http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/heritage/expert-argues-vikings-carried-redhead-gene-to-scotland-1-3200177 ...which makes chasing possible Norse connections more than a minor challenge as my father had carroty/ginger hair, as did his cousin; my young sister had the most gorgeous Titian red hair, whereas mine was a very pretty combination of honey, strawberry and auburn, with a perfect complexion to go along with the hair colourimg. All gone, gone, gone in my “senior years,” drat! May father’s forebears had their roots in the Dumfries and Galloway, Southwest Scotland, where the Vikings had an impact. My husband insists I have Viking blood because of my colouring and shape of my fine “aristocratic” nose! The woman who got me interested in DNA research insists that my surname has Irish roots, whilst I argue otherwise...so maybe I am right after all that my surname has Danish/Scandinavian origins and not just going by the colour of my hair! At the end of the day we are all Jock Tamson’s bairns --- all John Thomson’s children, meaning that we are all the same under the skin. Maisie