A tremendous resource and reference book, with almost a thousand Irish names culled from works going back to the early medieval period with the historical background for each. Useful in tracing family roots and even for seeking out unique Irish names for a new family member.
Irish Names
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
By morgan1
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
i ordered this book as im expecting and we would like an irish babys name.
its a great little book with some fantastic names and also the true meaning of the names.
we had googled irish baby names in the past but we found that many of then were modernised or americanised and not names that we would ever associate with being irish ( im irish and live in ireland) .
this book is great! :)
its a great little book with some fantastic names and also the true meaning of the names.
we had googled irish baby names in the past but we found that many of then were modernised or americanised and not names that we would ever associate with being irish ( im irish and live in ireland) .
this book is great! :)
By Ms. S. Duffy
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I used this book to help me choose names for my children many years ago and have just bought it for my niece who is expecting my first great niece/nephew. It's an interesting book in it's own right even if the patter of little feet is not anticipated. The names included are the original Irish names rather than the Americanized versions you find on the internet and in many baby name books.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very useful in tracing Irish roots
13 Nov 1998
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This book has been very handy in tracing back the Irish side of my family. The tradition in Ireland was to name the firstborn son after the father's father, the firstborn daughter after the father's mother, the secondborn son after the mother's dad and the secondborn daughter after the mother's mother. So from looking at the names of your Irish grandmother's siblings, for example, you can make a pretty good guess as to her grandparents' names. However, during the 19th Century and even before, Irish names were being traded in for English-sounding names. So your grandfather Bernard might be named after his grandfather Brian, or Anthony might be named after Hewney, since both names can be used to anglicize the Irish name Uaithne. This book is a big help with such translations. It also provides a bit of history on many Irish names, plus some guidance with pronunciation. It seems like quite an impressive piece of scholarship. Also recommended: Irish First Names, by Ronan Coghlan, which takes a somewhat lighter tone but is still a useful reference.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Source for Historical Recreationists (i.e. SCA)
25 July 1999
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This book is a top-notch source for those in the Society for Creative Anachronism, who wish to register an Irish name for their personna. The names are dated to the time of their popularity, and several spelling variations are provided. Also, the pronounciation guide in the beginning of the book is of great benefit to those trying to wrap there toungues around Gaelic.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not incredibly useful to non-scholars
21 Nov 2003
By Domhnall O'Donnchadha
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The 3 out of five rating is based on a few things:
Firstly, as explained in its introduction, almost all newer names are omitted. Their justification is fine, but at the same time they purport usage for modern naming purposes.
Secondly, the positioning of older forms first and modern versions second is in my opinion, entirely wrongheaded. It poises the book on the verge of total irrelavance for anything other than historical research. This is emblematic in the greatest problem to my eye: the lack of a 'buailte' (the little dot) over certain consonants and the lack of a following 'h' to indicate the same thing. For those new to the language, this is widely misleading. No one should see "dub" as the translation of 'black' when the modern spelling, "dubh," actually aids in pronunciation, understanding, transliteration to English, and overall relavance.
Firstly, as explained in its introduction, almost all newer names are omitted. Their justification is fine, but at the same time they purport usage for modern naming purposes.
Secondly, the positioning of older forms first and modern versions second is in my opinion, entirely wrongheaded. It poises the book on the verge of total irrelavance for anything other than historical research. This is emblematic in the greatest problem to my eye: the lack of a 'buailte' (the little dot) over certain consonants and the lack of a following 'h' to indicate the same thing. For those new to the language, this is widely misleading. No one should see "dub" as the translation of 'black' when the modern spelling, "dubh," actually aids in pronunciation, understanding, transliteration to English, and overall relavance.
The strength of the book is its breadth. If you already understand the manners of Irish naming custom, and certainly you'll need exposure to pronunciation, you will make much use of this book. Further, it draws from a number of the best quality sources.
This is certainly not a baby-naming book. Nor is it relavant for anything regarding modern naming conventions. For these subjects I would recommend the small but very dense and accurate, 'Irish First Names,' by Ronan Coghlan and the many sources which draw strongly from or rewrite/edit the works of Father Patrick Woulfe. I don't wish to speculate, but O Corrain & Maguire seem to fly in the face of Woulfe's earlier research. This book is most valuable to SCA members and sometime scholars.
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4.4 out of 5 stars
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