Irish surname pronunciation

Subject: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Robby
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 08:03 AM

Thanks to all for your suggestions on how to post a family surname in Irish. We spell our family name in English as Meehan. However, I have seen it spelled several different ways in Irish, as follows:

O'Miadhachain

O Miadhachain

O'Miadhachain

O Miachachain

I have listed the Irish variations of which I am aware because I do not know whether and the extent to which the use or omission of the apostrophe and diacritical marks affect the pronounciation. I would appreciate it if someone could give me an idea how to pronounce the name.

BTW, and if it isn't toom much of an imposition, what is an Eoghanacht, and how do you pronounce it.

Thanks,
Robby

Whose still learning this html stuff, and is wondering if this message will turn out correctly.

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Robby
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 08:08 AM

OK. Using the "&#***;" didn't worrk too well. Let me try the name this way:

O'Miadhachain

O Miachachain

Ó'Miadhacháin

Ó Miadhacháin

Did that come out any better?

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Mikey joe
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 08:15 AM

All O' should be as capitals with a fada and apostrophe. Robby. It should probably be written Mi(fada)adhacha(fada)in. Pronounciation will vary as to where in Ireland you are from but in Munster it will be prononced as

O - Mee-ah-chawn.

Tuigeann tu?

Mj

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Mikey joe
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 08:16 AM

Sorry about the spelling. I can't get the fadas on the Macintosh here @ work

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Robby
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 09:23 AM

Where in Ireland? Well, if I have remembered my family history, Danny Meehan and Bridget McGoldrick, two of my paternal great grandparents, were from the County Cork and came to the US in 1872 and 1875 respectively. Patrick Giblin, the other paternal greatgrandfather, came from the County Mayo, and his wife, Mary Kennedy, was born somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Unfortunately, most of those on my mother's side who would have known some of the family histories of the Loughneys and the Donnellys had already gone the long meander by the time I was old enough to even know there was a place called Ireland. Trying to trace them back has proven to be difficult.

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Robby
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 09:29 AM

Mickey joe,
Once I learn how to use this thing I might know why messages disappear before I finish them.
Thanks for your reply. Somehow that didn't get sent with the prior post.
A follow up on your reply. In Munster, would the "ch" be pronounced similarly to the British pronounciation in the word "schedule", or be given a hard pronounciation, like the letter "k", similar to the American pronounciation of "schedule"?
Thanks, again.

Robby

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: GUEST,Mikey Joe
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 10:47 AM

Connaught & Ulster Irish have a much softer more 'liquid' accents. Your g.gdad Danny would obviously speak munster irish and so his Ch would not similar to the k but not quite as harsh. Hope this is of help. Where in Cork were they from????

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 11:00 AM

Most Irish names the spelling might look weird if you're thinking English spelling, but the pronunciation isn't all that different. You can spell my first Kevin or Caoimhghen or a dozen other ways, but the pronunciation stays the same - well the vowels can vary according to the accent, but then they do with the English spelling as well. And the same would go with Meehan.

That may not be so true in America as in England - my impression is that Americans are more likely to change the way a foreign name is pronounced to fit in with conventional orthography, as with a name like Wagner. So if you aren't in an Irish community, I suppose the pronunciation of the name might have drifted away from the way it started out.

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 11:09 AM

sound observastion McG

Mj

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: GUEST,Matt_R
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 11:09 AM

I believe Eoghanacht is pronouced "owen-acht", with the "ch" having the same sound as "loch". It's kinda sorta like a tribe name, like the Dal-Cassians (of which Brian Boru was a member).

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 11:11 AM

correct pron. MattR

Mj

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Robby
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 11:13 AM

Mickey Joe,
I have not been able to find out, yet, just where in Cork they lived before crossing the Atlantic. I hve been able to track them (as well as Patrick Giblin) back through the U.S. Census records to that of 1880. That's how I know when they arrived in the U.S. However, the Census only asked Country of birth, not the particular town or village.
Someday, when I have the time, I plan on visiting their old parishes in northeast PA to see if I can find any mention of their Irish origins.
Robby

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: GUEST,Mikey joe
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 11:19 AM

Robby

try

www.ireland.com

and go to the ancestor pages a lot of stuff you may find interesting the as well as services for those looking for Iirsh ancestors

Beir bua

Mj

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Robby
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 11:19 AM

Matt R,
That was my guess at the pronounciation, although somewhere I remember seeing a referrence to Clan Eoin, which was given as "Owen", but I had no idea as to its meaning.
Thanks for the info.
Robby

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 11:21 AM

Eoin is the correct irish spelling. Owen is an anglecised form of Eoin which is simialr to Seán or John

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Robby
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 11:22 AM

Thanks, MJ,
I'll go check that out.
Robby

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Robby
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 02:52 PM

Mj, with your web site and retrieving some of my old notes, I was able to finally locate when and where Daniel Meehan and Bridget McGoldrick came to the U.S.
Daniel sailed on the SS Wyoming from Queenstown (Port of Cobh) and landed in New York City on April 22, 1872. I was just a little off on when Bridget got here. She sailed on the SS City of Richmond from Queenstown and landed in New York City on June 18, 1877. Maybe I can locate some old records here referring to their birthplace in Ireland.
Looking through the old passenger lists, I noted that any unmarried woman, no matter how young, was listed as a "spinster" if she had no occupation.
Thanks for your help.
Robby

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Mikey joe
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 06:54 AM

During the famine and subsequently until the mid 20C. Everyone travelling from Ireland to the US sailed from Cobh (known as Queenstown until the singing of the Treaty (I think or was in '45???)). This does not mean obviously that your ancestors were from Cork. There should be a register in Cobh or Cork city with emmigration records and they may be more detailed

Mj

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Robby
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 07:36 AM

Thanks again, Mj. If we get to Ireland, which we're planning to do in 2002, we'll go see what we can find.
Robby

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: GUEST,barrygeo
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 10:04 AM

Robbie Here is a present for you. Your coat of arms which is one of a collection prepared by my brother eddie who is big into heraldry and names.

Check out his copyright statement. Free for use for personal purposes bur copyrighted for commercial use.

http://members.fortunecity.com/irishcoatsofarms/m/index.html

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Robby
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 11:48 AM

barrygeo,
My thanks to you and eddie. My father has a framed print of the coat of arms, but that is the only web site that let me download it to use as wallpaper perhaps on the VDT.
Robby

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 03:10 PM

Robby, re your second posting, Nov. 2, 8:08 AM. Leave out that number sign (#) in HTML markup.

Short guide to Gaelic pronunciation Munster dialect. In case I fouled up the link, that's www.standingstones.com/gaelpron.html

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 03:14 PM

Forgot that d***n 'http://' again. Short guide to Gaelic pronunciation Munster dialect. In case I fouled up the link, that's www.standingstones.com/gaelpron.html

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: GUEST,Maggie
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 10:00 PM

o tuatail

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: michaelr
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 01:51 AM

O'Toole?

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronounciation
From: Thompson
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 02:17 AM

A fada (like a French acute accent, but a longer stroke over the letter - though in printing, the acute is used) is used *when the name is expressed in Irish*:

Ó Miacháin

But not when it's expressed in English:

O'Meehan

when only the apostrophe is used. They're never used together.

There are two forms of 'Owen' in Irish: Eoin, which is equivalent to John, and Eoghan, which derives from a word for a yew tree.

The Eoghanachta are those southerners.

Subject: RE: Irish surname pronunciation
From: GUEST,Gleason
Date: 01 May 13 - 10:45 AM

How was the surname pronounced in Irish when it was spelled
O' Gleasain, earlier O'Glesain   (fadas on the O and on the final a)?