A team of Trinity College Dublin geneticists discovered that as many as 3 million men worldwide may be descendants of Niall, High King of Ireland from 379 to 405 AD.

While Niall was responsible for the common Irish surname "O'Neill," the Trinity College research indicates the fearless warlord was prolific.

In an article originally published in 2009 and updated last week, Irish Central quoted Professor Dan Bradley as saying, "...around one in 50 New Yorkers who have European roots – with surnames such as O'Connor, Flynn, Egan, Hynes, O'Reilly, and Quinn – have the same genetic signature as Niall of the Nine Hostages."

Read the absorbing story here.