My name is Jim Mulvihill. I'm Admin for the MULVIHILL surname program, and also Chieftain of our Clan in Ireland. We are a relatively small Clan, with perhaps 6-10 thousand people of the name in the world today. We have 33 YDNA participants as of this date. I have been a lurker (and occasional participant) in the discussions on the GENEALOGY-DNA group for the past 3 years. I am a retired Research Chemist. The surname program name is a little misleading in that our focus is on the somewhat broader Corca Achlann tribe that was the genesis of both the MULVIHILL (O'MaoilMhichil) and BRENNAN (MacBranan) surnames in central Ireland (Roscommon). The name is quite ancient, even by Irish standards, and traceable in the ancient annals to the time of St. Patrick. Our program has two broad areas of focus. We are trying to establish the relationship among our members in genealogical time, as well as study the structure and history of the tribe over the distant past. The Cromwellian (and subsequent) Resettlement Periods in Ireland caused many to anglicize their names to protect their farms and family. So we recognize a number of participants with the names MITCHELL, MULVILLE, MELVILLE and others as potential descendants of the Corca Achlann. Although the annals suggest a single origin for our Mulvihill surname, we have uncovered at least three completely unrelated YDNA lines within the Clan. These are probably not recent NPEs, but may be revealing a more ancient structure of the tribe that has survived the turbulent times that characterized Ireland over the past two thousand years (or more). For instance, there is a UiNeill component that fits with the description of the founding of the Clan in the annals. But there are two other sizable parts that represent haplotype clusters that are quite uncommon in Ireland today. It will be a considerable challenge to try to understand what this is telling us about our ancient past. I look forward to learning more about how other Admins deal with the practical management of their groups as well as investigate the history of their surnames. Slan, Jim www.mulvihill.net/genealogy