Grainne / Irish names

[Mamu]

Lot's of Irish Grandchildren (6) in this Italian Family. Two names that are always mispronounced.

Deidre-Day dre
Caoilinn-Kay o lynn

 

[walden]

Lot's of Irish Grandchildren (6) in this Italian Family. Two names that are always mispronounced.

Deidre-Day dre
Caoilinn-Kay o lynn

Just as a matter of interest -- what do Deidre (quite easy) and Caoilinn (not so easy) do to cope?

Or are they too tiny to have to deal with it? Yet.

Enquiring minds do want to know.

 

[Buckeye Princess]

Just wanted to say that I love traditional Irish names.

 

[debster812]

DS plays soccer with a boy who's parents are from Ireland. They have 4 kids, and ALL four of them have Irish-Gaelic names. I can now pronounce all of them, but I cannot for the life of me spell 3 of them. I can only spell the one who is on DS's team.

They are a lovely family, and the names really do seem to suit all four kids.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

I wanted irish names for my kids - but I did try to make it easier for them. My eldest is Ciarán (we've met a couple in recent years and teachers seem to be fine with it) and Declan (seems more unique than his brother's but you can't really mess it up)

I love the name Declan. As for Grainne, I wasn't sure how it would be pronounced, but I knew it wouldn't be "grain". I like it... but then again, I always love Irish names. They're so... comforting and beautiful.

I knew a Maire once. It's pronounced like Mara/Marah.

When I saw the movie Atonement, I remember coming home to imdb the actress who played young Briony. She was played by Saoirse Ronan and ever since that day I have adored the name Saoirse.

As someone who has a very, very easy and common name but prefers a shortened version of it I have to say that people are always going to have problems with names. I want to bite people's heads off when they call me by my given name and not the name I prefer.

So... if you love a name, use it.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Obviously!!

I just mean, I look at it from that perspective and it's hard for me to make those letters make those sounds.

And what I'm saying is that to do that is completely illogical. It's like looking at algebra and trying to make sentences.

Irish has a completely different sytax and grammar structure, and a different alphabet.

Using English language rules to attempt to make Irish "sound" right is completely wrong. It simply does not work.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh ...and the doggie is Molly!

That particular torture MUST end!!!!!! No more dogs named Molly, I'm begging you all.....

And my elementary school "enemy" with a HORSE named Molly, well, yeah...years of resentment over that one.

I love both those names, but having a hard to pronounce and frequently miss-spelled first name myself wonder whether you know the years of misery your child will experience with an *odd* name.

It is a curse. Just saying . . .

It's not a curse. All the Lisas and Marys want to be something else, something more fun.

And Elizabeth isn't simple, because half spell it with an S and half with a Z. And do you KNOW how hard a handwriting Z is to make in the middle of that name? I should know, I chose the stupid thing in elementary school...I had a basic choice for a middle name...Marie or Elis/zabeth (b/c that's what everyone else was, and I wanted to fit in b/c I was a follower extraordinaire), and I went with the difficult one.

I was a Molly and highly embarrassed to be one, wanted to be Stephanie or Lisa...or at least Mollie or Molli...my friends with basic names loved my name, it goes on and on, no one is ever content, and people ask how to spell my name ALL the time.

Using English language rules to attempt to make Irish "sound" right is completely wrong. It simply does not work.

I think that what she is saying is that it doesn't matter what her logical brain does; her brain keeps on wanting to say things in a certain way no matter what.

 

[MichelleVW]

I would have no idea how to pronounce that one and around my neighborhood they would probably say Granny!!

 

[Sparx]

I would have no idea how to pronounce that one and around my neighborhood they would probably say Granny!!

The more I look at it, it does look like granny!

 

[portocall]

My name, if my mother had her way was originally going to be Caraid. Pronounced, I was told as "Ca RAID". When spoken by an Irish speaker, it is quite pretty, but not so much in American. Thankfully my dad intervened and it was shortened to just Cara. Not that I particularly care for it, and it has plenty of different ways to be pronounced all on its own. I am grateful that I wasn't stuck with being called bug spray all my life. That being said, I do have a Logan. My other two sons have English names.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I love Irish names. My favs are Aoife and Orla. My next puppy may be Aoife.

I just finished student teaching in January, one of the little girls in my class had a sister named Orla....the little girl in my class was 1 of 6!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I love the name Declan. As for Grainne, I wasn't sure how it would be pronounced, but I knew it wouldn't be "grain". I like it... but then again, I always love Irish names. They're so... comforting and beautiful.

I knew a Maire once. It's pronounced like Mara/Marah.

When I saw the movie Atonement, I remember coming home to imdb the actress who played young Briony. She was played by Saoirse Ronan and ever since that day I have adored the name Saoirse.

As someone who has a very, very easy and common name but prefers a shortened version of it I have to say that people are always going to have problems with names. I want to bite people's heads off when they call me by my given name and not the name I prefer.

So... if you love a name, use it.

I love Declan too!

 

[MichelleVW]

The more I look at it, it does look like granny!

Just asked DH and DD17 and they both came up with Granny.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I love Declan too!

Which can also be spelt Deaghlan!!

 

[Mermaid02]

My sister in law was born here in the U.S. but all 4 of her brothers were born in Ireland- my nieces and nephew are Ainsley, Colin, and Kiera.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Yesterday, at the entrance to DAK, I saw a young girl wearing Mickey Ears.

The name embroidered on the back was, Earynne. I had no clue until I heard someone with her call her name.

Erin.

So, spelling of a name can be confusing and not have much to do with the actual pronounciation regardless of culture base.

Developing a sense of asking how to correctly pronounce a name, is far more respectful than dismissing an unusual name with "I'd just say XXX."

I work with a man named Jenione. I had to ask how to pronounce it.

So his Mother should have named him something else?

I find no shame in admitting right up front that I don't know how to pronounce a given name. It's on ME, not on the person with the name.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

Which can also be spelt Deaghlan!!

Oooh, I like that!~

Yesterday, at the entrance to DAK, I saw a young girl wearing Mickey Ears.

The name embroidered on the back was, Earynne. I had no clue until I heard someone with her call her name.

Erin.

So, spelling of a name can be confusing and not have much to do with the actual pronounciation regardless of culture base.

Developing a sense of asking how to correctly pronounce a name, is far more respectful than dismissing an unusual name with "I'd just say XXX."

I work with a man named Jenione. I had to ask how to pronounce it.

So his Mother should have named him something else?

I find no shame in admitting right up front that I don't know how to pronounce a given name. It's on ME, not on the person with the name.

So how is Jenione pronounced?

My last name is always butchered and it never bothers me when someone asks how to pronounce it. I don't see why a first name would be any different

 

[mjkacmom]

I wanted irish names for my kids - but I did try to make it easier for them. My eldest is Ciarán (we've met a couple in recent years and teachers seem to be fine with it) and Declan (seems more unique than his brother's but you can't really mess it up)
!

There are WAY more Declans than even Johns here - a dime a dozen! I have an Irish name, spelled differently, with a silent letter, and would NEVER do that to my kids! Even my parents now admit it was a bad idea. I spell it the traditional way many times, so that people won't hesitate to call (birthday RSVP's, furniture deliveries, etc.).

There are many beautiful Irish names with photenical spellings - trust me, having a unique one is not fun.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Jenione.

HEN nee OHN neh. I would have NEVER guessed that and I consider myself to have some working understanding of several languages.

Asking when done with grace or tact is never wrong.

I used to work with a man who spelled his name Yan. His mother is a school teacher and his father is a private business owner. Only saying that to put it in context.

He worked retail as a part time job as a college student. One of his coworkers was heard by a customer calling his name (EE an, or Ian for a more conventional spelling).

When the customer got to the register and saw his name tag the customer asked him if his "Mother was on drugs when she named you, since she can't spell Ian?"

The point of that whole thing is it's on the person who doesn't understand how to say the name to learn it, NOT on the person who has the unusual name to be treated badly for having an unusual name.

 

[KatieG73]

I gave my daughter an Irish name - Niamh (pronounced Neeve) occasionally people pronounce it wrong but the majority of people here in Scotland know the spelling.

The other Irish name I liked when was pregnant was Siofra (sheafra) but it's a rarer name that not many people would know how to pronounce.