2% of Male New Yorkers Related

The hard science side of genealogy seems to be destined to get all the press for the forseeable future. &nbs; Reuters reports scientists from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland have found that as many as one in twelve Irish men are descended from "Niall of the Nine Hostages," a 5th-century warlord who was head of the most powerful dynasty in ancient Ireland.

Persons sharing surnames originating from "Ui Neill" (descendants of Niall) have a higher frequency of sharing the Y chromosome identified with Niall.   These include Bradley, Gallagher, Boyle, O'Donnell, O'Doherty and many others.

Also, when international databases were checked, the chromosome turned up in roughly 2 percent of all male New Yorkers!