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
Thanks Jahdey for the link. It gives a good overview of population genetics. Much appreciated.
Just three small things….
The good looking Jamacan, Rhianna, who might have Irish ancestry, definitely has an Irish name. In Irish, Rionna most likely means “Blessed” or “Royal”. There might be many Jamacan Irish.
The name “O Dughain” (Duggan) means “From the black one”, is an ancient Irish name and has, as it’s Coat of Arms, the Crescent Moon and Star, similar to very many Muslim flags. I always smile when I see Pakistani military rockets with the Duggan coat of arms. Some branches of the Duggan family are somewhat North African in appearance.
If the Irish have a Phonecian or North African aspect to their identity, well lucky them, it adds to their mystery, their well known love of fun and music, and their ability to transcend George Bush’s “War on Civilization”. The Irish, though they are territorial, generally respect all races, that are not pushy or dishonest. They are more likely to side with their Muslim cousins than with fearmongering and warmongering WASPS and worse. Peace to all.
Oh, I forgot to mention that in Ireland men from Africa were called “Fir Gorm” (“Men who were blue”), those who came long distances by sea would probably be called “Fir Muir” (“Men of the Sea”). This sounds very like Firmuir or Formor – (ian). The (ian) affix is the same as in Hibern(ian) or Russ(ian), it’s Latin or Greek, I suppose and was later added by scholars.. Again, peace.
The book by Bob Quinn called “The Atlantean Irish” gives details of the many unique aspects of Irish culture that resemble Mediterranean African culture. – .
i didn’t read the whole article cause i was disturbed by the fact that you’re telling that African roots in ireland exist in the PRE HUMAN mythology of ireland (completely ridiculous).
after the immediate and short disturbance to my mind i realized that you’re faith is showing you that everything is pointing to Jah, which i admire within the writer of the article and anyone whos faith is so strong.
I love and appreciate Rastafari but how do you explain white skinned people? do we have a place in rastafari spirituality?
my view (coming from a background spirituality from India) is that everything is coming from india.
this rastafari (as far as my uninformed brain has concluded) has developed from christian teachings mixed with the meditational aspect of indian culture, including the use of Ganja (ganja came from india to jamaica). the result is much higher realizations than normal biblical study, but still being bound by the physical form creation. which is ultimately illusion.
When we smoke Ganja we become aware of thousands of subtleties of which we are not normally aware, if we assimilate these well then our understanding grows and improves. If we carelessly assimilate these subtleties then then misunderstanding and even insanity can result.
Adam and Eve were thrown out of Eden for seeking “To know all things”. God is most easily found by turning our will to Him, rather than our intelligence or imagination, “You must become like little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven”. Knowledge is power and God does not come looking for those who are powerful. Little children have little knowledge, and little power, but lots of trust and respect and obedience, and as such are the first to meet God.
The tremendous spirituality of the Indian peoples is universally respected, and the concept of “Maya” is priceless. Enjoying exaltation on Ganja is not the recommended way of overcoming “Maya”. Peace.
Thank u mac it’s the truth that sets u free.U are up on your history,and yes u are lucky indeed. The first people to settle in what is called Ir land was jet black in color or blue black. My friend is from Ghana he’s so melanin enriched his feet are pink, him and carbon are one.One of my nephews was visited by the melanin fairy. Only BLACK can make BLACK. So when u go into our histories of ourselves we find mention in religious texts as well as actual carvings and statues, how we saw ourselves.Black makes various shades up to shade-less,and that would be albinos As we HUEMANS traveled out of africa we stopped, settled, raised civilizations & families,we left a trail around the world. The world stayed BLACK in color for millions of years HUEMANS have always been here,we have no date of origin.We have no beginning,no end. The Ir-ish are the last on that isle u haven’t quite crossed over into the white or leper stage,freckles are your bodies attempt to create melanin. Now i’m talking about pure Ir-ish the one that haven’t mated with white ALBINOS.The Dark red haired,dark eyes,nappyheaded ones. Don’t forget we were already there when the people from the North invaded us. The albinos.WE were everywhere.Whites have always came to where we were.Volney said when we first encountered them they were barbarians and too stupid to use as slaves. We did not do any business with and they had to stay on the outskirts of the city.
Basically all of the so-called royalty coats of arms are of African origin, Lions are indigenous to Akebu-lan, ( mother of mankind) africa.In some coats you see a moor a black man with nappy hair. ALL OF THE ROYAL FAMILIES , ASCENDED THE THRONE THROUGH BLACK RELATIVES.The mulatto mixed with whites non-huemans now look at the royal cursed families.Indigenous people all over are the perscuted no matter where they are.Native then takes on a new meaning when whites have mated with them. look up the CAGOTS.But the original of the land is still colored,indigenous,First people there. WHEN they say Ethnic Cleansing it means killing off the darker original people of the land.Like the white albinos, leper tribes are doing to us original all over the world where 100,000 years ago there were no whites.Just us burnt faced peeps.peace 3 rd eyers.
India’s first people were us called The Negas the serpent people that was us. Called NIGGERS now same pronuncation.The folks mentioned Shiva, Krishna, kali ma, were them blue black people again.The art of making love that was us we perfected that art of Karmasutra.Now the lighter perscute the darker or indigenous original people call them untouchables when it is really the light dam near white that are diseased with leprosy. WE still are blessed with our color. Peace. And Ganja stimulates a carbonated pineal gland.
The word “Naga” for serpent of East Indian literature has nothing whatsoever to do with “Nigger”, but likely is related to the Afro-Asiatic “Nahas” which referred to the copper or brazen serpent. The word “Nigger” is a Scotch-Irish pronunciation of the Spanish, Negro and the Latin Nigra or Niger. The Roman word comes from the name of the Nigritae, pastoral nomads living along the Niger (an African or Afro-Asiatic word for river). See Richard L. Smith, What Ever Happened to the Ancient Libyans, Journal of World History – Volume 14, Number 4, December 2003, pp. 459-500
Because the Nigri resembled the “Mauri” of North Africa the words became synonomous in Latin and early Spanish literature. In Spain this lasted until a very late period when the Christian Spaniards (Mozarabs). p. 67, Jack Forbes, Africans and Native Americans p. 68.
The Irish Viking (Gaelic) Saga dating from the 900s, mentions that “these are the blue men, Mauri is the same as black (Negri) man and Mauritania is the same as blackness…Long indeed were these blue men in Erin (Ireland).”” P. 68, Jack Forbes.
Certain genetic studies have shown that certain families descended from Irish that came to the Caribbean and the U.S. have dna matches to the Tuareg of Mali. See the link below by the South West Virginia Project under “Bahamas DNA Project”.
http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Notebook3:George_Teater_(1)
The idea that whites are “albinos” ratherr than people whose skin has undergone adaptation is silly.