Irish Girls Names

[mommiedearest]

Hi

I don't live in Ireland any more and my husband (who isn't Irish) and I have just had a baby girl, who we have called Aine (it is pronounced Awnya - sort of rhymes with sonya)which is a really old Irish name

I think it is a lovely name - Aine means radiance and light and she was the Celtic godess of Fire.

However, some people have been really negative about the name, which is really upsetting.

Am I mad for giving her this Irish name??

Send her to pretty much any CAtholic school in the UK, and she'll have loads of company!

My dc have been at school with (off the top of my head) Aoife, Aibhhean, Meabh, Roisin, Cian, Ciara (several), Grainne, Eoin (several), Cormac, Siobhan, Caoimhe, Aenghus, Niamh, Oonagh, etc etc. It's what I grew up with -- seems normal to me and seems normal to them.

Hi Frogs

Probably will do that anyway, though I hated convent school when I was there! Was very strict

Gorgeous name and anyone Irish would know it

Hi

my daughter is Aine, and we no longer live in N. Ireland. DH is not Irish, so his family did find the name a bit difficult at first, but now have accepted it - I hope!!

It is a beautiful name, and I think my daughter will appreciate it as it reflects part of what she is. Also everything Celtic is very much a la mode these days

Yes, I admit that I have to tell people how to say and spell it, but it is only 4 letters and "Onya" is not difficult to say really. Most people are positive - you will always get a few who are resistant to "strange" names. I think they forget that most "normal" names are Hewbrew or Greek in origin.

Also Sir Menzies Campbell seems to do OK - people know that it should be said Mingus and you meet Irish people everywhere - the receptionist at my doctors is from Co Tyrone and when she called out Aine's name properly I could have kissed her!

So chin up

Irish girl's names are gorgeous ( I should know, I have one!).

I liked Niamh, Saoirse and Caoimhe when I was pregnant with what turned out to be my son :-)

p.s. I always feel like kissing (non Irish) people when they pronounce my name correctly first time. Don't worry. She will probably go through a period of wishing she was called Jane, but in the end, she will love her beautiful Gaelic name :-)

As an anglo-Irish (mainly Irish - I'm half and DH is full) family we went through the whole 'what shall we call them' agonies. My point of reference was a book of Irish names for children. In the end, I copped out because I knew they would spend their lives spelling out and pronouncing for people. DD2 has an easy Irish name, and DD1's is actually welsh, but still gaelic none the less, although easy to pronounce (but people still get it wrong ). It is important to keep these names going or all our children will be called Jake and Emily and how confusing would that be for the teachers of the future?

Gaelic names are beautiful, and have tracecable meanings and origins, which makes them extra special.

Thanks for that - it is very true - there have been Aine's since pre-christian times, so I suppose if we don't use this name and names like it, we are in danger of losing them which would be a shame

If more people use celtic names then it will be a virtuous circle and more people will know how to pronounce and spell them

Exactly right

so c'mon ladies, don't be shy - how about an Irish name for your DD's and DS's

ooh i also teach a Saoirse as well as an Aine and an Aoife

my goodness popsycal you must have loads of Irish ex-pats in your area - it is very encouraging though!

Nuala is lovely - pronounced Noo-la

I have an unusual name that I have to spell and tell people where it is from almost every day of my life but I still love it. It is part of what makes me me. Don't be afraid of encouraging individuality in your children.

i like Fionnuala too - maybe for number 2 or how about Aalin (which means beautiful) from Ellan Vannin's Manx list, it is very pretty and unusual

I know a Nuala too (adult though)

Hi

Niamh - this is the usual Irish spelling and pronounced neve)

Aoife - effa (sort of)

Ffion spelt that way is Welsh I believe - Fionn is the Irish spelling and it is Fee -un

Try baby names of Ireland website

www.babynamesofireland.com to hear pronounciation

I am of on my hols to Ireland now, so bye everyone

my 3 all have Irish names and get called a variety of things, as I do with my Irish name.....
Oh well!

Aine is a fantastic name
I also liked Aislinn " a dream" if I remember rightly, but kept on remembering that it was the brand of exercise books that we used in school.

If I'd had a boy, I quite liked the name Bosco ( means box), Fionn or Diarmuid

You can't call him Bosco - everyone would always think of that Irish children's programme from the 80s!

My dcs all have Irish names too and I've never had any negative comments about them - quite the opposite...

Was it just because they found it difficult to pronounce?

I think adults do have trouble with names from other languages but children don't. My neighbour's children had no trouble learning my children's names and vice versa (they are of Pakistani origin)

My dd has not got any other girls at school with the same name - even though it is quite common in Ireland. I think I will be very disappointed if someone in next year's Reception class has that name! Ds1 by contrast has a name that is not as common but there is another boy in his class with the same name!

I think it's great that the old Irish names are becoming popular again

we have a Roisin and an Aoibh, and I do worry that they are going to spend their whole lives telling people how to spell/pronounce their names (hasn't been an issue yet, but we live in Dublin) ultimately I'd like them to feel proud of their cultural heritage

I've got to agree with kt, it'd be like calling him Bagpuss

Yep I know.. althgough love the name again brings me back to that kids programme and wanderly wanderly wagon!!! Even I couldn't do that!!

Just to clarify we've had many attempts at our names by others but nothing bad.. its just a prenounciation thing. I often have difficulty with many names from other cultures I meet so I'm never worried about how anyone tries to pronounce my name- life much too short for that !

Hi

Back from my hols and I have to say it was a relief that my dd's name was pronounced correctly every time though!

I remember Bosco - though we had a really bad reception cos my Daddy rigged up his own "booster" aerial to get the TV from the ROI (we were in NI). He loved the Lyrics Board and wouldn't miss it! He also had to watch old Gaybo on The Late Late Show and Kenny Live. God rest him, he had awful taste in telly