ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2635
http://www.s-gabriel.org/2635
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* NOTE: Later research turned up additional     *
*       information relevant to this report.    *
*       See the end of the letter for details.  *
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11 Mar 2003
From: Josh Mittleman 


Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You asked whether <Cillin mac Lorcan Ua Maelan> or <Cillan mac Lorcan Ua
Maelan> is an appropriate name for an 11th century Irishman.  Here is
what we have found.

As far as we know, neither <Cillin> nor <Cillan> is a medieval Irish
name in just those spellings.  However, both could be partly
anglicized spellings of any of several early medieval Irish names:
<Cilli/ne>, <Cuile/n>, <Ca/ela/n>, and <Cella/n>.  Some of these names
are appropriate for your period: A man named <Cuile/n> died in 1065
[1].  We have found <Cilli/ne> in use only in the 8th and 9th
centuries [1, 2, 3, 4], and <Cella/n> only in the 8th century [5, 6],
but they may have remained in use until your period.  <Ca/elan> was an
early medieval Irish name, but we haven't found a dated example [1].

These names were pronounced:

  Cella/n   \K(y)EL-ahn\
  Cuile/n   \KOOL-yehn\, with \OO\ as in <foot>
  Ca/ela/n  \KEY-lahn\, with \EY\ pronounced like <eye>
  Cilli/ne  \KIL-l(y)ee-n(y)@\

The symbol \K(y)\ represents a \K\ blended with a bit of the \y\ in
<yet>, like the first sound in the word <cute>.  The sounds \l(y)\ and
\n(y)\ are analogous.  \@\ represents the sound of the <a> in <about>
or <soda>.

<Lorcan> is a later-period spelling of the name <Lorcca/n>.  It was a
very common name in early medieval Ireland, and was the name of three
kings in the 9th and 10th centuries [7].  We have found several
examples from your period [8].  In your name, Irish grammar requires
the genitive (possessive) form of the name, i.e. <Cuile/n mac
Lorcca/in>.  The extra 'i' in <Lorcca/in> serves the same purpose as
the <'s> in English <John's>.  The phrase <mac Lorcca/in> was
pronounced \mahk LOR-kahn~\.

The given name <Maela/n> was used in your period [9].  It certainly
could have been the basis of a clan byname <ua Maela/in> (again
requiring the genitive form of the name), but we haven't found an
example of that clan name from your period.  In your period, if the
clan byname appeared directly after your given name, it would most
often have been written <hua Maela/in> and pronounced \OO@ MEY-lahn~\,
where \EY\ again represents the sound of the word <eye> but \OO\ here
is the vowel in <hoot>.  \OO@\ represents a diphthong.  If you include
your father's given name as well as the clan byname, then the initial
\M\ sound softens to \V\ [10] and the word <hua> changes to its
genitive form <hui/>; <hui/ Maela/in> in the full name was pronounced
\wee VEY-lahn~\.

In summary, <Cuile/n mac Lorcca/in hui/ Maela/in> is a fine 11th
century Irish name.  <Cilli/ne>, <Ca/ela/n>, or <Cella/n> might also
be appropriate in place of <Cuile/n>.


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 Mari neyn Brian,
Talan Gwynek, Julie Stampnitzky, Adelaide de Beaumont, and Aryanhwy
merch Catmael.

For the Academy,


  Arval Benicoeur
  11 Mar 2003


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References

[1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The
Lilliput Press, 1990), s.nn. Ca/ela/n, Cille/ne, Cuile/n.

[2] Donnchadh O/ Corra/in, ed., "Annals of Inisfallen" (WWW: CELT: Corpus
of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork, Ireland,
2000), entry I740.1, <Cilline, abb Ti/re da Glass>.
http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100004/

[3] Donnchadh O/ Corra/in & Mavis Cournane, "The Annals of Ulster" (WWW:
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College,
Cork, Ireland, 1997), entry U817.11 <Cilleni, abbas Fernann>.
<Cilleni> is a genitive form of <Cilli/ne>.
http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100001/.

[4] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh, ed., "Annals of Tigernach" (WWW: CELT: Corpus
of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork, Ireland,
1996), entries T725.1 <Cilline nepos Collae, ab Athaine Moire> and
T752.10 <Cilline maic Congaile>.
http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100002/

[5] Annals of Ulster, entries U706.4 <Cellan m. Sechnusaigh>, 
U750.8 <Comarpaigh filii Ceallain abbatis Cille More Einir>, and
U753.5 <Cellain abbatis Cluana Ferta Brenaind>.

[6] Annals of the Hour Masters, entries M704.3 <Cealla/n, mac
Seachnasaigh, eccnaidh>, M745.5 <Comorbach, mac Cellain, ab Cille
Mo/ir Inir>, and M748.4 <S. Cellan, abb Cluana Fe_rta Bre_nainn>

[7] O/ Corrain and Maguire, s.n. Lorcca/n.

[8] Annals of Ulster, entries U1033.1 <Lorcan H. Caindelban, ri/
Loegaire>, U1078.1 <Lorcan H. Briain do ecaibh>.

[9] Annals of Ulster, entries U1051.4 <Laidhgnen m. Maelain, ri
U1009.3 <Maelan, .i. in Gai Moir, ri/ H. Dorthaind>, U1018.3 <Maelan
m. Eicnigh H. Lorcan, ri Galeng & Tuath Luighne>.

[10] More precisely, the lenited \M\ becomes \BH\, which is the sound
you get by making a \V\ sound with your two lips vibrating together
rather than your lower lip vibrating against your upper teeth.

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Correction, 27 Oct 2003, Arval & Mari: A clan affiliation byname that
is included in a patronymic always undergoes lenition.  And the
patronymic marker <hua> must be put into the genitive form in the full
name.

Correction, 23 Feb 2010, Aryanhwy: The report originally recommended
<Lorca/inn>, and gave the header name in [7] as <Lorca/nn>.  The
correct header is actually <Lorcca/n>, with two <c>s and one <n>,
and we have corrected <Lorca/inn> to <Lorcca/in> throughout.