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Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You asked for our opinion of <Sheena> as a period Irish name. Here is what we have found.
<Sheena> is an anglicized spelling of <Síne>, which is in turn a modern Gaelic adaptation of the English <Jane> [4]. Since <Síne> itself not a period name, <Sheena> cannot be either.
As an alternative, you may want to consider <Siban> \SHEEV-ahn\, which is a period Irish adaptation of the Anglo-French <Jehanne>, the precusor of <Jane> [3]. The names <Sinéad> and <Sineaid> are Irish forms of <Jonet>, <Janeta>, and <Jennet>, English nicknames for <Jane> or <Joan> [3]. These names are both pronounced \SHEE-nayt\ or \SHEE-nahtch\. The "é" represents an accented 'e'.
<Sheena> doesn't have a meaning. Its resemblance to the modern English words "sheen" or "shine" is coincidental. In general, given names do not have meanings. Most names derived originally from common words in some language, but this connection was lost within a few generations. In this case, we are dealing with a name that was transmitted from Hebrew to Greek to Latin to French to Irish; the original meanings of the Hebrew root elements was not relevent to the use of the name in medieval Ireland.
You also asked about the origin of <Molly>. It was originally Middle English pet name for <Mary> [1]. <Molle> is recorded in 1203 and <Molly> was in use by 1589 [2]. If you want an English name any time after 1200, <Molly> would be a fine choice.
I 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 Effrick neyn Kennyeoch.
For the Academy,
Arval Benicoeur
References
[1] Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd
ed. (Oxford University Press).
[2] Talan Gwynek, Feminine Given Names in 'A Dictionary of English
Surnames' (SCA: KWHS Proceedings, 1994; WWW: privately published, 1997).
[3] O'Corrain, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, Irish Names (Dublin: The
Lilliput Press, 1990).
[4] Ronan Coghlan, Irish Christian Names (London: Johnston and Bacon,
1979).