Vance, well known for championing his “Scots-Irish hillbilly” identity, now faces questions as genealogical researchers hit a dead end in their search for a direct link to Ulster.

A detailed investigation commissioned by a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) minister failed to provide conclusive evidence of Vance’s ancestral connection to Northern Ireland, according to The Times. The effort produced a 24-page dossier that outlined gaps in the vice president’s family tree and left open the possibility of further research.

Despite the lack of hard proof, Vance’s public embrace of Appalachian and Scots-Irish identity remains a defining part of his political persona. The story has brought renewed attention to the enduring political and cultural significance of ancestry in American public life.

Ancestral search sparks political interest

Interest in Vance’s genealogy was sparked when Gordon Lyons, Northern Ireland’s minister for communities, commissioned researchers to investigate the vice president’s family background. Hoping to present the findings to Vance in Washington during St. Patrick’s Day festivities, Lyons sought to highlight potential connections to Ulster settlers—an identity core to the region’s Protestant unionist tradition.

The dossier, titled “The Family Footsteps of JD Vance,” tracked Vance’s lineage from Ohio to Virginia, then further back toward Ireland. The document included historical maps and photographs of Vance with his family, emphasizing Coagh, County Tyrone, as a possible ancestral home. However, gaps persisted in the record, and the researchers ultimately admitted they had “not established a conclusive family link” to Northern Ireland.

Efforts to draw a direct line to Andrew Williamson Vance, born in Ireland around 1666 and said to have emigrated to America in the 1730s, proved unfruitful. Despite persistent attempts, researchers described running into “the proverbial brick wall” and cautioned that there was “no guarantee” that a definitive answer would emerge.

Historians and family groups disagree

Local historians have long debated the truth behind Vance’s ancestral claims. John Hagan, a historian from County Tyrone, insisted he could trace Vance’s lineage to Coagh and maintained ties to Reverend John Vance, a Scottish clergyman who migrated to Ireland in 1611. This narrative connects the vice president’s family to the Protestant defenders of Derry during the famous 1689 siege—a pivotal chapter in unionist history.

However, not all genealogists agree. The Vance Family Association, a prominent group that traces the name’s origins in Ulster, has publicly disputed any direct connection between the vice president and Reverend John Vance. Dave Vance, the association’s president, stated that a decade-long DNA project had ruled out such a link.

Dave Vance, president of the Vance Family Association, said: “It has not been possible to establish conclusive proof of a direct Vance link back to Ulster at this stage.” While some historians continue to push for further local research, officials involved in the project acknowledged that time and records may have obscured a definitive answer.

Identity and political narrative

For Vance, questions about his ancestry go beyond family pride—they touch on the heart of his public image and political message. In his bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, Vance wrote, “To understand me, you must understand that I am a Scots-Irish hillbilly at heart.” The book later adapted into a major film, detailed Vance’s Appalachian upbringing and the struggles of working-class families in the region.

The vice president has consistently drawn a distinction between his identity and that of “white Anglo-Saxon Protestant” pioneers, highlighting his roots in America’s Scots-Irish working class. For many of his supporters, Vance’s embrace of this heritage is seen as a badge of authenticity and a connection to the millions of Americans with similar backgrounds.

Liam Kennedy, an American studies professor in Dublin, commented on the significance of Vance’s claims, saying they represent “an effort to claim a ‘real’ white working-class association—in the sense that it is based on pioneer not immigrant origins.” This narrative continues to resonate in political and cultural debates across both sides of the Atlantic.

Future of the investigation

Despite the missing genealogical link, the investigation’s findings have been handed over to U.S. government officials for further review. The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland expressed hope that the research might one day be formally presented, leaving the door open for new discoveries.

Officials involved in the project noted that there may still be more work to do, particularly in local archives and records. Nonetheless, they admitted that additional research may never deliver the certainty sought by those interested in the vice president’s background.

Until then, the question of JD Vance’s Irish ancestry remains unresolved, and his self-identification as a “Scots-Irish hillbilly” continues to draw attention at home and abroad.