Friday, August 5, 2016

Family Tree DNA Summer Sale!

Family Tree DNA is holding their excellent Summer Sale.  Some really good values there.  If you want to research your family's history, locate your family that stayed in Ireland, etc., this is a great opportunity to do so.  

For surname research the best test is the Y-DNA test.  Only men carry the Y chromosome, so only men can do this test.  The Y DNA will allow you to pinpoint your family's point of origin in Ireland, Scotland, etc., allow you to ascertain your paternal line's ethnic origin, to follow their migration path for thousands of years.  You will locate cousins, confirm links, break through those infamous 'brick walls' that one encounters in family history research.  

If you do not have access to a direct paternal descendant to test, there is another test of use; this is the autosomal DNA test, called the Family Finder test by Family Tree DNA.  Women can use this test to locate a male from the line they are researching and then use his Y-DNA test.  Men who are researching a line that comes through a maternal branch of their family can do the same.  I successfully used the Family Finder autosomal test to locate a male from the line of my father's mother's family.  It worked perfectly, I had a match to a female cousin and we had her brother test and in so doing obtained the Y-DNA of that line. 

Links are below.  If you are research and Irish family or family from the western Highlands or the Hebrides, do contact me if you need some help.  That is my field of study.

Summer is the perfect time for sun, fun and family…so jump into the gene poolnow with sizzling hot savings from Family Tree DNA!


JUST $
69USD

Lowest Price Ever!

NEW AMAZING FEATURE
Sort Your Paternal and Maternal Matches!
All of our DNA tests are designed to deliver superior results with the most advanced technology to tackle any genetic genealogy challenge. Plus, our new parental phasing tool allows users to further refine DNA matches like never before. The more matches the better, so be sure to tell family and friends and take advantage of this incredible offer.

For even more bundle specials, check out our Sizzling Summer Sale! With savings this hot, what better way to discover, match and connect more dots on your family tree! All that, and no subscription fees! For more information, visitFamilyTreeDNA.com.

Sincerely,
The Family Tree DNA Team

Monday, August 1, 2016

1 August... Lughnasa


Lughnasa is a Celtic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, on 1 August, or about halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox.  




Lughnasa is one of the four Celtic seasonal festivals; along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane. It corresponds to other European harvest festivals such as the Welsh Gŵyl Awst and the English Lammas.  In Old Gaelic the name was Lugnasad. This is a combination of Lug (the god Lugh) andnásad (an assembly).








The Gaelic Lugh is the same ancestral being as Lugus in Gaul and Celtic Britain. He is known as Wotan in Germany, and as Woden to the Anglo-Saxons, and as Odin to the Norse.  Lugh derives from the Proto Indo Euroepan root ‘leuk’ meaning ‘flashing light’ which is associated with solar attributes.  Lugh’s connection with the warmth and light of the sun and the importance of these attributes to the harvest season elevated  Lughnasa to a primary festival.  

modern illustration of Lugh