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R-L226

The Irish Type III cluster
  • 1015 members

About us

This project gathers, presents and analyses the STR results from those of ALL clusters that have tested positive for the L226 SNP marker, in order to better understand the origin and distribution of the L226 SNP.

When the new SNP was discovered in the Irish Type III Walk The Y candidate, there were three possible scenarios:-
1. L226 is a Private SNP found only in the candidate's close family.
2. L226 occurs across the whole of Irish Type III and is definitive for this haplogroup.
3. L226 occurs more generally below L21 in several clusters including Irish Type III.

We see positive L226 results for all Irish Type III who have tested so Option 1 is not correct.
There have been hundreds of negative results, and NO positive results returned for non-Irish Type III L21+ men, so Option 3 is not correct either.

L226 is now confirmed to be the definitive SNP for the Irish Type III haplogroup as no other L21+ clusters have recorded L226+ results. L226 has been recognised as such by ISOGG.

L226 can be ordered from your FTDNA Personal Page, / yDNA / Haplotree /
Now scroll down the chart to [L226!] in Blue about a quarter the way down the page.
Click on ADD. Now click on the 'Order Selected SNPs' button to process your order.

A SNP Pack for our haplogroup is available, R1b - L226 SNP pack.  However this SNP pack is now very dated. We strongly recommend the Big-Y 700, the ultimate SNP test at this time. 360 members have either taken or ordered Big-Y in one form or another, which has resulted in the extremely large number of new branches identified.

If your STR markers show that you are of the Irish Type III cluster, then ordering a Deep Clade or Geno 2.0 test is unnecessary - just ordering the L226 SNP,
R1b - L226 SNP Pack or best of all, Big-Y700 is sufficient. 

If however, you are from another cluster, and confirmed L21+, then ordering the full L21+ package would be a sensible option to ensure than all of the newly discovered SNPs are tested, as possibly one is defining for your cluster.


This project is open to those of any cluster who have tested L226 SNP and have returned a POSITIVE result, or have the STR values shown on the 'Overview' page especially, DYS459=8,9 and DYS464=13,13,15,17.

As ALL Irish Type III are testing positive for L226, those of this cluster may join on ordering L226 and be in the 'Pending' Group until their result is known. those that have the STR values, DYS459=8,9 and DYS464=13,13,15,17 may join the project and will be placed in the 'Presumed L226' Group.
Click the JOIN button in the Header to Request to join this Group to become part of this project.  Please confirm in your 'Request to join' what if any SNPs you have ordered.

With the advent of Big-Y SNP testing program, many new SNPs have been found.  If you have not tested L226 but return a positive result for any SNP below L226 on the FTDNA Haplotree, you are also eligible to join the R-L226 project.

If you have tested L226- but L21+/S145+: Please consider joining the R-L21 Plus Project rather than this one.

28 October 2009      - Mutation at ChrY:19048724 in Irish Type III candidate of "Walk The Y" project noted.
03 November 2009  - Mutation confirmed by Thomas Krahn, named 'L226' and added to his Draft R-Tree.
08 November 2009  - L226 SNP available to order.
18 November 2009 
- First nine positive results announced.
10 December 2009 
- R-L226 Project established
14 December 2009 
- 20 positive results - all Irish Type III - 20 Negative results all L21+ non-Irish Type III.
30 March 2010        
- 50 positive L226/S168 results - all Irish Type III - 150 Negative results all L21+ non-Irish Type III.
30 November 2010  - 75 positive L226/S168 results - all Irish Type III.
17 January 2012      - 100 positive L226/S168 results - all Irish Type III.
01 November 2013  - 150 members - Results now grouped into STR signatures.
19 April 2018           - First Big-Y results available.
20 July 2014            - 200 members - Big-Y testing reveals two new SNPs, FGC5628 and DC1, indicating branching below L226.
04 December 2014  - New Project format - a total of 8 branches identified.
05 September 2016 - 264 members - Big-Y testing shows 33 branches under L226 - Several signatures displayed indicating likely SNP results.
21 April 2017           - Project has reached 300 Members! and nearly 50 branches established under L226.
04 September 2017 - Project now open to all men that have the Irish Type III markers of DYS459=8,9 and DYS464=13,13,15,17.
10 January 2018      - passed 400 members - 73 branches identified
1 June 2018             - passed 500 members
30 December 2018  - Over 100 branches identified under L226
01 April 2020           - passed 750 members
21 August 2020       - 177 branches identified under R-L226
21 December 2020  - 200 branches identified under R-L226
01 February 2020    -  passed 800 members in the project.
10 July 2024            - our 1,000th member joined today!
24 July 2024            - 350 branches identified under R-L226