A team at University College Dublin have made a breakthrough in identifying the Irish genetic signature.
The scientists at University College Dublin (UCD) have sequenced the first Irish genetic code, which could reveal the complete genetic picture of the Irish race.
It's like putting together a three billion piece jigsaw puzzle.
The genome identified came from an anonymous male with a confirmed Irish ancestry of three generations.
He has supplied geneticists all around the world with invaluable information.
Professor Brendan Loftus of the Conway Institute at UCD says that the research will inform studies on any Irish diseases.
The first full sequence of human DNA was identified in the United States in 2003 following 13 years of research at a cost of $2.7 billion. This Irish project at UCD took a little over a year to complete at a cost of €30,000.
In the future, it's envisaged that everyone will have access to their own genetic information.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 7 September 2010. The reporter is Eimear Lowe.
