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Harvard Professor Gates Is Half-Irish, Related to Cop Who Arrested Him
abcnews ^ | July 28, 2009 | NIALL O'DOWD

Posted on 07/29/2009 11:29:14 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY

Henry Louis Gates Jr., the black professor at the center of the racial story involving his arrest outside his Harvard University-owned house, has spoken proudly of his Irish roots.

Strangely enough, he and the Cambridge, Mass., police officer who arrested him, Sgt. James Crowley, both trace their ancestry back to the legendary Niall of the Nine Hostages.

In a PBS series on African-American ancestry that he hosted in 2008, Gates discovered his Irish roots when he found he was descended from an Irish immigrant and a slave girl.

He went to Trinity College in Dublin to have his DNA analyzed. There he found that he shared 10 of the 11 DNA matches with offspring of Niall of the Nine Hostages, the fourth century warlord who created one of the dominant strains of Irish genealogy because he had so many offspring.

Ironically, James Crowley, whose name in Gaelic means "hardy warrior," is also descended from the same line as Gates, having very close links to Niall of the Nine Hostages.

So the two men who took part in what is now an infamous confrontation outside the Gates home near Harvard this month are actually related through common Irish lineage -- one of the more extraordinary aspects of the incident that has sparked worldwide headlines.

Gates is one of many famous African-Americans with Irish heritage, including President Barack Obama and award-winning author Alice Walker.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Massachusetts; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: ancestry; blackkk; cousins; fartyshadesofgreen; helixmakemineadouble; henrygates; henrylouisgatesjr; ireland; irishamericans; massachusetts; mrskippy; niallofthe9hostages; roots; skipgates
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Black Irish?


21 posted on 07/29/2009 12:19:03 PM PDT by jagusafr (Kill the red lizard, Lord! - nod to C.S. Lewis)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

This whole thing, except for the woman who called 911 was a setup folks. Even the cop that responded.

We do know now that this cop was never dispatched to the scene. He just happened to be nearby and took it upon himself to respond.

Why should he respond? Why would he say the the 911 caller said two black men with backpacks? Why did he say that when that is not what she said?

All a set up to make the black folks that were starting to get upset O was not down for the struggle.

Who was not invited for a damn beer?

It was the caller who was accused of saying something she never ever said.

This picnic beer summit is a joke. All 3 of the real problem and involved in the set up, will be toasting each other and spinning like giant spiders.

Wake up.


22 posted on 07/29/2009 12:22:26 PM PDT by dforest (Who is the real Jim Thompson? I am.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
Top half or bottom? Oh, I'm sorry. I know with maniacs like Gates there can be no humor about our common humanity. “Kill my landlord. Kill my landlord.”
23 posted on 07/29/2009 12:33:35 PM PDT by elhombrelibre (Obama anti-democracy in Iran and pro-dictatorship in Honduras.)
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To: indylindy

Mix up your meds again?


24 posted on 07/29/2009 12:33:38 PM PDT by ozzymandus
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To: Free ThinkerNY

James Earle Jones is descended from Irish indentured servants on his mother’s side, I believe. Lots of “black Irish” aside from Phil Lynott...


25 posted on 07/29/2009 12:35:26 PM PDT by Clemenza (Remember our Korean War Veterans)
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To: ozzymandus

No, pay attention to the facts fool.


26 posted on 07/29/2009 12:36:10 PM PDT by dforest (Who is the real Jim Thompson? I am.)
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To: supremedoctrine
In My GF's country, guys like Gates and Obama would NOT be considered black. They would be considered "Pardo" (literally brown, or racially mixed).

Its just that the old elites in this country, and their descendants for YEARS refused to admit that race mixing went on and classified ANYONE with a little African heritage as "black" (unless of course, they were Puerto Rican). The racial classification system in the United States has always been rather asinine, IMHO.

27 posted on 07/29/2009 12:38:18 PM PDT by Clemenza (Remember our Korean War Veterans)
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To: jagusafr
Black Irish?

Descendants of the sailors in the ill-fated Spanish Armada who survived and were swept ashore in Ireland. They... integrated... with the population and spawned a line of darker-complected folk with Irish lineage.

28 posted on 07/29/2009 12:44:13 PM PDT by SlowBoat407 (Achtung. preparen zie fur die obamahopenchangen.)
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To: JoeDetweiler
He’s only “half” Irish if you believe, as ABC apparently does, that having one Irish great-great-grandparent out of 16 somehow adds up to half...........

Of course it does.

One Black African great grandparent, three Arabic great grandparents, and four Caucasian great grandparents made Barack Obama black.

Can't you do simple math?

29 posted on 07/29/2009 1:37:56 PM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
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