From Aoife to Siobhán, pronouncing Irish names couldn’t be simpler. Even if you’re talking to Caoilfhionn

Let’s face it folks, it’s not easy being green. Especially if your name is Aoife, Saoirse, Siobhán, Niamh, Meadhbh. And don’t even mention Caoilfhionn. It, in particular, upsets the neighbours and we don’t want to be doing that now, do we?
Not with that nice Mr Starmer in Downing St. (Kier? Weird or what? Hould your whist. It’s Irish, meaning “dusky” or “dark haired”. A shorter version of Kieran).
A recent study in the UK found that people there had greatest difficulty in pronouncing certain Irish names, as well as Kyiv (capital of Ukraine). Hardest of all to pronounce was the name “Aoife”.
I have a niece by that name and it is no problem pronouncing it for any of us in the family, except in moments of (rare) misbehaviour on her part when she can be called other names by loved ones. These alternative names – not for publication in a family newspaper – have presented no difficulty either when it comes to pronunciation.
Back across the water, in the course of a year it was discovered that our neighbours did 111,000 Google searches alone on how to pronounce Aoife. They discovered it’s just, plain “ee-fa”. Couldn’t be simpler!
The second most difficult Irish girl’s name for the Britishers is Saoirse. They are told it is pronounced`sur-sha’, which is utterly wrong too. As you and I know, it is “seer-sha”. Just as Niamh is “neeve” and Maedhbh is “maeve”. Two more beloved nieces of mine there, and so well-behaved they are never called anything else. Ever.
And Siobhán is “shev-awn”, Caoimhe is “quee-va” and Caoilfhionn is “keel-in”. Couldn’t be easier, Áine is “awe-nja”, Roisín is “roo-sheen”, Úna is “oon-ah”, Orfhlaith is “oor-lah”, Dearbhla is “derv-la”, Sadhbh is “sigh-ve”, Sineád is “shin-aid”, Blathnaid is “blaa-nid”, Gráinne is “gr-awe-nyah”, Maireád is ”mar-aid”. What’s the problem? (What’s wrong with the neighbours? Americans too?)
[ Ola Majekodunmi: That’s not my name: Why getting the pronunciation right mattersOpens in new window ]
Then there’s those two confusing boys’ names which, I must confess, I can never get right. I refer to Neil and Niall. Neil is “kneel” and Niall is “nile”, as in the river. But my main difficulty where those names are concerned has not to do with the pronunciation of either as to whether it is Neil or Niall I am talking to.
Oh, and Kyiv is “keev”.
Caoilfhionn, from Irish caol for `slender’ and fionn for `fair.’
[email protected]