin. The Viking texts left stories and descriptions of African soldiers captured in Ireland whom they called blaumen[blue-men].
Most Viking references to ”black” in Norse would have signified having black hair as opposed to skin color but blaumen meant black skinned. Most of these blaumen were captured soliders from Moorish Spain. It was observed that:
“A prominent Viking of the eleventh century was Thorhall, who was aboard the ship that carried the early Vikings to the shores of North America. Thorhall was “the huntsman in summer, and in winter the steward of Eric the Red. He was, it is said, a large man, and strong, black, and like a giant, silent, and foul-mouthed in his speech, and always egged on Eric to the worst; he was a bad Christian.””
“Another Viking, more notable than Thorhall, was Earl Thorfinn, “the most distinguished of all the earls in the Islands.” Thorfinn ruled over nine earldoms in Scotland and Ireland, and died at the age of seventy-five. His widow married the king of Scotland. Thorfinn was described as “one of the largest men in point of stature, and ugly, sharp featured, and somewhat tawny, and the most martial looking man… It has been related that he was the foremost of all his men.””
What about Scotland and Wales?
“Any comprehensive account of the African presence in early Europe should include England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Scandinavia. The history and legends of Scotland confirm the existence of “purely Black people.” We see one of them in the person of Kenneth the Niger. During the tenth century Kenneth the Niger ruled over three provinces in the Scottish Highlands.
The historical and literary traditions of Wales reflect similar beliefs. According to Gwyn Jones (perhaps the world’s leading authority on the subject), to the Welsh chroniclers, “The Danes coming in by way of England and the Norwegians by way of Ireland were pretty well all black: Black Gentiles, Black Norsemen, Black Host.””
Ogu Eji Ofo Annu
Sources:
Ancient And Modern Britons, by David Mac Ritchie
Nature Knows No Color-Line, by J.A. Rogers
Jon Will, if Europeans were the ones who “abolished” slavery, then why do they still manipulate the African continent through proxy installed puppet regimes and post-colonial capitalism? Why are they the ones who landgrabbed the Native Indian’s Americas? Also why are you trying to pose as an educated person? Is it because you want to establish a tone of authority so people will take your lies more seriously? You post using shill tactics.
By and large, the problems in Africa today are African problems. Post colonial discourse can’t explain away all the ills. The West African slave trade was a genocide ( one that the British/Americans and Portuguese are responsible for) however, that trade ended in 1805. The imperial scramble for Africa happened 150 years ago and Africa threw off the system 50-60 Years ago. Lots of Nigerians, Sierra Leonians and Ghanans settled in London, Senegalese in Paris. Willing Enthusiastic emigres! Not captives.
You ought to address the complicity of Africans in the slave trade though. European crews didn’t venture beyond the ports. The chattel were brought in by willing collaborators who were aggrandizing their own power already.
Thank you for your excellent article on the black roots of the Irish. I am 100% Irish and my hair has always been wavy, thick and coarse textured. My features are typical Irish, small nose, big eyes, full lips. I have always wondered about the similarity of the features of ethnic Africans and the Irish. Especially the noses – no one else in Europe has noses quite like Irish noses, i.e. small, rounded and flattened in comparison with other Europeans who all seem to have some variation of the hook nose and sharp nose. The only other people with noses like that are in Africa (or originated there). That’s one reason why racially mixed people of Irish and African descent are so beautiful, their features are similar to begin with, when they “meld” they harmonize beautifully.
Reply to keys in the trunk:
First, please name a couple of the “puppet regimes” you spoke of and who installed them. Second,the strongest and most affluent economies in the world are capitalist. The most impoverished and regressive economies are socialist or Marxist. What’s wrong with capitalism? I am a descendant of two native Americans within two generations. Our native American experience is one of the injustices of our history. However, my native American relatives are among the most politically, economically, and academically empowered people in the world today. So what point are you making about land grabbing and stealing? Every country in the world today has come into existence by taking someone elses land, including native American tribes who were in constant warfare with each other, taking each other’s land. Again, so what’s your point? It looks like you are trying to control the direction of the discussion by bringing up the same old worn out accusations – hate America, blame America first. I’m not posing – I AM an educated person. You say I’m lying – what am I lying about? I thought the issue here was about slavery. A comprehensive study of the history of African slavery will reveal that Islam and muslims have been purveyers of slavery long before the Europeans got involved, and that African slave kingdoms were in collusion with muslims in the destruction and enslavement of African peoples on a scale far greater than the Europeans ever were. Great Britain was the first country to illegalize slavery and used their navy to shut down the traffic. They were followed by Brazil, the US and the rest of Euro-western civilization. In the meantime, the African slavers continued to work with the muslims in trafficing slavery. Also, for your information, the Arabs commonly castrated all the males that they captured or bought and at least half of them bled to death before they could be sold in the slave markets. At least another half of what was left died before they completed the journey to foreign Arab slave markets. The Europeans and Americans did not practice this form of slavery as a rule. Calling me a liar could mean that you don’t like what I’m saying and are afraid that I might be right. If you really want to put the blame on someone for black slavery, first and foremost, the greatest perpetrators were not white. They were Africans and muslims. If you really studied the history, you would know this. You might be someone who has a need to put all the blame on white people, but let’s give credit where credit is due. It was white Christians who shut down the African slave trade and ended it. Read up on the Christian abolitionist movement in England and the US. You obviously have a lot of reading to do. Get yourself better informed and then we can talk about the facts instead of name calling.
I’m Irish. My surname Duffy in Gaelic means ”Dark” or ”Black’. I have pale skin and dark brown hair and hazel eyes. The name Duffy is supposeidly one of the oldest surnames to originate in Ireland, along with a few others. The blood group I belong to, originated when the Africans and Europeans mixed together. I have heard that the original Irish people where from either Spain, or North Africa or France. All these countries are very close together any-way. Its interesting to me, but I couldn’t really care from which country we originated if any and I don’t think no-one really knows either.
Kevin Keith Kline thinks hes so smart. Get over yourself KKK. No one likes a racist. Wheres Mc-cabbage land and Chinktown? People like you make me sick. People are from all sorts of races and backrounds, whats wrong with having a bit of difference in this world, we’re still all human beings. Race or nationality shouldn’t really divide us. It’s just sad to know that people like you, allow something so minor to rule your judgement and views of people. Were all human get that into your head. You’ve no right to laugh at people because they don’t look like you. What makes you so special any way?
whats rasta man talking about that ”its so hard for irish people to admit that there could be a link between them and the african-american because black people have been the butt of peoples jokes for so long” well so have the Irish been mocked and laughed at or don’t you know that?
i am a decendant of an irish royal tribe.the gallaghers’
I feel sorry for people who can not comprehend the fact that we may all be decended from an african princess.
thats why we wore kilts ,no other
western europeans did.
also ancient egyptian artifacts have been found in ireland wales & the isles of scilly.
having said that blue eyed fair haired people are often depicted
in ancient egyptian art.
i believe that our ancestors in both egypt & ireland had alot more contact than we give them
credit for . by the way the name dooley means “black warrior”.
I would be proud to think i could have a phaeroh for a great grandaddy .