the Irish are not any dark, since 64% according to this study have hair colour which is lighter than dark brown and 80% have blue/green eyes. In skin tone, it is the lightest or one of the lightest since 76% have Type I(Pale/milky white skin, which always burns, never tans, lot of freckles) and Type II(white/fair skin, which usually burns but tans slightly). In skin tone they are still lighter than the average. That is the Celtic heritage, countries with a Celtic heritage usually have a much lighter skin tone. The extreme Northwestern Europe has the lightest skin tone.
If we compare Ireland skin tones with some European countries.
Strictly Type I and Type I Only(fairest skin types):
U.K. - 54.6%
France - 37.3%(Bretons have similar "Celtic colouring" and are the lightest in France)
Belgium - 33.9%
Finland- 33%
Germany- 32%
Denmark - 31.5%
Sweden- 28.6%
The Netherlands - 26%
Swiss German-speaking region - 19%
Italy - 10.2%
The IRF4 gene variant also known as "Irish phenotype"(brown hair, blue eyes, freckled skin combination, decreases ability to tan, very sun-sensitive) is definitely not from Southern Europe, but is quite common in Iceland. It's definitely not of Mediterranean inspiration, it's connected directly to the adaptation of Northern Europeans in their environment which was further north, it also linked to the red hair, light eyes, freckles gene variant MC1R.
Cillian Murphy exemplifies it well:
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/phot...8-947-1400.jpgRead more:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/europe/2029951-looks-british-people-scandinavia-percentage-rich-3.html#ixzz3MFHa53bv