People named Barry urged to take part in DNA project in Cork
Castle, Barryscourt Minihane Carrigtwohill For Picture: Sign Denis
If your surname is Barry, then a unique DNA project could prove you are directly related to one of the greatest landowning families in the country — unfortunately you’re a bit late to be in line for any major cash windfall.
Details of the little-known DNA project will be provided at a free event at Fota House on Friday, August 16 at 6.30pm and organisers have encouraged people named Barry to attend.
The lecture will provide an update on the project which got underway in 2015 when a group managed to obtain permission to retrieve a DNA sample from remains at the Barrymore mausoleum at Castlelyons.
The result obtained from the remains of Richard Hugh Smith-Barry (1823-1894) provided a distinctive Y chromosome DNA signature for the Cambro-Norman Barry men who would be direct descendants of the Earls of Barrymore.
At one stage the powerful family owned in excess of 100,000 acres of land, primarily in the Cork region.
They arrived with the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1171 and built Barryscourt Castle in Carrigtwohill, which is currently undergoing major renovations by the Office of Public Works (OPW). They later owned Fota.
The 8th and last Earl Barrymore was Henry Barry (1770-1823).
The project was founded by Jim Barry from Northern Virginia in the US who raised money around the world to get it off the ground. He’s a direct descendant of the clan.
As the project group couldn’t find records of the family dating beyond the 1800s, they decided that the only accurate way to trace clan descendants was through DNA.
Matthew Barry, a co-administrator of the Barry DNA project who is also a direct descendant, will provide an update on the project at the Fota House event.
He explained that the power of the Barry clan started to ebb when the Catholic elements of the family had a huge amount of land seized from them by the English in 1641.
Matthew Barry, who lives in Pennsylvania, USA, told the that to date around 500 Barrys worldwide have had their DNA checked for the unique Y chromosome.
“We found around 60 who were a match. Several are from the Cork region while the remainder were in North America and there was one in New South Wales, Australia,” he said.
There are at least five distinct groups of “Barry” families in Europe. None of them is closely related genetically to the others.
The Barry DNA Project gathers and analyses Y chromosome DNA in order to develop a genetic genealogy for these families. It aims to prove, disprove, or discover the pedigrees and to align them with historical accounts.
The talk at Fota House is being hosted by the Carrigtwohill and District Historical Society (CDHS).
“We are honoured Matt Barry has agreed to give our membership and friends a progress report in relating to research undertaken for the Barry DNA Project. It is to be given as part of our contribution to National Heritage Week commemoration in partnership with the management of Fota House who have provided a venue free of charge for this very interesting event,” CDHS chairman André Saubolle said.
He said the presentation will describe current results, genetic signatures, and genetic lineages potentially associated with historical events. We will include a discussion of speculative lineages traditionally associated with key locations in County Cork.