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Original poster

Using Irish names if you're not Irish...Saoirse

80 replies

wheresmymojo · 17/04/2019 08:40

I'm not pregnant (yet) but I have fallen in love with an Irish name...Saoirse (pronounced Seersha).

DH is as English as they come. I'm English...I do have Irish heritage but they came over to England four generations ago so it's a way back.

The pronunciation thing doesn't put me off - I strongly believe in keeping Celtic and Gaelic names alive.

But would it be weird / cultural appropriation?

I'm particularly interested in opinions from anyone Irish...would it be offensive?

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MayFayner · 17/04/2019 14:41

I don’t think it’s down to the English to “keep Celtic and Gaelic names alive”, to be brutally honest..

Agree. And Saoirse isn’t a Celtic or Gaelic name. It’s a word in the Irish language that people have relatively recently begun using as a name. Which is fine, it’s like calling your baby Summer or similar. But it’s not a traditional Gaelic name that needs to be “kept alive”.

Sorcha = surruka

TheGrey1houndSpeaks · 17/04/2019 14:37

I don’t think it’s down to the English to “keep Celtic and Gaelic names alive”, to be brutally honest...

Whodafeck · 17/04/2019 14:33

What about Caoimhe?

Original poster
wheresmymojo · 17/04/2019 14:19

It was my Grandad's Grandma and Grandad that were Irish. They came over together after they were married from Kilkenny.

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LeekMunchingSheepShagger · 17/04/2019 14:09

Go for it if you like it. I know a few girls called Niamh and Ciara who have no Irish connections. Irish names seem to be becoming more mainstream, which is a good thing.

NutMeghan · 17/04/2019 13:58

So your Granny's Granny immigrated from Ireland? That is a pretty strong cultural tie imo. She may have recalled her Granny reminiscing about her Irish customs

PinkieTuscadero · 17/04/2019 13:53

*hear

PinkieTuscadero · 17/04/2019 13:52

Glad to here the Sorcha defenders have been seen in these parts before! Grin

No one would pronounce dorcha as dore-sha so why do it with Sorcha?

MindyStClaire · 17/04/2019 13:49

Another wincing at Sorcha-as-Sorsha... There is a mammoth thread on here about the pronounciation of Sorcha.

PinkieTuscadero · 17/04/2019 13:37

I would expect a Saoirse to be Irish or to have Irish roots and would be slightly surprised to find out she didn’t have recent links to the country. But Saoirse Ronan is becoming quite a big star so then I’d just assume it was influenced by her.

I’m from Dublin and I don’t personally associate the name with the Republican movement. I think that’s more of a NI thing.

As an aside I noticed that one of the Derry Girls actors is called Saoirse-Monica. What kind of strange clunkiness is that?

NottonightJosepheen · 17/04/2019 13:34

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donquixotedelamancha · 17/04/2019 13:29

But would it be weird / cultural appropriation?

Yes, it's deeply problematic to copy any aspect of another culture. Unless you identify as transirish, in which case it's fine.

PinkieTuscadero · 17/04/2019 13:29

What about Sorcha but pronounced ''sorsha''.

Oh no! That makes me twitch. I met a non-Irish Sorcha who pronounced it that way and I had to purse my lips to stop myself from saying 'that's not how you pronounce Sorcha!'

NottonightJosepheen · 17/04/2019 13:28

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Original poster
wheresmymojo · 17/04/2019 13:26

I'm not as fond of the harder pronunciation of Sorcha....don't a lot of people pronounce it as closer to Sor-ka?

The republican connotations genuinely don't concern me.

We have double barrelled our surnames which are both very English sounding so we'd be unlikely to be Irish Republicans on that basis.

Also...while today I feel it's up to the people of NI to decide whether they stay part of the UK or part of Ireland (and not up to English people like me to opine on).

If I'd have been in Ireland back in time I'd be a Republican (because we - English - were total shits).

OP posts:
Mintypea5 · 17/04/2019 13:25

My best friend is a Saoirse... her parents are Irish. Our whole school says she's been called Sasha by people who can't pronounce it properly. Also people struggled to spell it but it's a lovely name so as long as you don't mind having people mispronounce/ spell it use it!

NottonightJosepheen · 17/04/2019 13:23

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CoisNaFarraige · 17/04/2019 13:19

@mindystclair, yes, I know exactly what you mean. A Galway Saoirse doesn't make me idly wonder anything but an English raised Saoirse, I would assume (wrongly as it would be in this case) that her parents were Irish with republican feelings.

But now that Saoirse Ronan is the inspiration for baby Saoirses my assumptions make an ass of me. Or do they?! It's a hard one.

CoisNaFarraige · 17/04/2019 13:16

What about Sorcha but pronounced ''sorsha''. I know one who says it that way anyway. Everybody gets confused about which is her name, but that's another story!

CoisNaFarraige · 17/04/2019 13:14

Well, as you can tell from my screen name, I"m Irish (and near the sea, yes!) I say GO for it!

But sadly one of the few exceptions to that is in my Opinion, ''Saoirse''.

I am going to be told I'm out of date and singing from an old hymn sheet now but Saoirse is the one I would avoid.

Any others, go for it.. What about Siun (shoon). Fraoch. Maeve. Fiadh. Roisin. Mairead. So many beautiful ones. Saoirse is a bit ''loaded''.

Original poster
wheresmymojo · 17/04/2019 13:14

I'm reliably informed that pretty much no-one but Saoirse Ronan pronounces it Sur-sha.

Most Irish people depending on dialect pronounce it Seer-sha or Sar-sha (the latter is a bit close to my name).

I like the Sur-sha pronunciation best but I'm concerned that Irish people will think I'm ruining an Irish name Blush

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Original poster
wheresmymojo · 17/04/2019 13:11

I know about the Republican connotations (name of the Sinn Feinn magazine I think?) but that doesn't bother me....

I love the meaning of it "freedom".

The spelling thing doesn't bother me. I'm a 1980s Sarah which you would think was one of the easiest names ever.

I have to specify "with an aitch" Every. Single. Time.

Plus my surname which is spelt completely as it sounds and is British has to be spelt out every time. So my poor child will have to do that anyway Grin

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NottonightJosepheen · 17/04/2019 11:24

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isabellerossignol · 17/04/2019 11:14

It's a nice name, but it's also the name of an Irish Republican newspaper, so it has pretty strong connotations for some people.

beanaseireann · 17/04/2019 11:14

I'm Irish and have no problem with non Irish using Irish names. I think it's a nice idea.
Saoirse is a lovely name. It doesn't have the same Republican connotations in Dublin that it appears to have in Northern Ireland.
Saoirse means freedom.
Seoirse is George in Irish.
PDiddy's real name is Sean John Combs but Sean is the Irish for John Hmm

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