Research led by University College Dublin (UCD) has established a genetic link between the Old Irish Goat breed and goats inhabiting Ireland during the late bronze age 3,000 years ago.

The finding suggest that the rare indigenous breed is part of a continues lineage on the island stretching back millennia, researchers said.

Apart from UCD, the research also involved Queen's University Belfast and international partners.

The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, was based on DNA analysis and archaeological methods.

UCD said the research "reshapes the understanding" of Ireland's agricultural past.

The university also argued that the study "supports conservation of the Old Irish Goat as a living link to ancient farming communities".

Researchers analysed goat remains from the hillfort at Haughey's fort in Co. Armagh, dating to around 1100-900 BC, and from Carrickfergus in Co. Antrim.

Radiocarbon dating and genetic and protein analysis were used to confirm that the late Bronze Age animals are the oldest goat remains identified in Ireland to date.

Genomic comparisons showed that these animals share their strongest genetic affinity with the Old Irish Goat population that survives today.

Assistant professor Kevin Daly, from UCD's School of Agriculture and Food Science, who was a co-lead author of the research, said: "Combining genetics, proteomics and archaeological science has allowed us a glimpse of our animals hundreds and thousands of years ago, and how their decedents still live with us, as part of our biocultural heritage.

The Old Irish Goat is found today in small wild-roaming herds.

UCD said the animal has been viewed as a symbol of resilience, wisdom, and marginal rural life, where their hardiness, capacity to survive on marginal land, and nutrient-dense milk made them invaluable to small farmers.

Goats appear in local traditions, placenames and seasonal customs, the researchers explained.

Another co-lead author of the study, Dr. Jolijn Erven, said: "Despite thousands of years, changing farming practices, and recent decline, these goats have retained a remarkable genetic connection to their ancestors, and to Ireland's agricultural past."

Prof. Eileen Murphy of Queen's University Belfast commented: "Goats tend to get overlooked compared to sheep in the archaeological record because it is notoriously difficult to distinguish between their bones.

"There is an assumption that sheep would have been more important than goats in the past but historical sources suggest that herds of goats have been kept to supply a trade in skins from ports such as Carrickfergus," Prof. Murphy said.

Using DNA extraction and sequencing, researchers were able to compare the genomes of these late Bronze Age remains with modern goat breeds worldwide.

The study found that both prehistoric and medieval Irish goats share their highest genetic affinity with the Old Irish Goat, which researchers said points to "a remarkable continuity of goat populations on the island over three millennia".

The findings also shed some light on recent changes in the Old Irish Goat breed, with the breed today displaying "clear signs" of inbreeding, which UCD said is linked to "a dramatic population collapse over recent decades".

The researchers said this hints that a "genetic bottleneck" in the breed is a modern phenomenon rather than a long-term feature of Irish goat populations.