Traditional Irish Names - what do you think?

I really cannot understand why people give their children Irish names with traditional Irish spelling unless they live in the Gaeltacht and plan to continue to live there, with their children, forever.

Ahh, that’s quite sad because it’s actually a very simple concept. I hope you manage to find a way to get past this.

Completely agree about Irish people misusing Irish names. Aoibheann as Ay-veen and Caitlin as Kate-lynn are my personal bugbears. Although I know the battle has been lost on Caitlin.

It has, alas. But Aoibheann-as-Ayveen is absolutely maddening.

I’m adding Dáire/Darragh to my list.

They don't sound the same. Dáire (which isn't actually a name) would be pronounced Doy-ra (rhymes with Máire). There is a name Daire, but tbh I'm never sure whether it should be pronounced the same as Darragh or if it should be more of a Derr-ah.

Completely agree about Irish people misusing Irish names. Aoibheann as Ay-veen and Caitlin as Kate-lynn are my personal bugbears. Although I know the battle has been lost on Caitlin.

*Anglicized

I love Aodh, but difficult to use even within Ireland, as it sounds like an initial (though the letter A in the Irish alphabet is pronounced differently I think). Should be fine in the Gaeltacht though, or if you're braver than me 😊. I love Niall too (though the Nye-ul pronunciation most commonly used is an anglised version. Nee-ul is the Irish language pronunciation). Also love Sadhbh and Méabh.

I know a little boy named Daragh and I love the name. His sister is Caoimhe .

I think I get what the OP means. I'm Irish, so I read and pronounce 'Áine' as Awn (rhymes with fawn) - ya. OP said she pronounces it as 'On-ya', but perhaps she means that she's sounding it out phonetically with an Australian accent, even though if she were to say it, she would SAY Awnya.
Otherwise, YABU for waffling on about keeping our culture alive and dismissing modern names, while at the same time, incorrectly pronouncing the names you've listed

Anyway... I always suggest 'Dara'. Dara for a female, Daragh/Darragh for a male. I think it's so beautiful, soft, easy... shouldn't cause any confusion or mispronounciation.
And it means 'Oak'

I went to university with an Aine and always thought it was a beautiful name.

Of the girls names I love
Aine
Orla
Róisín
And think they are all pretty straightforward pronunciation wise for people that aren’t from Ireland.

Of the boys names I love Séamus, also like Cillian Ruairi

Thanks guys! We have a several Nialls too and it’s becoming quite popular over here too, maybe cos if the One Direction fella

Don't be scared @autumnkate I agree with @CallofDoodee as to why people have been 'robust' with the OP, and yes, the 'Oh, no one else in the entire world will be able to pronounce weird names Sadhbh or Mairéad, so only call them them if they are born in the heart of Corca Dhuibhne and stay there all their lives' stuff which regularly comes up from posters on Irish names threads, is pretty tiresome.

And the place is crawling with Nialls!

hahah don't be afraid @autumnkate :) I think anyone irish only has an issue with people saying you shouldn't use Irish names unless you are in Ireland as it is too difficult for people to understand - which is bloody ridiculous tbh!!

I have 2 Uncle Niall's & a Cousin Niall, and my Aunt is also married to a Niall hahaha :)

I think people are a bit at the OP because they were going on, in a slightly patronising way, about how they spend half their life in the Gaeltacht, and keeping the culture alive, and dismissive of 'new' names like 'Saoirse' (?) and then tells us that Aine is pronounced 'On-ya' and Blathnaid is pronounced Blaw-heen. I'm pretty Plastic Paddy myself and even I know that's not how you pronounce those names.

I actually really like Sadhbh, and also like Mairead - the one I know (in England) pronounces it 'Muh-rayd' which how I thought it was pronounced?

I’m a bit scared of this thread now as I am definitely plastic and have given my boys traditional Irish names, but... Niall? I think it’s beautiful and it has a great meaning.

God, agreed on the Sorcha as ‘Sersha’ confusion, though admittedly, I have never met a child saddled with this in real life. It comes up on Mn often enough for it to presumably be a real thing, though.

To whoever complained that Lir is ‘not an Irish name’ — well, no, not strictly speaking, but it’s the genitive form of Sea in Old Irish, figures as Mannanán Mac Lir’s father in medieval Irish lit, and the king with bad
taste in subsequent wives in the Children of Lir, and I was not advocating it to the OP, merely saying I liked it. But would never have used it, because of crap chocolates, apart from anything else.

And so much yes to a minority of Irish people butchering names.

Hi- I love Eanna for a boy. There’s a fada over the E. He is the saint for Inis Oirr and it it the Irish spelling for Enda. Also love Oran (can be spelt Odhran but that might be tricky in Oz!) I like Fionn, Cian, Dara and Oisin too- they are quite popular in Ireland atm.
For girls, you can’t go wrong with Orla, Maeve or Roisin!

I'd rarely directly correct people, I just try & repeat it & hope they get it.

Yes, same here.

But (Pallisers) on a Baby Names board where someone asks for opinions of names on a list and supplies intended pronunciations I see nothing wrong with posting corrections. There are too many Sershas whose names are spelled S-o-r-c-h-a.

Sorry final post but attacking people

Where did I do that? 🧐

Seems much more like what you're doing OP 😐

Ps I did comment on 'traditional Irish names', have a read of my earlier posts, perhaps.

Oh and my point about Áine stands: if you're really here, in a Gaeltacht region, 6 months of the year, you'd know it's not Onya. Nothing to do with Australian jokes etc.

I also mentioned that my DDs name is mispronounced daily by Irish people & I don't correct it, much less take offence.

Maybe you should read posts more closely?

Good on ya is an expression used in Ireland too, and the US...

Grand @El2020 but to be fair, I only quoted your own words and asked you about them - so I guess it's you, not me, derailing your own thread 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also I haven't taken 'quick offence', that's rubbish. I've commented on your pronunciations of names - which is the point of the thread, surely?

I also said that talking about 'Irish-Australian' pronunciations, which you did, is ridiculous as there's no such thing

Finally, you made up stuff I didn't say & took offence - talking about me saying you were 'less Irish' which I'd never said.

But I will say, many Irish names are butchered daily by Irish people in Ireland. My own DD's name, despite being, IMO, a straight-forward name to say, is mangled all.the.time

But I'd rarely directly correct people, I just try & repeat it & hope they get it.

So I get where pallisers is coming from & I don't think she could possibly correct the mum about how she said her own DD's name

@mathanxiety you explain pronunciations really well.

'Schwa' is only something I came across myself via my kids' homework. It's covered very well in school.

Sorry about the name-butchery. Ditto for me.

Long E, short a or the schwa in the case of Niamh.

well fine if you think so but I wasn't about to correct a fellow Irish-woman on how she pronounced her own daughter's Irish name. That would have been a bit off don't you think?

It's not a matter of me 'thinking so' when it comes to pronunciation of Niamh (or other names).

IA and UA should always be pronounced as two syllables in Irish. Long E, short a or the schwa.

My own name has been butchered here by an Irish woman, so I'll correct as I see fit.