Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

Both my parents had black hair but only one grandparent on each side had it. On my Mom's side I'm only about a quarter Irish with some English, Danish, Welsh, Scottish and French. But on my Dad's side I'm almost all Irish with a little bit of English. From what I hear black hair isn't common among Northern Europeans and is a common trait among Italians. Does anyone have any information on this?

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

Brown/Black hair is very, very common among the Irish. More so than red.

Read this article, very interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Irish

I am Irish/Italian and I always thought my black hair, blue eyes yet fair skin was more indicative of my Italian heritage but alas, it is the Irish.

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

your the black sheep in the family....haha! get it? you have black hair and...ha...nevermind

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

No

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

Black hair in Irish people has been considered a very desirable and beautiful trait historically because it is pretty rare. You're lucky!

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

Ever study any genetics? Your appearance can come from a long way back. Example: I have twin sisters, born 4 minutes apart. The older is 5'9", has blond hair and blue eyes. The younger is 5'3", has brown hair and hazel eyes. I, the oldest, have black hair and hazel eyes, and am 5'10". One son looks just like me, one is much taller, one is much shorter. All have the hazel eyes, otherwise, while you CAN tell they are related when they are together, not when they're apart. One stepson looks just like his genetic father, the other looks just like his genetic maternal grandfather. (PS, have you ever heard references to the "black" Irish? That is the whole noticeable subset of black-haired Irishmen)

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

How lucky to have an eclectic list of ancestry like that - your hair colour is due to black being a strong colour. So enjoy

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

Not all Northern Europeans are pale and blonde. My Swedish side is brown-haired. My half Irish half German grandfather had very dark skin, blue eyes, and black hair. Not Italians are dark either. Look at Mario Battali, a famous chef; he's 100% Italian and has very pale skin and red hair. With any ethnic group, there is always some diversity.

People have been moving around for centuries. The Romans went as far north as the British Isles, so they probably married and had children with the locals.

Genetics is always a toss up. My husband is 5'9" with red hair and very fair skin. Both of his parents around 5'4"; one is darker skinned with black hair and the other has blonde hair and on the fairer side. I have green eyes, light brown hair, and fair skin, but my parents aren't fair, have dark brown eyes, and very dark brown hair.

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

Most Irish people (by which I mean people from Ireland) have dark hair, so it's not odd at all.

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

It's not odd at all, the original Celts were almost all dark skinned and black hair, brown eyes, which is of no wonder since the Celts began their occupation of Europe from south, in Portugal, where there are the oldest celtic sites to the north in Ireland.

The blond and red hair of the irish comes from the anglo-saxon barbaric tribes that invaded the lands of the celts.

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

John I'm Irish and have black hair. Full blooded Irish here. I don't know if you heard the old saying "Black Irish" means dark haired Irish. This because the influences of the French and Spanish sailors during the 17/18 century who married and settled here in Ireland. John you are stereotyping people here by saying Northern Europeans are what all blonde's.

Is Pierce Bronson red or fair haired?

Bono

Andrea Coors

Roma Downey

Colin Farrell

Liam Neeson

Remember John, We had the Anglo Saxons who invaded Ireland. Plus the Vikings, Normans

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

There's more than one possible explaination here. One of them is that I'm convinced that a lot of dark northern europeans are just that way because they don't fit the steriotype. Maybe some of those dark cave ancestors just never happened to mutate into blue eyed blonds, and they passed on their genes. There's also a number of Irish people who carry Spanish or Basque genes. They could also have the genes of Roman invaders. Another possibility is if you're North American, you could have some black haired ancestor from another race or nationality that you don't know about yet. Even if it's a small percentage, your hair could be a trowback to that ancestor.

Is it odd that I have black hair and I'm Irish?

Many Irish people have black hair, and many people of Irish descent have black hair. The blonde Northern Europeans are Danes, Swedes, etc. Ireland had some people from Spain, France and even Rome, way, way back.