A language from the opposite corner of Europe has a surprising origin. Its roots were found by scientists in the Czech Republic.

A recent study suggests that the roots of the Irish language can be traced back to present-day Czech Republic, where a migration wave occurred around 3000 years ago. This wave is believed to have spread Celtic languages to the British Isles. The research, published in Nature, analyzed DNA from over 4500 skeletal remains and indicates that the migration from Central Europe aligns with the emergence of Celtic languages. The study also reveals that modern Irish people are genetically closer to Central Europeans than previously thought, although their ancestry is diverse, including influences from populations that arrived from the Eurasian steppes. However, the study notes that DNA analysis alone cannot confirm the languages spoken by ancient populations, as language spread does not always correlate with population migration.