Hi folks, I'm going to share some results with you so you can see the benefit of paying for 111 testing, versus 67. For new folks, what I am talking about is DNA testing the Y chromosome at Family Tree DNA. With the lower number of locations tested, one tends to match many, many people. The latest testing is of 111 locations. It appears from our experience that it is worth paying for the additional testing IF you have a lot of matches even at 67 markers. This is often the case if your DNA type is M222+ (North west Irish). It's very common so everyone matches. To date I have not heard of any confirmed subtypes that could help differentiate and subdivide the group. People are actively looking for it. But I could be out of date, so if anyone can update me, please do. Our analysis was done by the admin of the Ulster Heritage DNA Project. At 67 markers we had many matches with many different surnames. This is not surprising since surnames of the Irish in Ulster probably start for most around 1650. 1607 or so for the very earliest. In central and western Ulster, due to only a few British, probably the fashion of fixed surnames didn't 'catch on' till after the Rising of 1641 was 'put down' and English rule became stronger. With 111 marker tested, our expert says that most certainly the family originated in Donegal. There are five separate Mag Congail families -- that still match. Anglicised spellings are McGonagill, McGonigle, MeGonnigal. They lived just west of Raphoe. The distance back to the most recent common ancestor would seem to put us at 1600, plus or minus a generation or so. They are paternally related to the Ó Dochartaigh 's. An earlier theory had been that they descended from the O'Cahan clan, but these findings make that unlikely. So now our man has to talk the Ó Dochartaigh families to upgrade to 111 markers. Still have other surnames: two McAdams Quinn, Taylor, and Brents, which our expert indicates are names assumed by people due to British influence, not a sept name. Also a Coyne . Most importantly, we can strike off various 67 marker matches that also upgraded to 111 and no longer match -- and so don't need researched for a common location or some helpful history. He concludes: "One thing is certain, sometime around 1600 your Mac Thomáis family and these Mag Congail families shared a paternal ancestor. He was native Irish, a Gael, Gaelic speaking and from Donegal." In the 1400s (if memory is still working), there were two bishops in the Raphoe area who used a similar name as patrynomics. It's pretty strange trying to conclude a book on these folks as I have to keep re-writing the final chapter.... once again. http://ulsterheritagedna.ulsterheritage.com/ . To test you go to www.familytreedna.com and either join the Ulster Heritage DNA project or a su rname project to get a discount. Later when the results come in you can join or unjoin as many projects as you want. You may not need 111 markers. We haven't got a 37 marker match for my dad. His DNA is very old Frisian (northern German ) DNA. I am told that's not surprising as all the collateral lines have died out. Maybe we were Doggerlanders. Linda Merle