ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1871
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1871
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From: "Sara L Friedemann" 
16 Dec 1999

Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You wanted to know if <Renny> was used as an anglicization of the Irish
feminine name <Rathnait> between 1250 and 1400.  You also wanted to know if
this would be appropriate with the surname <O'Shaughnessy>, or if it should
be <inghean Shaughnessy>.  If none of these was appropriate, you asked for
similar suggestions.  Here is the information we have found.

The only example that we found of <Rathnait> was the name of an early saint,
who lived at a time when the name was spelled <Rathnat>. [1]  However, we do
believe that <Rathnait> was occasionally used until the 19th century, or so,
because <Renny> exists as a modern anglicization of the name.    However, we
have no evidence that the anglicization <Renny> existed in your period.
[3,4]

There is a similar name to <Rathnait> that was very popular in your period:
<Raghnailt>. [1]  It was pronounced \RAHGH-n@ltch\.  The \gh\ represents the
voiced version of the hard, rasping <ch> sound found in Scottish <loch> and
German <Bach>, and the \@\ represents the initial vowel sound in <about>.

<O'Shaughnessy> is a modern English form of the clan name <O/ Seachnasaigh>,
where the slash represents an accent over the previous letter.  The correct
feminine form of this for your period would be <inghean ui/ Sheachnasaigh>,
pronounced \EEN-y@n ee HAHKH-n@-see\. [2]  (The changes in spelling and
pronunciation of <Seachnasaigh> to <Sheachnasaigh> are requirements of
Gaelic grammar.)  For example, <Raghnailt> the daughter of a man named
<Conall O/ Seachnasaigh> would have been called <Raghnailt inghean ui/
Sheachnasaigh>.  This name literally means "Raghnailt daughter of O/
Seachnasaigh," and was used to mean "Raghnailt of the O/ Seachnasaigh clan."

We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not
hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further
questions.  Research and commentary on this letter was provided by
Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Talan Gwynek, Arval Benicoeur, and
Walraven van Nijmegen.

For the Academy,
~Aryanhwy merch Catmael
   December 16, 1999

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References:

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

[2] MacLysaght, Edward, _The Surnames of Ireland_ (Dublin: Irish Academic
Press Ltd., 1985, ISBN 0-7165-2366-3). s.n. Shaughnessy

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

[4] Coghlan, Ronan, _Irish Christian Names_ (London: Johnston and Bacon,
1979). s.n. Renny