Yes, yes – before you say so, I am aware of the potential ethical questions around personal data like this being stored by companies, but decided after careful consideration that I was all right with it. 23andMe checks your ancestry but also your genetic predisposition to certain conditions. I am genetically “pure” (read: boring) enough, were I inclined, to set up not just a Celtic ethnostate but probably a Limerick one. Thankfully, I am disinclined – fond as I am of Limerick, its native fare leaves something to be desired. The ancestry kit got me thinking about my origins, and just how arbitrary one’s group identity is, or at least, how outside of one’s control.

Source: The Irish Times February 20, 2019 06:00 UTC