Traditionally, the Three Collas were considered to be descended from the same ancestors as Niall of the Nine Hostages. DNA testing of present-day descendants of the Niall and the Collas, however, indicates that they were not related. Although both groups fall within the L21 haplotype, the genetic distance between their modal DNA is 20. See Analysis of L21 and DF21 DNA. The table below compares the Colla modal used here with the modal for Niall of the Nine Hostages, also called M222 or Northwest Irish.