In the United States, the term “Black Irish” was initially used in the 19th century to derogatorily describe Irish refugees of the Great Famine.[1] It later shifted into a term used to describe people of Irish descent who have black or dark-colored hair, blue or dark eyes, or otherwise dark coloring.[2][3] This meaning is not commonly used in Ireland,[1] where “Black Irish” more refers to Irish people of sub-Saharan African descent.[4]

The most common use of the term “Black Irish” is tied to the myth that they were descended from Spanish sailors shipwrecked during the Spanish Armada of 1588.[5][6][7][8][9][10] However, no anthropological, historical, or genetic research supports this story. Some theorists assert that the term was adopted in some cases by Irish Americans who wanted to conceal interracial unions with African Americans, paralleling the phrase “Black Dutch” which was also used in the United States to hide racial identity.[11][12][13] Likewise, the concept of “Black Irish” was also used by some Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders to racially pass themselves into Australian society.[14] In the earlier parts of the 19th century, “Black Irish” was sometimes used in the United States to describe biracial people of African and Irish descent.[9][10]

By the 20th century, “Black Irish” had become an identity played out by Irish-American authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Robert E. Howard. In 21st-century Ireland Black Irish is used primarily to refer to Irish nationals of African descent, and the alternative meaning is not commonly used.

There are Irish people with darker complexions than the stereotypical pale with red hair image you might be thinking.