I've heard two items on Radio 4 recently about people growing up in Ireland with white parents but looking African.
One was an African-looking girl who had always been told that she was a throwback from some earlier ancestry. She later discovered that her mother had had a brief fling with an African.
The other was a theatre director who was given a grant from the Arts Council intended for black or ethnic minorities, in spite of having white parents and grandparents.
Is this common in Ireland? It is strange to hear of three cases within a few days (even if one did turn out to have a realistic explanation).