About us
The Kehoe project uses Y-DNA to identify men who share a patrilineal ancestor as Y-DNA is passed down virtually unchanged from father to son throughout the generations. Member Y-DNA results include subclades of haplogroups R, I, and E with reported ancestry from Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada, and Spain. Y-DNA results indicate the Kehoe surname has multiple independent origins.
As of September 2023, project membership totaled 128, including 68 Y-DNA testers. Please see our Project Statistics Report for more information.
Results have been arranged into subgroups representing varying levels of connected ancestry within the genealogical timeframe. Subgroups are based on SNP test results and STR matching regardless of surname. Administrators strive to group new Y-DNA members within 1-2 days; however, there may be occasions when grouping is delayed. Project subgroups are under continuous review by administrators and updated in response to new test results and new members.
Archived information from the original project administrator Miles Kehoe:
Two of our members are fairly closely related (62/67 match), and they differ quite a bit from the other two members. The 62/67 match did not know each other before DNA testing! We are fortunate that three of our members have tested to at least 67 markers. Our fourth member is due to receive his results for 67 markers on 10/02/09. We are all R1b.
One striking marker value of note is DYS481. Two of our members are DYS481 = 17, which is low from the modal value of 22, and I have a value of DYS481 = 24, which is near the modal value of 25 for M222+. I have found the value of 17 for DYS481 among L21- results on the P312 project. My results cline toward the north of Ireland and Scotland, while our other two members cline toward the South of Ireland and the Midlands. Two of our members are known to have come from County Wexford, my family and the family of Henry Kehoe. My family (Mogue Kehoe) lives in Kilrush Parish, Co. Wexford, and it may be that Henry Kehoe was also Kilrush Parish. It will be very interesting to see what value our fourth member, Edward Keough, receives on DYS481. Edwards family is from Dublin, by way of Cavan.
We have results from the line of Owen Keogh, b.c. 1780 Co. Cavan, Ireland. This line has tested with another lab, and has not been SNP tested. There will be new results coming from a different branch of this line soon, and this branch will be SNP tested. The results appear to be M222+
13 25 14 10 11 11 12 12 12 13 14 29
18 9 10 11 11 25 15 18 30 15 16 17 17
11 10 19 23 17 na na na na na 12 12
The Coffey/Kehoe connection! I was contatced by Fred Coffey of the FTDNA Coffey DNA Project, who noticed that he and another Cofey matched closely with our Griffin Kaho. It would seem that our name MacEochaidh (Mack K'yoh hee) could have been Anglicized to Coffey. I have also noticed that I match up with Egans, which could be an Anglicized version of our variant MacEochagain (Geoghegan).
Results for 12 marker test of Henry Kehoe Line (possibly nephew of other Henry Kehoe)11/12 match with that line:
13 24 14 11 11 14 12 12 12 12 13 28
Finally! Another member with DYS390 =25! This is a Keogh from Clare! I am only a 10/12 match with this member, but our Cohoes member matches 11/12. The Cohoes line is also DYS390=25.
Donald Kehoe is our first "Laighin Modal" member. His results show a connection with the Leinster (Laighin) families such as O'Byrne and Kavanagh. This line may be the one mentioned so often in ancient Irish Genealogies as being of "the same stock" as the O'Byrnes. Our other known Leinster member, and matches such as Kaho, do not seem to fit this Leinster (Laighin) Modal.
As of September 2023, project membership totaled 128, including 68 Y-DNA testers. Please see our Project Statistics Report for more information.
Results have been arranged into subgroups representing varying levels of connected ancestry within the genealogical timeframe. Subgroups are based on SNP test results and STR matching regardless of surname. Administrators strive to group new Y-DNA members within 1-2 days; however, there may be occasions when grouping is delayed. Project subgroups are under continuous review by administrators and updated in response to new test results and new members.
Archived information from the original project administrator Miles Kehoe:
Two of our members are fairly closely related (62/67 match), and they differ quite a bit from the other two members. The 62/67 match did not know each other before DNA testing! We are fortunate that three of our members have tested to at least 67 markers. Our fourth member is due to receive his results for 67 markers on 10/02/09. We are all R1b.
One striking marker value of note is DYS481. Two of our members are DYS481 = 17, which is low from the modal value of 22, and I have a value of DYS481 = 24, which is near the modal value of 25 for M222+. I have found the value of 17 for DYS481 among L21- results on the P312 project. My results cline toward the north of Ireland and Scotland, while our other two members cline toward the South of Ireland and the Midlands. Two of our members are known to have come from County Wexford, my family and the family of Henry Kehoe. My family (Mogue Kehoe) lives in Kilrush Parish, Co. Wexford, and it may be that Henry Kehoe was also Kilrush Parish. It will be very interesting to see what value our fourth member, Edward Keough, receives on DYS481. Edwards family is from Dublin, by way of Cavan.
We have results from the line of Owen Keogh, b.c. 1780 Co. Cavan, Ireland. This line has tested with another lab, and has not been SNP tested. There will be new results coming from a different branch of this line soon, and this branch will be SNP tested. The results appear to be M222+
13 25 14 10 11 11 12 12 12 13 14 29
18 9 10 11 11 25 15 18 30 15 16 17 17
11 10 19 23 17 na na na na na 12 12
The Coffey/Kehoe connection! I was contatced by Fred Coffey of the FTDNA Coffey DNA Project, who noticed that he and another Cofey matched closely with our Griffin Kaho. It would seem that our name MacEochaidh (Mack K'yoh hee) could have been Anglicized to Coffey. I have also noticed that I match up with Egans, which could be an Anglicized version of our variant MacEochagain (Geoghegan).
Results for 12 marker test of Henry Kehoe Line (possibly nephew of other Henry Kehoe)11/12 match with that line:
13 24 14 11 11 14 12 12 12 12 13 28
Finally! Another member with DYS390 =25! This is a Keogh from Clare! I am only a 10/12 match with this member, but our Cohoes member matches 11/12. The Cohoes line is also DYS390=25.
Donald Kehoe is our first "Laighin Modal" member. His results show a connection with the Leinster (Laighin) families such as O'Byrne and Kavanagh. This line may be the one mentioned so often in ancient Irish Genealogies as being of "the same stock" as the O'Byrnes. Our other known Leinster member, and matches such as Kaho, do not seem to fit this Leinster (Laighin) Modal.