need help with cultural baby name- calling all ULSTERMUMS!!!

[bebejam]

Sorry, I had no idea where to post this... but DH and I are running out of time to settle on a baby name and need help!!!!

DH is from Northern Ireland, and fancies the idea of a name (for a girl) that reflects this heritage. The catch- (and really sorry if this rubs anyone the wrong way- not intended!) is that while DH is a very loving, non-bigoted kind of guy- his family are a bit freaky (IMO) so we'd have to find something that wouldn't set them off. (They are dyed-in-the-wool unionists..so for example "Sinead" probably wouldn't go down well)

Any ideas for an Ulster-scots girls name? Please! Any and all ideas very welcomed!!!

Fiona
Deirdre
Caroline

Senga?

Saoirse (LOL, only joking)

So what you need is an Irish name that has become anglicised (is that the right word?).

Deirdre, Eilish, Claire, Darcy, Emer, Fiona, Teagan...

Is that the type of thing you are looking for?

I am Tara my sister is Erin and my other sister Clare - all good names and not too freaky either for DH's family - have similar in laws myself.

Maeve, Aoife, Clodagh, Dervla, Nuala, Niamh, Aine, Kerry - not sure if these are all a bit too Irishy. Will have another think.

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How about "Dirty Rotten Feee Stater"

IONA

St. Colmcille founded his monastery on Iona, the island between Ireland and Scotland in 563 AD and thus the name is associated with "blessed."

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Lucky you, you know exactly how to get rid of the inlaws if you ever felt the urge!!
What about Ashling - meaning dream or vision. Is a Gaelic word but has been adopted the world over.
Or Alanna/Alannah also from a Gaelic word, can be shortened to Lana which is nice and you can say its after Lana Turner or something like that!!!!
Dara is also pretty - thats a Scots/Irish name seemingly and like the male version means like oak or
Drew shortened and can be female of Andrew..or from the celtic means dealer in magic!!

"Dirty Rotten Feee Stater"

I still think it has such a ring to it don't you ?

PMSL at some of the replies here nice one eefs. I think Maeve is lovely and not too Irishy provided they dont dig to deep into the history of the name and all that.

Have you checked out some of the websites? Poor dp got subjected to them all and vetoed most on the basis he couldnt pronounce them at all even after several attempts.

here

Emer is nice and she was the wife of CuChullain the champion of Ulster

Ooohh, I think Iona is lovely too. (I can see DH thinking it a bit daft- but then he suggested naming it "Fermanagh" which I vetoed)

Kathleen and Arlene have come up too (the first being more popular with DH than the latter)

I like Fiona, but DH doesn't.

MIL's middle name is Ena, which means "fiery" in Irish. I figure if it is her middle name, she can't mind it too much. But someone said Ena is an "old lady spinster name", whatever that means..

ugh. I didn't realize baby naming was so difficult....
keep the ideas coming- all very helpful!

Shannon?

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Iona seems to fit the bill well - so long as your surname isn't the same as some kind of purchasable item. YKWIM - Iona House or Iona Carr might lead to some hilarity in the playground.

From experience even Fiona and Deirdre sets some of the less broad-minded defiantly-British Northern Irish off, never mind Ashling/Aisling, Kathleen/Caitlin or Keira/Ciara.

Catriona, Alanna, Elspeth and Heather are good Scots names less likely to cause offence. But hey - she's your daughter not your ILs' - she needs a name that suits her, not someone else's politics.

ooh, we had exactly that problem. When I told the IL's some our favourites (Nuala, Iona, Euan and Ardal) MIL said, 'oh dear, some of those are awful Catholic'. When I said they reflect DH's Irish heritage she responeded, 'we're BRITISH, not Irish'. Oh, how I love to wind them up