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Notes:
1. Haplotree branches provided are based on the lead SNP names shown on the FamilyTreeDNA Public Haplotree.
2. SNP age estimates in text are being updated based on FamilyTreeDNA's release of their own age estimations.
3. Hyper-linked Haplogroups go to FamilyTreeDNA's age estimation page for that Haplogroup.
Family Group 01 (Branching updated 07/30/2022, text last updated 08/07/2021)
STR Predicted Haplotree branch below R-M269:
R-M269 > L23 > L51 > P310 > L151 > P312 > Z290 > L21 > DF13 > Z39589 > L1335 > L1065
SNP Confirmed Haplotree branch below L1065:
FG01a
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > BY228040
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > BY228040 > FTA14828
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > BY228040 > FT80644
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > BY228040 > FT80644 > FT80948
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > BY228040 > FT80644 > FT80948 > FT81017
FG01b
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > FGC18442
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > FGC18442 > FT167154
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > FGC18442 > FT167154 > FT170682
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > FGC18442 > FTA37662
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > FGC18442 > FTA37662 > FGC18450
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > FGC18442 > FT371459
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > FGC18442 > FT371459 > BY137501
FG01b04
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > BY3148 > FGC18441 > FGC18447 > FGC18453 > FGC18451 > FGC18442 > FT20203
FG01z
L1065 > Z16325 > S744 > S764 > FTC15089
The men in Family Group 01 are predicted or confirmed to fall under the R-L1065 Haplogroup which is estimated to have formed around the beginning of the Common Era. While many of the clans of Western Scotland have branches under L1065 the location of its origin is uncertain with some theories suggesting a Brittonic tribe of northern England driven north during the Roman Conquest. We now have 18 Big Y-700 testers in this group, 16 of whom have a variation of the Mac Suibhne surname. And all 18 of these men share a common forefather at FGC18451 marking a clear beginning for this Sweeney line.
Age estimation provided by both YFull.com and YTree.net give formation date ranges for FGC18451 that bracket the earliest historical records to mention the Mac Suibhne clan in Scotland and Ireland. Looking at nearby Haplogroups descending from the S764 forefather on YTree.net suggests that this specific lineage is most closely related to Clan MacBean and Clan Macpherson followed by other clans originating in Argyll and the Northwest Highlands. From this it is reasonable to conclude that this lineage was present in Knapdale during the time frame when the Mac Suibhne clan controlled the area. But there is insufficient data to determine if this lineage represents descendants of a Chieftain of Clan Mac Suibhne or that of a local inhabitant who supported a chiefly line of Irish or Norse descent and then took the Mac Suibhne name.
Update 08/07/2021 - The majority of the original Family Group 01 has now been split into two major sub-branches FG01a and FG01b with another minor sub-sub-branch under FG01b. The two major sub-branches are defined by the Big Y-700 confirmed BY228040 and FGC18442 SNPs. However the Y-STR DYS455 has shown itself to be a good predictor of this branching with a value = 12 indicating BY228040 and a value = 11 indicating FGC18442. This has made it possible to add Sweeney men to these groups who have not taken higher levels of testing yet. A small group of men without the Sweeney surname remain at FGC18451 pending additional testing.
Under FG01a the testing in the past year has continued to refine the single identified branch below BY228040. The R-FT80644 block has added branches that reach into the modern era. These men have known Sweeney lines from an area of eastern south Co. Leitrim. But while family history and atDNA results indicate cousins within the last 200 years they have not been able to link their lines with genealogical records yet
Under FG01b the FT167154 block was formed last year below FGC18442 with the Big Y-700 test of a Berry man who matched a single Private Variant of a McSwain. Since then a Sweeney tester has added a new branch below it matching with McSwain. Other testers have established two additional branches in FTA37662 and BY137501. This brings us to a total of four branches below FGC18442 with at least one more branch waiting to be discovered.
There is a difference between the BY228040 and FGC18442 branches that I would like to call out. All of the members of FG01a\BY228040 have the Sweeney or Sweeny surname with most also having a confirmed County or location of origin in Ireland for their family. However FG01b\FGC18442 has several branches with members who do not have a variation of the Sweeney surname including one branch of non-project members in FGC18442 > FTA37662 > FGC18450. And also most do not know the county in Ireland where their ancestors came from with any certainty. But two Sweeneys from this group do have Co. Donegal connections. And one of those has family lore of descent from Sweeney Fánad. Whether these differences are just coincidental artifacts of who has tested to this point or hint at an important distinction between the two branches cannot be known yet.
Family Group 02 (Branching updated 07/30/2022, text last updated 3/30/2020)
STR Predicted Haplotree branch below R-M269:
R-M269 > L23 > L51 > P310 > L151 > P312 > ZZ11 > U152
SNP Confirmed Haplotree branches below U152
FG02a
U152 > L2 > DF103 > FGC8158 > FGC8154 > BY39264 > FT18699
U152 > L2 > DF103 > FGC8158 > FGC8154 > BY39264 > FT18699 > FT55898\FT48931
U152 > L2 > DF103 > FGC8158 > FGC8154 > BY39264 > FT18699 > FT55898\FT48931 > FT168700
FG02b
U152 > L2 > DF103 > FGC8158 > FGC8154 > BY39264 > FT18699 > Y168267
U152 > L2 > DF103 > FGC8158 > FGC8154 > BY39264 > FT18699 > Y168267 > FT23457
A collection of men with White, Pruitt\Pruiett, and Sweeney\Sweeny\Swinney surnames, most of whom have completed Big Y testing. The results show that they descend from a common forefather sometime in the 17thCentury and the theory is that this man was a “Sweny”. But there are challenges to overcome to confirm the details. FT18699 is a block of 18 equivalents having no other matches outside of this group within the surname era. And FT55898\FT48931 is shared by the Whites and Sweeney\Sweeny\Swinneys with no branching SNP discovered in any of the Big Y-700 tests. Autosomal DNA testing might help but given how far back the split likely happened it would probably require a fair number of testers from each of the families. Finally, while there are some possible ancestors that have been proposed for a speculative tree, finding the paper trail for the proof will be difficult to obtain. All thanks and credit go to Bill Pruiett for driving the research effort in this group. You will find all of the details of his work at http://www.pruiett-parker.com/pruiettRosamond.php.
Family Group 03 (Branching updated 07/30/2022, text last updated 08/07/2021)
STR Predicted Haplotree branch below R-M269:
R-M269 > L23 > L51 > P310 > L151 > P312 > Z290 > L21 > DF13 > Z39589 > DF49 > Z2980 > Z2976 > DF23 > Z2961 > Z2956 > M222
SNP Confirmed Haplotree branches below M222:
FG03a1
M222 > Z2959 > BY35297 > FGC4077
M222 > Z2959 > BY35297 > FGC4077 > FGC4086 > FT176870 (2 Big Y-700s)
FG03a2
M222 > Z2959 > BY35297 > FGC4077 > FCG12948 > FGC60031 > FGC12950 > FGC12956 > FTB38596 (1 Big Y-700)
FG03b (M222 > Z2959 > S658 > DF104 > DF105 > )
DF85 > S673 > S668 > FGC8740 > DF97 > FGC19851 > Z29319 > BY35773 > FT371271 > CTS8002 (1 Big Y-700)
DF85 > S673 > S668 > FGC8740 > DF97 > FGC19851 > Z29319 > BY35773 > FT371271 > FT94601 > FT382411 (1 Big Y-700)
FG03c
M222 > Z2959 > S658 > DF104 > DF105 > FGC23742 > FGC46310 > FT315267 > Z34470 (1 Big Y-700)
M222 > Z2959 > S658 > DF104 > DF105 > FGC23742 > FGC46310 > FT315267 > Z34470 > FTA79378 (1 Big Y-700)
FG03d
M222 > Z2959 > S658 > DF104 > DF105 > ZS8379 > BY66386 (2 Big Y-700)
M222 > Z2959 > S658 > DF104 > DF105 > ZS8379 > BY66386 > Y73722 (2 Big Y-700)
Sub-group TBD
M222 > Z2959 > S658 > DF104 > DF105 > S588 > S603 > BY3347 > FGC57773 > FGC65688 > S590 > S595 (1 Big Y-700)
Sub-group TBD
M222 > Z2959 > S658 > DF104 > FT14462 > FGC46517 (1 Big Y-700)
The men in this groups are predicted or confirmed to fall under the R-M222 Haplogroup. This large Haplogroup has been found in men whose origins lie in the counties of Northwest Ireland, Ulster and Lowland Scotland and has been linked to the 5th Century king, Niall of the Nine Hostages. As such a Sweeney lineage from within this Haplogroup could hold the possibility of confirming if a prince of the Ó Néill Dynasty was actually the founder as claimed in the Leabhar Chlainne Suibhne. To date though none of the identified lineages appear to have an Ó Néill connection.
The results of eleven Big Y-700 tests received to date show that there are at least six different lines under R-M222 where men took the Mac Suibhne surname. As seen above the common ancestor of BY66386, Z34470, FT371271 and S595 was DF105. And the common ancestor for these four plus the other two branches was M222. Age estimations for DF105 and M222 give formation dates no more recent than 600 A.D. meaning these four branches do not share a common forefather within the Mac Suibhne surname era.
Update 08/07/2021 - With the branches identified by Big Y-700 tests combined with Y-STR results Family Group 03 will be divided into several smaller sub-groups. These sub-groups are anchored by Big Y-700 test results. However there are two sub-group that are only based on a Y-STR signature. There is also a set of members that will remain in the original FG03 group until they have additional Sweeney Big Y-700 matches to their SNP lineage or have close Sweeney Y-STR matches.
Family Group 04 (No changes since 6/9/2019)
STR Predicted Haplotree branch below I-M223:
I-M223 > Z161 > L801 > CTS6433 > S2364 > S2361
SNP Confirmed Haplotree branches below S2361:
S2361 > Y9161 > Y17942
A collection of several Sweeney men with low and mid-levels of STR testing predicted to be under the I-S2361 Haplogroup with a single SNP Pack test result providing Y17942. While the I-M223 Haplogroup appears to have originated several thousand years ago in Germanic areas of Europe and is associated with early hunter gatherers the FTDNA Public Haplotree shows the origins below S2361 down to Y17942 trend toward Irish, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England. So these men could descend from some of the earliest inhabitants of Ireland. But no common ancestor has been identified and current levels of testing are insufficient to estimate how closely related they may be. Additional STR and SNP testing is needed to better define the closeness of their connection and how their lineage connects to the early Mac Suibhne clan.
Family Group 06 (Updated 7/30/2022)
STR Predicted Haplotree branch below R-M269:
R-M269 > L23 > L51 > P310 > L151 > P312 > Z290 > L21 > DF13 > ZZ10_1 > Z16423 > Z255
SNP Confirmed Haplotree branch below Z255:
Z255 > L159 > FGC39973 > BY34986 > FT4072
A collection of three MacSween men who likely share a common ancestor from the Hebrides in the late 17th or early 18th century. STR testing predicts them to be somewhere under the R-Z255 Haplogroup and with a single Big Y-700 test we now have confirmation with FT4072. Z255 is sometimes referred to as the Irish Sea Haplotype. Of course, the Irish Sea would have been very familiar to the early Mac Suibhne clan prior to our settling in the North of Ireland. Lacking a solid paper trail additional STR and SNP testing is needed to confirm at what point below Z255 these men share a common forefather. This will also be important for determining when this line took their surname as the age estimation range for Z255 is between 20 B.C.E. and 507 C.E., long before the Mac Suibhne surname era. But the mean of the age estimation for FT4072 is 1187 C.E. so it will be interesting if future testing shows that the other members of this group all descend from that SNP.
Family Group 07 (Updated 7/30/2022)
STR Predicted Haplotree branch below R-M269:
R-M269 > L23 > L51 > P310 > L151 > P312
A collection of two distantly related men possibly with a connection through the Caribbean or Iberian Peninsula. Additional STR and SNP testing is needed but from one of the testers it appears they will be somewhere under the R-P312 Haplogroup. Since 6/9/2019 this group has been designated as R-U106. But R-P312 is now shown to be a "brother" branch to R-U106.
Family Group 09 (Updated 7/30/2022)
STR Predicted Haplotree branch below R-M269:
R-M269 > L23 > L51 > P310 > L151 > U106
SNP Confirmed Haplotree branch below U106:
U106 > Z2265 > BY30097 > FTT8 > Z381 > Z301 > L48 > Z9 > Z30 > FT149011 > FT148299
A collection of closely and very closely related Swinney and Sweeney men with most having a known common ancestor in the 19th century. STR testing predicts them to be under the R-U106 Haplogroup and the sole Big Y-700 test provides a confirmed Haplogroup of FT148299. Additional Big Y-700 testing by the most distantly related men in this group would help confirm how far back in time these men share a common Swinney\Sweeney forefather.
Family Group 10 (Updated 7/30/2022)
STR Predicted Haplotree branch below R-M269:
R-M269 > L23 > L51 > P310 > L151 > P312 > Z290 > L21 > DF13 > L513
SNP Confirmed Haplotree branch below L513:
L513 > S6365 > BY17 > S7106 > Z16386 > FGC11788 > Z16392
A collection of two men with variant spellings of the Sweeney surname who share a common ancestor within the Surname timeframe. STR and Big Y-700 SNP results place them under the R-L513. The YTree.net Block Tree shows men under the L513 Haplogroup from every area around the Irish Sea including Wales and the Isle of Man. Big Y-700 testing is needed to confirm at what point below L513 these men share a common Sweeney forefather and to better refine a possible location and estimate the age of their connection. Both members do have additional, closer matches to other men with the Sweeney spelling and this group would grow with their addition. Unfortunately, they have not yet responded to invitations to join the project.
Family Group 11 (Updated 3/31/2020)
STR Predicted Haplotree branch below I-M223:
I-M223 > CTS616 > FGC15071 > M284 > L1195 > L126 > FGC20063 >FT2393 > S7753
SNP Confirmed Haplotree branch:
A collection of two Sweeney men with mid-levels of STR testing predicted to be under the I-M223 Haplogroup with one having a confirmed SNP of I-L126. The current level of testing suggest they may share a common Sweeney forefather within the last few hundred years. However additional STR\SNP testing is needed. Like Family Group 04 these men could descend from some of the earliest hunter gatherer inhabitants of Ireland.