THE people of Iceland awoke yesterday to the intriguing news that their ancient country with the oldest parliament on the planet may well have more of a connection to Scotland than they think.
A genetic study by Edinburgh University and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland has caused a minor sensation by suggesting that Scots in many parts of the country carry DNA suggesting links back to the people who occupied what is now Scotland during the Dark Ages.
But the study, “The genetic landscape of Scotland and the Isles”, also suggested that the Gaels who are known to have been among the early colonists of Iceland in the first millennium AD may have originated from what is now Scotland or Ireland.
The paper’s summary states: “We demonstrate widespread structure across Scotland that echoes past kingdoms, and quantify the considerable structure that is found on its surrounding isles.
“Furthermore, we show the extent of Norse Viking ancestry across northern Britain and estimate a region of origin for ancient Gaelic Icelanders.
“This modern genetic structure suggests a northwestern British or Irish source population for the ancient Gaels that contributed to the founding of Iceland.”
The study looked at the genetic makeup of more than 2500 people from Britain and Ireland – including almost 1000 from Scotland – whose grandparents or great grandparents were born within 50 miles of each other.
The researchers then compared this with the DNA of people who lived thousands of years ago.
Edinburgh University stated: “The study discovered that some of the founders of Iceland may have originated from north-west Scotland and Ireland and that the Isle of Man is genetically predominantly Scottish.”
Ireland's top cop issues fresh warning on Brexit risk to policing
THE Republic of Ireland’s top police officer has warned that Brexit could damage police co-operation across the British isles.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, a former officer with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said yesterday that it was “very difficult” to plan strategies for the force.
The Commissioner was speaking yesterday at the annual conference on North-South Criminology at University College Cork.
According to the Irish Examiner, Harris expressed concern “that a No-Deal Brexit could lead to the collapse of co-operation between the UK and Ireland when it comes to matters like extradition, assisting investigations, information sharing and tackling broad issues such as money-laundering and cybercrime.”
He added: “We are not even quite sure about what kind of Brexit the UK is going to deliver, but we have made a commitment around making sure that the rule of law prevails in border areas.
“How secure those communities feel has been missed in some of this but it is a very important element.
“I am worried about the upturn in attempts to murder PSNI officers. We have had four already this year, up from very small numbers in each of the last two years. It is a clear upturn in activity.
“In terms of cause and effect, it is difficult to determine, but it has to be dealt with and we have to be active. We are not bystanders in this, we are very active in our investigations to try to thwart those efforts. That is of concern at the moment.”
If there is a No-Deal Brexit, the UK will lose its relationship with European police agencies such as Interpol, and the Commissioner said that no single state has the capability to tackle crime on its own.
The Examiner reported him saying that the Europol and Interpol networks have proven successful at doing so in recent years, and it is “hard to imagine” how policing would function without such a network.
Bosnia wins support of Croatia in bid to join EU and Nato
BOSNIA and Herzegovina has received the support of neighbour Croatia in its bid to join the European Union and Nato.
With a population of 3.4 million – down from 4.3m before the wars that followed the end of Yugosalvia – Bosnia and Herzegovina is three-fifths the size of Scotland in population terms. Croatia is also smaller than Scotland with a population of 4.2m.
Croatian prime minister Andrej Plenkovic last week met Dragan Covic, deputy chair of the Bosnian parliament’s House of Peoples and president of the Croatian National Assembly (HNS).
Croatia has been a member of the EU since 2013 when it became the 28th member state. Bosnia and Herzegovina formally applied to join the EU in 2016, but years of constitutional issues and uncertainty over its economy and governance have cast a shadow over its application.
The support of another former nation of the Yugoslavian federation is therefore crucial for the Bosnian case.
According to Total Croatia News, Covic said HNS officials were strong advocates of EU and Nato accession, and that it was imperative to finish government formation in Bosnia and Herzegovina at all levels as soon as possible.
Plenkovic said the Croatian government would strongly push for Bosnia and Herzegovina to join the EU and Nato as soon as possible, being necessary for its stability, peace and economic development. He added that Croatia, as an existing EU and Nato member, would help its neighbour in the process of joining both blocs.
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