ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1393 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1393 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* 16 Dec 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information about the names , , , and , and when they were used by Irish women. Here is what we have found. We didn't find in our references. It appears to be either a modern spelling of or an error for . was the name of the mother of Saint Colma/n of Daire Mo/r and also appears in Irish legend. The slash represents an accent on the previous letter. The name appears to have dropped out of use fairly early, so we only recommend this name for persona no later than the 10th century. It is pronounced \DIE-ree-ny@\ with the first syllable like the word , and the \@\ representing schwa, the last vowel sound in . is a late-medieval spelling (post-1200) of a name that was earlier spelled . Both forms are pronounced roughly \DAHR-@n\. This name also appears in Irish mythology, but it is also recorded in the 11th century and later in period [1, 2]. , with only one , is a late-medieval spelling of . It was a relatively common name in early Ireland, but did not persist into the later Middle Ages. It is pronounced \LAHS-ir\, with the as in . You may also be interested in the similar name (early) or (late), pronounced \LAHS-ir-EE-n@\. This name was common throughout much of our period, and remained common in Connacht into modern times [1, 2]. , with an accent, is an ancient Gaelic name that remained popular through the Middle Ages, and was common in the north of Ireland until modern times [1]. It is also a fine choice. It is pronounced \GRAH-ny@\. We cannot find in any of our references, and it does not appear to be an Irish name. It may be a variant spelling of , which is a modern name [3]. In our period, a woman in Irish Gaelic culture was known primarily as her father's daughter. For example, Gra/inne, daughter of Domnall, would have been called (early) or "Gra/inne, daughter of Domnall". The spelling changes in are required by Gaelic grammar. You can find all the details of how to construct period Gaelic names in these articles on the web: Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/quickgaelicbynames/ Feminine Names from the Index to O'Brien's "Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae" http://www.us.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/docs/irish-obrien.html You can find a list of period Gaelic men's names, from which you can choose your father's name, at: 100 Most Popular Men's Names in Early Medieval Ireland http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/irish100/ Irish pronunciation and grammar are tricky, so feel free to write us again once you've chosen a name or two that interests you, and we'll be happy to verify the details for you. We 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. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 16 Dec 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990), s.nn. Da/irine, Doirend, Lassar, Lassar Fhi/na, Gra/inne. [2] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation), s.nn. Doireann, Lasairfhi/ona. [3] "Concerning the Names Brianna, Branna, Brenna, and Brenda", The Problem Names Project (WWW: Sharon L. Krossa, 1997). http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/problemnames/brianna.html - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Correction, 18 Oct 2001, Arval: After a word ending in 'n', like , the letters 'D' and 'T' do not lenite. Correction, 26 Feb 2007, Aryanhwy: Later research reveals that that is a modern (post-period) spelling of the name, and that we have no evidence for the name after the 11th century. See Report #2330 for more details.