Have you ever struggled with pronouncing someone’s name? You’re not alone. Irish surnames can be a bit of a challenge.
Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley made it easy for the presenters during this year’s award season. Barry Keoghan, however, would have made it a bit trickier. Why, you ask?
It’s the surnames. Some of them are easier to pronounce than others. Ireland does have its fair share of hard-to-pronounce names. Let’s look at ten of them.
10. Cahill – ‘kay, it’s not that
Cahill doesn’t look like it’s hard to pronounce, but it’s trickier than it looks. Cahill is the anglicised version of the Gaelic O Cathail, meaning descendant of Cathal.
A rather common mispronunciation is ’kay-hill’. However, it should be ‘ca-hill’. See the difference?
9. Gallagher – hello g, are you there?
Can we just get Oasis to do a song about this name? Until that happens, let’s look at how it’s pronounced, because surprise, we don’t need to say all the letters here like we think we do. Just say ‘gal-uh-her’, and you’re good.
8. Tobin – to bin or not to bin?
Tobin doesn’t look like it’s a hard one to pronounce, does it? It’s a surname of Norman origin.
So what does that mean for the pronunciation? Actually, you can use a little trick. Think “toe in the bin”, and you get ‘toe-bin’.
7. Behan – the name of a poet
You might have come across this name before if you’re familiar with the works of playwright and poet Brendan Behan, one of Ireland’s best.
If not, then you might still wonder how to say it. So let’s reveal the mystery – ‘bee-han’. Doable, right?
6. O’Shea – not at sea
Among the top 100 surnames in Ireland, O’Shea comes from the Gaelic “séaghdha”, which means “stately”.
It originated in County Kerry. Now for the pronunciation – ‘oh-shay’ is very common. You also hear ‘oh-shee’. Just don’t go for “shea” as in “sea”.
5. O’Shaughnessy – here to divide
That name already looks Irish, doesn’t it? It’s definitely one of the hardest to pronounce. While you hear ’oh-shau-nessy’ a lot – even the dictionaries give that pronunciation – ‘oh-shawk-nessy’ would be the traditional way. A name that divides the world!
4. McLoughlin – locking in the Loughlin
Another very common name in Ireland, McLoughlin as a name originated in Ulster. The meaning goes back to Lochlann, the name for Scandinavia in Irish.
Looking at that word actually helps you with the pronunciation. ‘Mc-Lock-lin’. Go a bit throaty for the gh. Did you know that this is an Irish surname with Viking roots?
3. Coughlan – not another gh
If you’ve watched Derry Girls (one of the most binge-worthy shows out there) or Bridgerton, you know this one: Coughlan.
The gh is back to make our lives harder. Typically, it’s ‘kog-lan’ or also ‘koff-lan’, but you can also hear ‘kaw-lan’ in some regions.
2. Keogh – Ohhhh
If you’re afraid of saying Keogh out loud, it’s OK. This surname does make it tricky, especially if you’re not from Ireland. Most people will go for ‘kee-oh’. However, it should be ‘kyoh’. Now you can say it out loud without fear.
1. Ó Buachalla – oh what?
For our number one, we do go a bit trickier. Actually, we mentioned the name before – in the English version.
Ó Buachalla is the Irish form of Buckley. How do you say it? ‘Oh-boo-kalla’. All of a sudden, it doesn’t look as threatening any more, does it?
Irish surnames do like to challenge people – the Irish and everyone else around the world. We’re all in the same name boat here.
A lot of times, it helps to know the origins of the name to go for the right pronunciation. If you’re really unsure, though, have the person with the name say it first. Do not let the name or its tricky pronunciation defeat you!
