ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1234 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1234 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* 20 Sep 1998 From: Braddon Giles Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for our help in creating an Irish name from the 13th century, with or as your given name, and for your father's name, and or for clan name. as a feminine given name is a modern invention. It is either an anglicization of the masculine given name or a reuse of the Irish river name. Unlike modern naming practice, and contrary to some romantic views of the past, medieval people rarely got given names from gemstones, flowers, divine figures or, in this case, geographical features. is a beautiful, evocative Irish name that is unfortunately quite modern [1,2]. was a common man's name in medieval Ireland, but was not a woman's name in period. We understand your wish to honour your grandmother by using her name, but it would not be an appropriate choice of given name for your period. It would be an excellent choice for your father's name [1]. We know of two historically accurate Irish given names that sound similar to , and suggest you consider pronounced \SHEE-vahn\, or pronounced \SHEE-nyitch\. If you want to choose a different given name, you can find a list of 13th century feminine names at: http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex/Feminine/1201-1600.shtml We would be happy to help with Gaelic pronunciation if you choose another name from this list. is not an Irish name; it is a Middle English or Welsh spelling of the Norman name . As far as we can tell, there is no Irish form of . The native Irish name , pronounced \AY\, was often treated as the Gaelic translation of , but it actually is unrelated. was a fairly common name in your period, so it would be a fine choice for your father's name [1,3]. is also an excellent choice for an Irish man's name, though by your period it would probably have been written . We have found it as the name of a mid-12th century Irish king, and used pretty much throughout the SCA period. The pronunciation is \TEE-yair-nahn\, with the emphasis on the letters in capitals [1]. For your clan or family name you were interested in , and mentioned the spelling . This is the given name on which the family name is based. We have found that in the 13th century, the (the plural form of the family name) were expelled by the English from Muntermorroghoe and settled on the other side of Lough Corrib, so they certainly existed in your period. Since your first choice for your clan name is correct, we aren't going to discuss your second choice, [4]. In your period a woman was almost always known as her father's daughter. The word for 'daughter' is ; it's analogous to the word 'son'. For example, if you were to choose the given name , and were the daughter of from the , you would be known as . This name is pronounced \SLAHN-yeh IN-yen TEE-yar-nah nee LAH-var-tee\. Gaelic grammar demands the spelling change from to , which puts the name into the possessive form (like in English), so that the second half of the name means 'Tigerna/n's daughter'. You'll also notice that the spelling and pronunciation of has changed. The initial has become , and is silent. This softening of the initial letter is another grammatical requirement in Gaelic called lenition. I hope this letter has been useful. Please to write us again when you decide on a given name, if any part of the letter has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Aryanhwy Prytydes merch Catmael Caermyrdin, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Juliana de Luna, Barak Raz, Arval Benicoeur and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Giles Leabrook. ------------------------------------------------------------------- References [1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press,1990). [2] Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, _The New American Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983). [3] Morgan, T.J. and Prys Morgan, _Welsh Surnames_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1985)s.n. Hywel. [4] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation) s.n. O/ Flaithbheartaigh. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Correction, 18 Oct 2001, Arval: After a word ending in 'n', like , the letter 'D' does not lenite. Correction, 17 Jan 2005, Arval: Replaced an outdated URL with a current one.