ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3177 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3177 ************************************ 9 Sep 2006 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if is an appropriate name for a 13th-century Irishman living in Kildare. You also asked about information on heraldic arms. Here is what we have found. With a few minor changes, your name is fine. The spelling isn't quite right; the name in question was spelled in the Old and Middle Irish period (c. 700 - c. 1200), and in the Early Modern Irish period (c. 1200 - c. 1700). For the 13th century, we recommend that you use the spelling . We found examples of this name in 1251, 1278, and 1281, so it is a good choice for your given name. [1] During your period, the name was pronounced roughly \KEL-l@kh\, where \kh\ is the sound of in Scottish or German , and \@\ is the sound of in or . appears to be a misspelling of the Gaelic byname , where the slash represents an acute accent over the previous letter. was the byname of five distinct families in Ireland. [2] The probable root of this byname is the Old Irish given name , a relatively common name in the south in the early period, which would have been spelled during the 13th century. [3] The 13th century falls in a period of spelling transition, and we believe that the appropriate spelling of during your period is . Based on this, we can recommend as a fine byname for your period; this was pronounced roughly \OO@ BROO@-d@r\. It's unlikely that a Gael of your period would have used heraldic arms: Armory was imported to Ireland by the Anglo-Normans in the 12th century, and wasn't adopted by the native population for some time afterward. It's not impossible that a late 13th century Gaelic chief might have used English-style heraldry, but the vast majority of Gaels, even among the nobility, would not have used arms. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use arms in the Society: Many Societyfolk use arms even though their personas would not have done so. Whether you use arms or not depends on how you think about authenticity and your persona. You can find a few thoughts on this issue in an article we've posted on the web: "What Do I Use for Arms if my Persona Wouldn't Have Used Arms?" http://www.s-gabriel.org/faq/nonheraldic.html We hope that this letter has been useful to you and that you won't hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Rian mag Uidir, Talan Gwynek, and Ari Ansson. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 09 September 2006 -- References: [1] Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Index of Names in Irish Annals" (WWW: Academy of S. Gabriel, 2001-2006). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex/ [2] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation), s.n. O/ Bruadair [3] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990), s.n. Bruatur