Interested in feedback: Rory or Dara (for boy), Maggie/Orla or Tara (for girl)

[thunksheadontable]

My child will have an O' something name.

I like Rory (despite the racing car) for a boy at present, but am open to other suggestions. Basically interested in something that sounds vaguely culturally Irish without having a spelling or pronunciation that will pose problems to the average English speaker. Maggie, of course, is not "Irish" at all but a Maggie O' sounds Irish enough for me.

Thoughts? Alternatives?

Shannon

No need to apologise at all!! I just wondered.

Love Dara for a boy. Not so keen on Rory (due to finding it hard not to sing the racing car after saying it).

Not sure on the girls - I do like Orla.

Also just to add I am irish and have a Cara pronounced Cara, as in rhymes with Tara, Dara etc.

I came on to suggest Fionnuala but someone's beat me to it! For me it's pretty, easy to pronounce and spell and has a couple of good nicknames. Shame we're way to english to use it!

Tara was used by Margaret Mitchell as the name of the plantation in Gone With the Wind and became very popular in Irish American circles as a girls' name when that was such a huge hit, coinciding with the arrival of the Irish in the middle class and confidence in their ethnic identity. It's a name that really originated in America, like Erin and Shannon. It's sometimes spelled Terra or Tera as that would be how it is often pronounced. (Megan is another name that is big in Irish America as it is wrongly assumed to be Irish. Same goes for Lauren, Kelsey and Michaela/Kayla).

This is taking up too much space on this thread but I have to disagree about the name originating in America. I get the Gone with the Wind connection as Scarlett's dad was Irish and Irish abroad wanting to call their children something from home etc but the name comes from the high kings of Tara / the Hill of Tara. I think it's also a Hindu name but it's defintely not American.

Yes the name comes from the Hill of Tara, but it was never used in Ireland as a name for anyone until after it had become popular in America, and it started being used as a name in America at the same time that Erin and Shannon were, and neither of those names were used in Ireland either until they made their way east across the Atlantic, along with Kelly.

Margaret Mitchell used the name Tara Hill to emphasise the Irishness of Scarlett O'Hara's heritage. She knew about the high kings, etc. The name suggested royalty, Irishness, a glorious past, all of which made it suitable for the theme of GWTW and simulaneously attractive to Irish Americans in the 1940s and afterwards.

You're probably right - I stand corrected!