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Think very hard about giving your baby an Irish name unless you live in Ireland!

213 replies

sunnydelight · 25/03/2008 04:10

DD is called Aoife. I am Irish and my mum died when I was pregnant so giving her an Irish name seemed very important to me even though I was living in the UK (as well as giving her her grandmother's name as a middle name). Five years later I want to scream. No, she is not called EeTHa, or A-o-fie. I have a smile permanently pasted to my face explaining that of course I wouldn't expect anyone to know how to spell or pronounce such a strange name, but it is pronounced Ee-fa. I even write it phonetically in brackets when I fill in forms now. I remind her swimming teacher (with a smile on my face) every week, ditto the guy who runs the gym club. I am glad that I am not allowed to watch her ballet class so I don't have to listen to what they call her. We have just had a friend around (first Aussie playdate so every excited) and her friend's mum called her EeTHa throughout. I have already explained how to pronounce it so resorted to the usual "mirror it back the correct way" every time. No deal. Don't do it to your babies, please don't do it

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zephyrcat · 26/03/2008 12:11

How do you spell Christie as an I rish name? When I had DD3 there was a lady in the bed opposite who had called her DS Christie but with an Irish spelling and it sounded lovely but I've never remembered how she spelt it... think it started Croi....

stleger · 26/03/2008 13:32

Peig - now that would be a great name to re-introduce!

belgo · 26/03/2008 14:02

How do you pronounce Pieg?

branflake81 · 26/03/2008 14:07

I think it's not unreasonable for people to have difficulty with a name which is not spelled phonetically in their language. As an earlier poster said, it's not an "English/Irish" issue per se, merely that in all other languages the succession of letters AOIFE doesn't make immediate sense.

Lmccrean · 26/03/2008 14:18

dd is eva, but gets called aoife very very often! (we live in n.ireland)

MadameCh0let · 26/03/2008 16:36

Winnie the wino, to be honest It doesn't actually bother what other people call their children; whether that's Mohammed or Mairéad. That's their choice, their business, their perogative!

I was explaining why I wouldn't have chosen Irish names for my own children, living as I did at the time in the UK.

I actually really do like to encounter diversity! I do, really but I don't want MY children to be the diverse ones!! IYKWIM.

winniethewino · 26/03/2008 16:49

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MadameCh0let · 26/03/2008 17:01

But it didn't feel like a sacrafice winniethewino!! I did what I wanted to do, for the reasons I explained. I love my children's names. They work in England, Ireland, Australia, NZ, SA.....

I'm not suppressing my Irish side either, my kids are learning gaelic, irish dancing....

There's nothing for me to feel sad about!

stleger · 26/03/2008 17:05

Peig is kind of Paig! Verging on Peg. It was an Irish language biography which made the current tragic bios seem fun, and the bane of schoolkids until it was removed from the Irish course recently.

WatsTheStory · 26/03/2008 17:07

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winniethewino · 26/03/2008 17:10

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stleger · 26/03/2008 17:12

No, Peig is definitely

Buda · 26/03/2008 17:13

Oh God - Peig. It was RIVETING stuff.

WatsTheStory · 26/03/2008 17:13

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RosaIsRed · 26/03/2008 17:14

What Peig is not taught in schools anymore. That is SO not fair. Why shouldn't modern kids have to suffer like we did?

WatsTheStory · 26/03/2008 17:15

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MadameCh0let · 26/03/2008 17:16

None taken at all! It's actually an interesting converstion, and trying to articulate precisely why I didn't pick Irish names made me think.
So I'm quite tired now.

MadameCh0let · 26/03/2008 17:18

Peig!? Oh my God that was so boring. Torture, torture. If they wrote a book about the spider that's been in the corner of my bedroom for the last year, that would be SO much more interesting!!!!

Peig survivor support group!? Well, at 38 I'm over it now, but oh boy it took a few years to forget all about her!

St Leger, are you the same St Leger on Rollercoaster? That bear pit?

stleger · 26/03/2008 17:19

Cathal is horrid! As one of the Sunday's pointed out if he was slinking round outside a boy's school in Dublin in his hat he'd be run out of town. So why should his behaviour towards boys elsewhere be accepted. In his hat, Yuck! I'm sure Peig would agree that all pupils in the state should be cherished equally and my ds would enjoy Irish even less if reading her dronings. I can't think of an English language equivalent of moany moany.

stleger · 26/03/2008 17:21

Yes I am on rollercoaster too, but somebody pointed out I am a laydee, I try to avoid the scarey stuff.

WatsTheStory · 26/03/2008 17:21

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MadameCh0let · 26/03/2008 17:25

Is Susie Wong ('ffs') still the Queen of rollercoaster, and Dennis the King?????

Do all their loyal subjects still agree with them!

MadameCh0let · 26/03/2008 17:28

Oh yeah, that sleazy poet guy? What a deluded ol' bastard. I keep reading about how his feelings have been hurt. Well, I pity the poor Nepalese boys who have sold their souls for a bicycle..... It's so sad. THink of all he could have done for them.. He's a grubby disgusting man.

stleger · 26/03/2008 17:34

Vile. In my socialist eyes there is no royalty anywhere! (Who are you Madame C?)

MadameCh0let · 26/03/2008 17:41

I am Coco. Do you remember me!!!? You had better say yes!

I fell out with King Dennis. I challenged him on a couple of points. He doesn't grasp that his viewpoint is... his viewpoint.

We've patched things up over the e-mail. But I don't want to post on RC again. I glanced in recently and there were threads about bitching and I thought I wasn't missing much. Susie Wong still dribbles on and on and on I don't dislike her posts, just her self-appointed Queen of the board position....

About a week ago I got sucked in to Mumsnet. Far less nasty. Less of a bear pit altogether. Mostly Laydeeeeez here in fact