Naming my mixed race child and Irish name?

Surely that’s ok though? I have a very Welsh name which is for one side of my family only. I know people whose children have Italian names that are for one side only. Isn’t that what often happens when the parents are from 2 different places?

Some of these comments are ridiculous.

What is my ethnicity? Where are my "roots"?

I assure you, you won't get the full story from looking at me. Or hearing me speak. Or from knowing my name.

As someone who is mixed race, the perfect name will not stop people from asking me inappropriate questions. It won't make me identify a particular way. It's just a name.

OP, what matters is how you raise your child. The cultures and languages you do or don't share. That's what helps them find their identity and decide who they are.

Pick the name you like, and that feels like suits your baby when they arrive.

VERY well said. (Plastic Paddy?!?!😳)

Sorry, but people in Northern Ireland are Irish. This is a completely inappropriate analogy.

You could equally say that the majority of people in Ireland identify as Irish despite their ancestors all living in Britain pre-1922. Absolute rubbish.

I should hate to avoid Gobnait , patron saint of 🐝 bees. Anyway I'm surrounded with them hereabouts.

My sons went to school with an Iranian Kurdish girl who was brilliant at Irish. If she ever encounters a racist she can just say ' inis dom as Gaeilge' , which was the response my English born lads used. It's a great way to unite people ,given goodwill.

On the name question, I suppose you could pick one that's become better know through tv and film. Like Ardal or Aisling. My friend attended secondary in England as did I. He gave up using Dara and settled for his other name. That wouldn't be an issue now because of Daire O Briain.

Why are folk so hung up on “consigning your child to a lifetime of having their name mispronounced or misspelled”? There’s people with all sorts of heritages with names that aren’t familiar but you wouldn’t tell a Sri Lankan to call their child a different name or whatever. I have a 4 letter Celtic name that I always have to spell and always have to correct pronunciation. So what?!

It really doesn't.

I don’t think this is what the OP was after when she innocently asked for Irish baby names 😂

What about Cara for a girl? It’s Irish for friend and is easy to spell and pronounce. You could also consider Una or Orla, and something like Comac or Conal or Niall for a boy?

I have a slightly unusual Celtic name that doesn’t sound like the spelling and it is a pain sometimes. I have given my own children names that are firmly in the top 10 - names that will take them from rock band to board room without anyone batting an eyelid.

Almost half the population of Northern Ireland identifies as Irish despite over 100 years of living in the UK.

English at home? Or just Chinese?

If just Chinese, they've chosen schools where the other parents have made a thoughtful and deliberate choice to send their kids there, so they can expect the kids to be motivated, with parents invested in their success.

Even if they speak English at home, they've identified schools whose communities are highly motivated.

It hits differently when it's an R in a name. To Irish ears, it sounds really strange.

This!
I'm Irish too, not living in Ireland. I have an Irish name and find most people are intelligent enough and polite enough to make a solid stab at it once I've introduced myself.

Just don't look up names on dodgy 'Irish Baby Names' or 'Names for your Celtic Prince/ss' sites.

And avoid Gobnait.

There's not a human outside of a small section of Africa, who's heritage is originally from the place they currently are. Who cares, well apart from Americans who are obsessed with that kind of nonsense.

Well we can agree to disagree. A lot of Irish people see the language as an important part of their heritage and, while there are of course multiple reasons why people send their children to gaelscoilenna, the love of the language and the wish to pass it on is an important one.

I agree there are numerous issues in how Irish is taught in English medium schools. I think one reason people drop it is because the poor teaching combined with high curricular expectations mean students find it difficult and the LC is a race for points.

I just think that pp saying only 1% of the population speak it at home is a bit dismissive. It’s accurate, but not the full picture iyswim.

It isn't dismissive when its factual

Regarding the increase of numbers attending Irish speaking primary schools, this is partly due to 'white flight', smaller classes, higher grants and funding. This increase is offset by the number (one in seven) of secondary school pupils gaining exemptions to drop Irish altogether. People citing dyslexia as their reason to drop Irish take up another European language which highlights the issue that is Irish is simply not seen as a living language nor a benefical language to have, along with there being numerous issues surrounding how it is taught in the curriculum.

Yes, I know the map shows a different thing, not the numbers who speak the language at home.

However, my point is that just because only 1-2% speak Irish as a first language doesn’t necessarily mean only 1- 2% are able to speak it reasonably well. With the increase in the numbers attending gaelscoileanna, more and more people are speaking it well as a second language. Still low percentages of course, but getting better all the time.

Also, many people who speak Irish poorly as a second language still regard it as a very important part of their heritage.

I just think that pp saying only 1% of the population speak it at home is a bit dismissive. It’s accurate, but not the full picture iyswim.

I don’t believe that you are interpreting it properly. 1.6% are fluent. The above poster asked who uses Irish on a daily basis outside of school.
Another poster said that 6% of children are educated through Irish and to do so are supported at home. I know many kids who were and are educated (at primary level mainly) through Irish and they do not speak Irish at home. And many of them have the option of continuing to an Irish speaking secondary school and chose not to as it can have a negative effect on their written and oral English.
As you pointed out, the census is self reporting. I can guarantee that nowhere near 20% of the Irish population can speak Irish very well or that 20% can speak Irish with even an adequate level of comprehension at all. In 2024, just over 2% of the Irish tv audience tuned into the Irish language tv channel.

Yes but that applies to every word with an r in it.

Unsure what the second heritage is for your forthcoming child - my old boss was Indian and his wife was Welsh. They went with Dylan for their son as Dilan and Dhillon are popular Indian names.

Have you got any dual heritage names you like?

This is a map showing the percentage of people who speak Irish very well (according to the last census, so self reported). It may be mostly within the school system it’s spoken, but the figures vary between 6 and 21%. The gaelscoileanna do great work. Obviously many more people speak some Irish too but not to that standard.

Here is my idea, just choose the name you like from one of the 100s of countries in the world.

Don't bother about: i have to give this name to honour this side of the family, and that name to honour that side of the family.

Focus on you child not honouring other people.

I’m aware of that but it’s an accent difference (and tbh if OP is English she won’t even realise it’s a difference), rather than someone absolutely butchering Lasairfhiona or Muireann or something.

The r’s in names like Orla and Lorcan mean they’re pronounced quite differently in England and Ireland though.

1.5% of the Irish population speak Irish at home.

i know Chinese kids who go to a Gaelscoil. No Irish at home!