Project Goals

In order to untangle and identify the major McNeely descent lines, the McNeely Project places participants whose DNA is a match into common subgroups (with a skeletal descent chart for each participant, where available) to ease the work for researchers who have the results of a DNA test for a male McNeely from his/her line to identify their lineage with the surname.

These subgroups aspire to identify recent genetic descent and kinship (10’s to 100’s of years), historical and genetic associations of current surnames to their original Gaelic surnames and septs (More distant past) and to SNP assignment (1000+ years).

Additionally, these subgroups aim to draw genetic connections, if any, between current McNeely groups residing in various areas of Ireland and Scotland and their possible interrelationships to the Uí Néill and Connachta dynasties.