ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1333 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1333 ************************************ From: "Rachel Cates " 29 Dec 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted to use or as a masculine Irish name. Here is the information we've found: We've never seen the spelling in period or in modern use. We're guessing it's a modern spelling variant of , which was common in Irish from the 12th or 13th century onward. isn't a valid alternate spelling in pre-1600 Gaelic: It would be pronounced \SHONE\ rather than \SHAWN\, which is the pronouncation of . The slash in the names represents an accent over the previous letter.[1] was an Irish borrowing of the Norman name . The Norman settlement of Ireland dates to the 12th century. The name seems to have been borrowed soon afterward, so is a fine name for a persona after the 12th century.[1] If you would like to set your persona before that date then we recommend that you look at the article "100 Most Popular Men's Names in Early Medieval Ireland" which you can find at: http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/irish100/ and are English spellings of two different Gaelic family names, and or . Both were in use well before our period. The former was pronounced \oh MEL-@kh-l@n\, the latter \oh LOHKH-lahn\ and \oh LAHKH-lahn\. The \@\ represents the sound of the 'a' in 'sofa'. Either would be a fine choice if you set your persona after the 10th century.[2] Gaelic-speaking Irishmen in our period were usually known as their father's sons. Sea/n the son of Aodh would have been called . After the 10th century or so, he might also be known by a clan or family name: Sea/n of the O/ Lochlainn clan could be called . You could even use both bynames together: \SHAWN mahk AY-@ ee MEL-@kh-l@n\ "Sea/n, son of Aodh O/ Maoilsheachlainn". Even if you used a clan name regularly, you would have been known as your father's son in formal circumstances. If you'd like to choose a given name for your father, you can use the name list we recommended earlier. You will see each name listed there in its two forms. The first is the normal form; the second is the possessive form, which is the one you should use in your name after . If you'd like to double-check the grammar and pronunciation, please feel free to write us again. We hope that this letter has been useful to you. Please do not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Additional research and commentary on this letter was provided by Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Arval d'Espas Nord, and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Eithni ingen Cormacc References: [1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990). s.n Seaan. [2] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation). s.nn. O/ Maoilsheachlainn, O/ Lochlainn.