ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2064
http://www.s-gabriel.org/2064
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12 May 2000
From:  (Josh Mittleman)


Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You asked whether <Sorcha inghean Murchadha> or <Sorcha inghean ui
Mhurchadha> is a correct name for an Irish woman living in 1100-1350.  This
letter is a brief answer to your question.

The elements of your name are fine, but the way you've combined them isn't
quite right.  Gaelic spelling underwent a significant change around 1200,
so we will recommend different spellings before and after that date.

<Sorcha> and <Murchad> were both relatively common names in medieval
Ireland.  <Sorcha> was spelled the same way throughout our period; but
<Murchad> is the early medieval spelling of that name.  After c.1200, it
was usually <Murchadh> [1].

The correct form of your name depends on what you want it to mean.  If you
want <Murchad> to be your father's name, then you should call yourself
<Sorcha ingen Murchada> (before 1200) or <Sorcha inghean Mhurchadha>
(later).  In either spelling, the name would have been pronounced \SOR-kh@
EEN-yen VUR-kh@-dh@\.  In this pronunciation, \@\ represents the schwa
sound of the <a> in <sofa>, \dh\ stands for the sound of the <th> in
<this>, and \kh\ represents the voiced version of the rasping <ch> sound in
the Scottish word <loch> or German <Bach>.  The shift from \M\ to \V\ at
the beginning of the father's name is the result of a grammatical rule in
Gaelic called "lenition".

On the other hand, if you want your name to mean "Sorcha of clan O/
Murchadha", then you should use the name <Sorcha ingen ui/ Murchada> (early
spelling) or <Sorcha inghean ui/ Mhurchadha> (after 1200).  The slash in
the names represents a sharp accent mark on the preceding letter.  The
phrase <inghean ui/ Mhurchadha>, pronounced \EEN-yen ee VUR-kh@-dh@\,
literally means "daughter of O/ Murchadha" and was used to mean "female
member of clan O/ Murchadha".


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, Mari neyn Brian, Antonio Miguel Santos de Borja, and
Aelfwyn aet Gyrwum.

For the Academy,


  Arval Benicoeur
  12 May 2000


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References

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