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Original poster

Irish Name spelling - asking those with Irish knowledge

29 replies

birchygoo · 11/10/2016 15:31

we have settled on a boys name and we love Cahir. However we have been looking at alternative spellings.

Cathair - which I like until it is broken down into Cat Hair (which I know will happen in school Smile

Cathaoir - which is chair - I cant call him chair!

Any thoughts on a preference - will be said in Ulster dialect.

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WankersHacksandThieves · 13/10/2016 17:58

If it's any use, I have a Ciar, pronounced the same as Keir. It's like the first part of Ciaran, we left off the "an" as it means little and he wasn't going to be little. I like Cormac too.

GentleOnMyMind · 12/10/2016 19:20

Cahir is fine. I know 2 spelt like this.

TyrionLannistersShadow · 12/10/2016 17:59

The hurler I mean I know, not the politician, never heard of him!

TyrionLannistersShadow · 12/10/2016 17:58

I actually know Cahir H*aly and it's definitely Ca-her ;), lovely chap btw, that's the only spelling and pronunciation I know ( other than the actual place Cahir, which is pronounced Care)

Afo · 12/10/2016 17:49

They both mean warrior?!

NuggetofPurestGreen · 12/10/2016 15:48

Sorry I mean coh-HEER

NuggetofPurestGreen · 12/10/2016 15:47

In my accent:

Cahir = care or CAH-hir
Cathair = COH-hir
Cathaoir = cah-HEER

MitzyLeFrouf · 12/10/2016 14:04

Mitzy none of those spellings are obscure!! All completely common where I'm from!

No offence but it seems you're from a place where naming a person 'chair' or 'city' is normal.

OP don't name your son 'chair' or 'city'.

Afo · 12/10/2016 14:01

Mitzy none of those spellings are obscure!! All completely common where I'm from!

Afo · 12/10/2016 13:58

The cathair and cathaoir that I know are both pronounced exactly the same and we are all.in ulster. I was going to suggest cahir also! I think they are all much of a muchness to be honest. If you aren't in Ireland i'd probably go for cathaoir or cahir so the cat hair thing isn't broken down.

MitzyLeFrouf · 12/10/2016 13:55

I've just googled Cahir Healy and another present day Cahir Healy has also come up. His Twitter profile says '29. Primary Teacher. Hurling/Football. Portlaoise. It's Cahir not Care' Grin

MaudGonneMad · 12/10/2016 13:47

Cahir Healy was prob the best-known northern nationalist politician after Joe Devlin in the period after partition.

hollyisalovelyname · 12/10/2016 12:59

Michael Davitt - famous agitator for land rights for Irish tenant farmers and founder of the Land League had a son called Cahir. He became a judge.

harrietm87 · 12/10/2016 12:48

I don't think it's just people from NI mitzy. Plenty in the south and UK too.

NuggetofPurestGreen · 12/10/2016 12:25

Cathair and Cathaoir are both pronounced completely differently than each other and Cahir. So you can't really use those spellings.

MitzyLeFrouf · 12/10/2016 12:06

I've never heard of it as a person's name. I only know it as a place name. And the town sounds like 'care'.

And you definitely cannot call him Cathair. 'Cathair’ is the Irish word for city. Make life easy for him and just use the Cahir spelling. I might cause offence here (and aplos if I do!) but I have noticed that some people from NI go out of their way to look for the most obscure spelling of an Irish name that they can find. Orfhlaith instead of Orla etc.

harrietm87 · 12/10/2016 10:35

I know someone called cahir. It's nice but I also prefer cathal. Ceallach and Cormac are other similar options. You'd have no spelling issues with cormac!

user1471134011 · 12/10/2016 09:43

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user1471134011 · 12/10/2016 09:42

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GizmoFrisby · 12/10/2016 09:40

Are u Irish OP?

PotatoBread · 12/10/2016 09:29

I prefer Cathal tbh - it's less harsh sounding

Imaginosity · 12/10/2016 09:18

I've never come across anyone with this name - I'm in Ireland. Did you find it in a book of baby names?

PotatoBread · 12/10/2016 09:02

Cahair (no t and with 2 a's) is the only way I know it spelt and how (Irish) people I know with the name spell it

In my accent it's sort of prounounced Ka-her.

hollyisalovelyname · 11/10/2016 19:24

Cathair is city in Irish

Nyancat · 11/10/2016 19:12

My preference would be cahir though autocorrect may drive you mad changing it to chair! I love the name, and am in the north so would prob pronounce it the same as you would. Means warrior doesn't it?

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