Munster Rugby Players

[Dropkick]

Since we're doing teams heres some of the regular Munster rugby players from Munster (south west Ireland).



Tony Buckley 6'5" 130Kg



James Coughlin 6'1 107Kg




Keith Earls 5'11 90Kg




Jerry Flannery 5'11 100Kg




John Hayes 6'4 128Kg




john Forgarty 6'1 104Kg





Marcus Horan 6'1 110Kg




Denis Leamy 6'2 108Kg




Paul O'Connel 6'6 112Kg




Donnacha Ryan 6'6 108Kg




Donnacha O'Callaghan 6'6 112Kg




Ronan O'Gara 6'0 84Kg




Tomás O'Leary 5'11 86Kg




Alan Quinlan 6'3 105Kg




David Wallace 6'2 105Kg




Dave Ryan 6'0 113Kg Take a guess!

[Méldmir]

Just wondering, is Munster suppose to be the most Celtic part of Ireland? Because most of these aren't so dark as people say the Celts on Ireland are, except maybe two of them. I've never been to Ireland so I admit having no real idea of what people look like there, except of what I have heard.

[The Horned God]

Just wondering, is Munster suppose to be the most Celtic part of Ireland?

That would probably be Connacht. However, there isn't really any great difference in appearance between one part of Ireland and another. There is a minority of Mediterranean looking people in every part of Ireland, but it isn't as if you drive cross a bridge on the Shannon and then suddenly everyone looks like they've just gotten of a Spanish Trawler.

[Dropkick]

Just wondering, is Munster suppose to be the most Celtic part of Ireland? Because most of these aren't so dark as people say the Celts on Ireland are, except maybe two of them. I've never been to Ireland so I admit having no real idea of what people look like there, except of what I have heard.

Its the part with the most Bruenns according to a chart I saw. Connacht in the west would be similar to Munster.


Interesting you say that because I get the impression sometimes that when theres a dark element in any population people say its Celtic. Last week somebody said theres alot more small bald guys in London because its more Celtic. For years there was somebody here called OneEnglishNorman who spent most of his time convincing people Irish people were to blame for the 'darker' areas of England.

[Méldmir]

Its the part with the most Bruenns according to a chart I saw. Connacht in the west would be similar to Munster.


Interesting you say that because I get the impression sometimes that when theres a dark element in any population people say its Celtic. Last week somebody said theres alot more small bald guys in London because its more Celtic. For years there was somebody here called OneEnglishNorman who spent most of his time convincing people Irish people were to blame for the 'darker' areas of England.

Iberians also say this, I've seen some that say that all Irish Celts are dark, while the redheaded and fair ones are all Viking descendants...

I always used to think Irish looked like most other northern Europeans, it's mostly after I became interested in anthropolgy that I have seen people describe Irish as dark. Maybe the truth is somewhere inbetween, but I trust the sayings of you Irish posters.

Some guesses:
Alan Quinlan: Atlanto- Med
Tomás O'Leary: Trönder

Many others seem Bruenn, while that is maybe not to strange since they are probably more likely to build the mass needed to play rugby.

[Dropkick]

Iberians also say this, I've seen some that say that all Irish Celts are dark, while the redheaded and fair ones are all Viking descendants...

I always used to think Irish looked like most other northern Europeans, it's mostly after I became interested in anthropolgy that I have seen people describe Irish as dark. Maybe the truth is somewhere inbetween, but I trust the sayings of you Irish posters.

Haha I've heard that Viking descendant line too but the redhead gene is in Irish genes more then any other country. I think the redheads in Scandinavia show part 'Celtic' descentants. I use the term Celtic losely. I'm guessing there'd be more redheads in Norway and Iceland then Sweden?


I don't know where this theory of Irish people being dark comes from. Irish people are pale (the pinkish skin) and mostly light eye colour with brown hair mostly.

[Méldmir]

Haha I've heard that Viking descendant line too but the redhead gene is in Irish genes more then any other country. I think the redheads in Scandinavia show part 'Celtic' descentants. I use the term Celtic losely. I'm guessing there'd be more redheads in Norway and Iceland then Sweden?


I don't know where this theory of Irish people being dark comes from. Irish people are pale (the pinkish skin) and mostly light eye colour with brown hair mostly.

There ought to be more redheads in Norway than in Sweden, considering the large Trönder-compnent, where read-headedness is not so uncommon. In the part of Sweden I live, I'd say redheads are about 4-5% of the population (this includes all shades of red).

But I'm not sure that has anything to do with Celtic/Gaelic ancestry, Scandinavia would be the part of Europe with the least of that (except Iceland).

I thought very vanilla white skin was common in Ireland as well, with darker hair. I've seen some Icelanders that look that way too.

[Resurgam]

Haha I've heard that Viking descendant line too but the redhead gene is in Irish genes more then any other country.

There are also a bunch of stories that attribute red hair being common trait among the Norman settlers in Ireland. I am baffled by the heritability and anthropology of hair color in different populations. Anthropologists have noted that the working lower classes of Glasgow appeared to trend towards darker hair as the city grew with industrialization. This was an anomaly compared to the rest of the countryside. Maybe characteristics such as hair color might be influenced easily by social effects? That would fit with OneEnglishNorman's claim of dark Irish since those of Irish descent would be mostly represented in the lower working classes of London.

Also, I always wondered why classical descriptions of the Germanic peoples noted a predominance in red hair:

For my own part, I agree with those who think that the tribes of Germany are free from all taint of intermarriages with foreign nations, and that they appear as a distinct, unmixed race, like none but themselves. Hence, too, the same physical peculiarities throughout so vast a population. All have fierce blue eyes, red hair, huge frames, fit only for a sudden exertion. They are less able to bear laborious work. Heat and thirst they cannot in the least endure; to cold and hunger their climate and their soil inure them. -Tacitus

Of course the "huge frame" fits in with a classification of a Faelid rather than a Nordid.

[Dropkick]

There ought to be more redheads in Norway than in Sweden, considering the large Trönder-compnent, where read-headedness is not so uncommon. In the part of Sweden I live, I'd say redheads are about 4-5% of the population (this includes all shades of red).

But I'm not sure that has anything to do with Celtic/Gaelic ancestry, Scandinavia would be the part of Europe with the least of that (except Iceland).

I thought very vanilla white skin was common in Ireland as well, with darker hair. I've seen some Icelanders that look that way too.

I should have said the original Europeans instead of Celtic. I don't like using the Celtic term because its more to do with culture.


There are people with very White skin. Usually redheads. The WWE wrestler Sheamus is a good example and I'm sure Donnacha Ryan below had a red beard the other week. Sometimes dark hair covers the redness.

[Dropkick]

There are also a bunch of stories that attribute red hair being common trait among the Norman settlers in Ireland. I am baffled by the heritability and anthropology of hair color in different populations. Anthropologists have noted that the working lower classes of Glasgow appeared to trend towards darker hair as the city grew with industrialization. This was an anomaly compared to the rest of the countryside. Maybe characteristics such as hair color might be influenced easily by social effects? That would fit with OneEnglishNorman's claim of dark Irish since those of Irish descent would be mostly represented in the lower working classes of London.

OneEnglishNorman had that theory that it was the Irish who 'darkened' English cities. You can measure it by simply looking at all the surnames and you'll get a percentage of how many Irish are there. Its less then 10% and probably less then 5%. Also in the light eye colour chart Irish people have lighter eyes then English in general. So I wonder how that fits into OneEnglishNorman's theory. As well as that a percentage of Irish are blond or redheaded too so that furthers dents his theory.


As for darker hair colour in lower class areas. I suppose in the days before hair dye a lighter haired woman would have been preferred by the wealthier men. In the countryside people had less options to choose from.


My own opinion of 'dark' people in Britian is that you shouldn't ignore 300 years of Roman occupation. They went around raping women as they did in France to the Gauls.