ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1203
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1203
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29 Aug 1998
From: Braddon Giles 

Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You wrote to us asking if the name <Sorcha Gallagher> would be correct
for an Irish woman in period.  Here is what we found.

<Sorcha> was relatively common in medieval Ireland and remained in use
down to the 19th century.  It is a very good choice for a first name,
and was pronounced  \SUR-kha\, with the \U\ as in <but>, and the \kh\
represents the sound of <ch> as in the Scottish <loch> or German <Bach>.
Other possible names beginning with <S>, with pronunciations, are as
follows [1]:

     <Sadhbh>    \SIVE\       (like \hive\)
     <Sla/ine>   \SLAHN-yeh\
     <Siobha/n>  \SHEE-vahn\  (from the Norman <Jehanne>)
     <Sibe/al>   \SHEE-bayl\  (from the Norman <Isabel>) 
     <Si/le>     \SHEE-leh\   (from the Norman <Cecile)  

The slash indicates an accent over the previous letter.  Spelling and
pronunciation is appropriate for all these names after c.1200.

<Gallagher> is an English form of the Gaelic family name <O/  
Gallchobhair>.  <O/ Gallchobhair> literally means "[male] descendent of
Gallchobhar", but in practice it meant "[male] member of the O/
Gallchobhair clan".  Women used these family names by calling themselves
the daughters of their fathers.  The Gaelic word for <daughter> is
<inghean> pronounced \IN-yen\.

Gaelic grammar slightly changes the spelling and pronuciation of names,
depending on how they're used.  To show that you are your father's
daughter, his name changes into the possessive form, just as <John's> is
the possessive of <John> in English.  Sometimes there is another
grammatical change, a softening of sounds called "lenition".  We'll show
you how your name is "lenited".

For example, if you were the daughter of <Breaca/n>, a descendent of
<Gallchobhar>, his name could be <Breaca/n o/ Gallchobhair>, and you
could be called <Sorcha inghean Bhreaca/in ui/ Ghallchobhair>.  Your
name is pronounced \SUR-kha IN-yen VRAK-ahn ee GHAHL-khoo-@r\, where \@\
is a schwa, which is the first vowel sound in <about>.  You will notice
that the surnames have changed in this case to become possessive, by the
addition of an "i" near the end, and the first letters are lenited or
softened by the addition of the "h" after them. 

For a shorter form of your name, you could also be called <Sorcha
inghean ui/ Ghallchobhair>, which effectively means "Sorcha of the O/
Gallchobhair clan".  The name is pronounced \SUR-kha IN-yen ee
GHAHL-khoo-@r\.  For your full, formal name, you may choose your
father's first name.  We have an excellent source of pre-1200 Gaelic
masculine names, and suggest that you look here to help your choice:

  http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/irish100/

Gaelic grammar and pronunciation are a little tricky, so please contact
us again once you've chosen your father's given name and we'll be happy
to complete the possessive case and lenition for you.

I hope this letter has been useful.  Please write us again if any part
of it has been unclear or if  you have other questions.  I was assisted
in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek, Arval Benicoeur,
Walraven van Nijmegen and Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn.

For the Academy,

Giles Leabrook.



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References

[1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin:
The Lilliput Press,1990).

[2] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and
Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation) s.n. Gallagher.