ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1583 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1583 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* 8 Mar 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked if is an appropriate name for a 16th century Irishwoman. This letter is a brief answer to your question. is an intermediate spelling of a name that was occasionally used in early medieval Ireland by both men and women. The more typical early spelling is . A more common early medieval feminine name was [1, 2]. was pronounced \MEER-yeen~\, where the \n~\ is like the Spanish in . was pronounced roughly \MEER-yen\. was the name of a god in pre-Christian Irish mythology and later of a saint. It was occasionally used in the O Brody family of Thomond [2]. There is a modern surname , which probably existed in late period, too [3]. The word (spelled with an accent on the ) did not exist in Gaelic until after our period. It evolved from the phrase , used in Gaelic to identify a woman as a member of a clan. That is to say, the daughter of a man named would have been called . This name literally means "Mo/r daughter of O/ Daire", and was used to mean "Mo/r of the O/ Daire clan". The additional in is required by Gaelic grammar, and it represents a change in pronunciation. In the 16th century, this name would have been pronounced \MEER-yeen~ nee GHAH-ry@\. The modern arose to represent the late-period contracted pronunciation of that we've suggested here. \@\ is a schwa, the final sound in . The symbol \ry\ represents a single consonant, a "palatalized r", that sounds like a blend of \r\ and \y\. \GH\ is the voiced version of the raspy sound in the Scottish word or the German . If you intend your name to mean "daughter of Da/ire", then the correct translation for your period is , pronounced \MEER-yeen~ IN-yen DAH-ry@\. In your previous letter, you wanted to use a form of the name as your surname. We've found a possibility that may appeal to you. There was a family , or in Gaelic . If you want to identify yourself as a member of that family, you could call yourself , pronounced roughly \MEER-yeen~ nee VROO-@-djai\. \djai\ rhymes with . We hope this brief letter has been useful. Please write us again if you have any questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 8 Mar 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990), s.nn. Muirenn, Muirgen. They mention an early abbot and say "As a female name, its most famous bearer is the half-pagan, half-christian Muirgen, also known as Li/ Ban... According to story, she lived for three hundred years in the waters of Lough Neagh..." This mermaid is not evidence that the name was used by real people; but the phrase "its most famous bearer" implies that the authors found other examples of the name. [2] O/ Riain, Pa/draig, ed., _Corpus Genealogiarum Sanctorum Hiberniae_ (Dublin: The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1985). He lists an Irish priest named . [3] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Correction, 18 Oct 2001, Arval: After a word ending in 'n', like , the letters 'D' and 'T' do not lenite. Correction, 3 Jan 2003, Arval: Re-wrote the paragraph on to eliminate the endorsement of it as a late-period name. Our only evidence of it is indirect in [1], and probably early medieval.