ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1340 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1340 ************************************ 11 Nov 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for help choosing the correct form of a Gaelic woman's name meaning "Emer of the Mountains" that might have been in use around 1500. you wondered whether it might be or . Here is what we have found. Before I start, I'd like to clarify the service that the Academy offers. We try to help Societyfolk in choosing and using names that fit the historical cultures they are trying to re-create. Our research can sometimes be used to support submissions to the College of Arms, but that it not our goal and our results are often incompatible with the College's needs. If your main goal is to register a particular name, then we may not be able to help you. was the beloved of Cuchulainn in early Irish mythology [1]. The slash represents an accent on the previous letter. We have found no other use of the name in period. Many names in Irish legend were never used by real people; this appears to be one example. We therefore recommend that you avoid this name. We have found a few Irish names beginning with that were in use in your period, and we thought you might be interested in them. Here they are, with pronunciations [1, 2]. Eibhli/n \EHV-leen\ E/adaoin \AY-deen\ Eileano/ir \AY-ly@-nor\ or \AY-y@-nor\ (an Irish form of ) \@\ represents a schwa, the last vowel sound in . If these names don't appeal to you, we'll be happy to give you a list of other possibilities. Let us know what sort of name you'd like. As a general rule, the Irish very rarely used surnames based on location or geographical features. However, we have found examples of bynames (surnames that describe the individual) meaning "of the Mountain" in medieval Ireland and bynames with analogous meanings in your period. Medieval records include two examples of the byname or "of the Mountains" [3]. These examples are much earlier than your persona and can't be taken as models for your name, but we did find bynames recorded around 1600 that have similar meanings: "David of the Heath", "Emann of the Plain" [4]. Based on these examples, we feel that a byname meaning "of the Mountains" is plausible for your period. Based on other medieval Irish sources, we believe that the name would most likely have taken the form or [3, 5]. is a reasonable name for your period. Women in Gaelic culture were almost always known as their father's daughters. Although you might sometimes have been known by the byname "of the Mountains", you would certainly have used this type of byname on other occasions. Eibhli/n the daughter of Aodh mac Fionn would have been called "Eibhli/n daughter of Aodha". The change in spelling of is required by Gaelic grammar; it puts the name into a possessive form, just as is the possessive of in English. If you'd like to consider some possible names for your father, give us some guidelines and we'll send you a list. For example, let us know what letter or sound you'd like his name to begin with. 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 Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 11 Nov 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990). [2] Carney, James, ed. _Poems on the butlers of Ormand, Cahir and Dunboyne AD 1400-1650_ (Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1945). [3] O'Brien, M. A., ed., _Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae_ (Dublin: The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1976). [4] O/ Clerigh, Lughaidh, _Beatha Aodha Ruaidh Ui/ Dhomhnaill -- Life of Hugh Roe O'Donnell_ ed. Paul Walsh (Irish Texts Society, 1948). [5] Royal Irish Academy, _Dictionary of the Irish Language: based mainly on Old and Middle Irish materials_ (Dublin : Royal Irish Academy, 1983).