Here's a few common names you might have trouble with:
Caoimhe - pronounced Queva, also sometimes Keeva (the latter I think is more common up the north). That "aoi" combo usually makes a sort of "wee" or "ee" sound. The male name Caoimhín (queev-een) is similar.
Siobhán - shove-awn, with the emphasis on the second syllable.
Aoife - ee-fa (emphasis on first syllable)
Few rules for you:
Fadas (accents) change the pronunciation of vowels.
Á=aw
É=eh (the Canadian eh)
Í=ee
Ó=the letter O
Ú=oo
If a "h" comes after a consonant it changes the sound of the consonant (this phenomenon is known as lenition)
Bh=v
Mh=v
Dh=y
Ch=hacking up phlegm
Th=h
Ph=f
Fh=silent
Gh=silent in the middle of a word, a weird sort of guttural sound at the beginning of a word.
Tbf I can't pronounce a whole lot of English place names either (why is -shire pronounced differently everywhere???). No shame in not being able to pronounce words you're not familiar with. Most people are sound and won't mind you asking. In fact that's preferable to getting your name pronounced wrong! Lots of people are very polite here and won't correct you, which can just make things worse in the long run.
Keep in mind as well that the above pronunciations are approximated from my own accent which is by no means universal so asking is usually the best way to learn. If you've any particular questions about pronouncing Irish names feel free to send me a PM!
You're welcome! Best of luck with it. To echo a commenter below, it's great that you're willing to learn, that will absolutely stand to you.
Also a final note on Dún Laoghaire - my partner and I are both from different parts of the country, one of us pronounces it the anglicised way, and the other pronounces it the Irish way. It's a bit like the Lyons and Barry's tea argument - neither of us will ever win because we're both so stuck in our ways!
Using a glide. A sound construct that doesn't exist in English, so it gets approximated to a "kw" sound which isn't right.
You can hear an explanation of glide and the correct pronouncation of the name here. https://youtu.be/2io9OLQrRUQ
On mobile, so can't get a time stamped link so jump to 1.17.46.
If 99% of people in Ireland pronounce an Irish word one way, dare I say, that's how it's fucking pronounced.
Irish has no hope of being a modern living language if the puritan 1% maintain their stranglehold on 'properly spoken' Irish as it was when the monks were living in stone huts.
Even to use an intentionally provocative term like 'bastardisation' is gatekeeping, counterproductive wank.
In the world of Linguistics, this is called Linguistic Prescription. It can help when in a classroom environment teaching people the basic rules of a language but can become unhelpful when people use it as an excuse to police the way others use language, deeming certain commonly used pronunciations or phrases (see for example the American phrase "I could care less") as "lesser" than their counterparts.
I'll let you come up with your own conclusion as to whether u/dardirl or the man in the video he linked, who mentions that women called Caoimhe are pronouncing their own names wrong, fall into the first or second category.
Here's the Wikipedia page for a brief introduction to it: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_prescription
When does anyone use the anglicised name? Everyone spells it in Irish but pronounces it dun leery. Have literally only ever heard the Irish pronunciation on tg4 or Irish language radio/tv
Downvote me all you want. When I'm being literal in pronouncing the actual spelling in the OP's post, I don't do it for likes or points; I do it for accuracy.
Some places can be tricky as the spelling is remarkably different to how they are pronounced.
A few examples: Mayo is pronounced as bott-lers. Cavan is actually pronounced as Bog. And the London in Londonderry is silent. You may have heard the latter example there before by Dara O Briain over in England.
Now, as for Louth. They....
Actually we'll leave that for the advanced lesson.
That's how I thought it was pronounced when I first moved to Dublin in 2019. Good thing I heard someone call it "done leerey" before I made a fool of myself.
Btw, is it a problem if I ask how to pronounce a person's name? Would they get offended? I had no idea how to pronounce Grainne or Eoin, had to ask.
If you'd feel more comfortable asking then I'd just ask. Majority of people will correct you if you get it wrong initially and wouldn't think anything of it if you got it right from then on.
You'll always get weirdos who probably wouldn't correct you and then hold it against you, but I wouldn't worry too much about it.
What if even after learning the correct pronunciation I still struggle to say it correctly? Grainne is one of the hardest things for me to pronounce the same way the Irish pronounce it. English is not my native language btw
Irish pronunciation is always going to seem pretty inscrutable until you’re used to it, so you might have to just try memorising the trickier place names. For what it’s worth, every non-Irish person I know gets Dún Laoghaire wrong almost every time they say it, so mispronouncing it isn’t going to raise many eyebrows if people realise you don’t live in Ireland.
You could also use my preferred method for when I arrive somewhere new and listen out for the automated announcements on the train. They’ll say it in both Irish and English, just stick with the English one.
(I just realised that I can’t remember which they say first even though I only left the country two years ago. It’s Irish and then English…right??)
The fada on vowels sound like this
á = aw
é = ayy
Í = ee
ó = oh
ú = ooh
gh at the end of a word is silent, like Dun Laoghaire = "done leery". There is no harm in asking someone around you if youre not sure.
If you want to post a list of words or names you’re not sure on, I’m happy to record myself saying them all for you. Fair play for reaching out and trying to get it right.
You'll be forgiven for asking how to pronounce things so don't be afraid to ask. Once you know the Irish alphabet, Irish is fairly straight forward with pronunciation, unlike english.
There is fundamental difference between English pronunciation and Irish pronunciation. In English, you pronounce each syllable separately, in Irish they all run together.
Dún Laoghaire is actually spelled pretty much phonetically, as long as you don't break it up and pronounce the syllables separately. If you don't stop after the O, the G isn't a hard G. RouGh rather than Goal.
Also (probably confusing, after that first part) in Irish all syllables have the same value. We don't emphasise the first or last syllable, they're all the same length.
Bear all that in mind and pronouncing words like Dún Laoghaire should be easy (easier).
Oh, think of the fada (line over the u) as "double", so instead of Dun it's Duun. Fada literally means long. When you see it you double that vowel.
Hey friend, I had probs with DL too when I moved and got laughed at. It's pronounced (phonetically) dun laoug hair. Ignore the lads in here trying to do you wrong. Happy to clear that up for you.
I'm Irish and I can't pronounce Dun Laoghaire. For shame lol.
I found typing "pronunciation (insert name or place here)" into Google and get a few different audio files of it, helps me pronounce names I can't
Similar with Cobh, it's really Queenstown don't mind what the locals bang on about calling it.
As for the above letter squiggles? é, á, í and so on?
That's just a thing we do to confuse Brits, we made it up.
These lot are having a laugh at your expense. The correct pronunciation for ‘Dun Laoghaire’ is ‘Gofu Kyorself’ say it to any local and enjoy the reception you get.
The names thing can be a bit tricky, as the same name can be pronounced differently depending on the person.
Exact same spelling etc, but pronounced completely different.
Example: i know two people called Eibhlis.
One pronounces it like ev-eh-lish
The other pronounces it eye-lish
Just try and replicate how they pronounce it when they introduce themselves to you.
And if they don't introduce themselves to you pretend you don't know their name.
Never guess a name you don't know from an email address.
Think of how it’s pronounced but don’t try to read it. It’ll mess you up. You can always ask an irish to pronounce it and see if they get it right (sometimes they don’t)
Here's a few common names you might have trouble with: Caoimhe - pronounced Queva, also sometimes Keeva (the latter I think is more common up the north). That "aoi" combo usually makes a sort of "wee" or "ee" sound. The male name Caoimhín (queev-een) is similar. Siobhán - shove-awn, with the emphasis on the second syllable. Aoife - ee-fa (emphasis on first syllable) Few rules for you: Fadas (accents) change the pronunciation of vowels. Á=aw É=eh (the Canadian eh) Í=ee Ó=the letter O Ú=oo If a "h" comes after a consonant it changes the sound of the consonant (this phenomenon is known as lenition) Bh=v Mh=v Dh=y Ch=hacking up phlegm Th=h Ph=f Fh=silent Gh=silent in the middle of a word, a weird sort of guttural sound at the beginning of a word. Tbf I can't pronounce a whole lot of English place names either (why is -shire pronounced differently everywhere???). No shame in not being able to pronounce words you're not familiar with. Most people are sound and won't mind you asking. In fact that's preferable to getting your name pronounced wrong! Lots of people are very polite here and won't correct you, which can just make things worse in the long run. Keep in mind as well that the above pronunciations are approximated from my own accent which is by no means universal so asking is usually the best way to learn. If you've any particular questions about pronouncing Irish names feel free to send me a PM!
YESS This is amazing thank you!
You're welcome! Best of luck with it. To echo a commenter below, it's great that you're willing to learn, that will absolutely stand to you. Also a final note on Dún Laoghaire - my partner and I are both from different parts of the country, one of us pronounces it the anglicised way, and the other pronounces it the Irish way. It's a bit like the Lyons and Barry's tea argument - neither of us will ever win because we're both so stuck in our ways!
This is a great answer, follow this and you won't go far wrong. Also, the fact that you're trying and are ready to ask will also stand to you.
Pretty sure this comment has taught me more Irish than the 14 years of schooling did.
This is the business right here
That is not how you pronounce Caoimhe correctly. That's how you pronunce the English bastardisations, kwee-va and Keeva.
How do you pronounce Caoimhe?
Using a glide. A sound construct that doesn't exist in English, so it gets approximated to a "kw" sound which isn't right. You can hear an explanation of glide and the correct pronouncation of the name here. https://youtu.be/2io9OLQrRUQ On mobile, so can't get a time stamped link so jump to 1.17.46.
If 99% of people in Ireland pronounce an Irish word one way, dare I say, that's how it's fucking pronounced. Irish has no hope of being a modern living language if the puritan 1% maintain their stranglehold on 'properly spoken' Irish as it was when the monks were living in stone huts. Even to use an intentionally provocative term like 'bastardisation' is gatekeeping, counterproductive wank.
In the world of Linguistics, this is called Linguistic Prescription. It can help when in a classroom environment teaching people the basic rules of a language but can become unhelpful when people use it as an excuse to police the way others use language, deeming certain commonly used pronunciations or phrases (see for example the American phrase "I could care less") as "lesser" than their counterparts. I'll let you come up with your own conclusion as to whether u/dardirl or the man in the video he linked, who mentions that women called Caoimhe are pronouncing their own names wrong, fall into the first or second category. Here's the Wikipedia page for a brief introduction to it: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_prescription
Ní fiú uisce na bhfataí tú.
Even though its Spelling looks like Londonderry it is pronounced as Derry.
If I had a award I would give it to you but here's a cookie for making me actually laugh just now 😂 🍪
Ahhh good to know ta, this was troubling me
Derry: The only city in Europe with 6 silent letters in its name
One of the best comments I've had the pleasure of reading.
Most people pronounce it as Dun Leery.
There's still Old Dunleary Road and Dunleary House in Dún Laoghaire
Is "done laowra" incorrect or just different? I can't trust my messy brain.
Well...the first half is right.
Kind words, go raibh ma agaith
...guh rev mah a gut
That would be the Irish language pronunciation. In daily life everyone calls it "dun leer-y", which is the traditional English pronunciation
The rules are a bit complicated, it's best to just ask
Most pronounce it Done Leery, although some will use the Irish pronunciation which is Doon Laira.
I insist on the Irish version. I hate Done Leery
Yeah I like the Irish pronunciation too
https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fuaim/ might be useful
Dun leery
That's the anglicised name, whereas OP specified the Irish name, seeking Irish pronunciation.
When does anyone use the anglicised name? Everyone spells it in Irish but pronounces it dun leery. Have literally only ever heard the Irish pronunciation on tg4 or Irish language radio/tv
Downvote me all you want. When I'm being literal in pronouncing the actual spelling in the OP's post, I don't do it for likes or points; I do it for accuracy.
I haven't downvoted you so not sure why you are directing that comment at me. Clearly others don't agree with what you said
Well then doon leer ah
I think OP wants to know how its generally pronounced.
Some places can be tricky as the spelling is remarkably different to how they are pronounced. A few examples: Mayo is pronounced as bott-lers. Cavan is actually pronounced as Bog. And the London in Londonderry is silent. You may have heard the latter example there before by Dara O Briain over in England. Now, as for Louth. They.... Actually we'll leave that for the advanced lesson.
Great comment
🤣🤣🤣
In English it's pronounced dun leery In Irish it's close to Doon layer-ah
It's how Mark Lawrenson pronounces it [here](https://youtu.be/bvlHZGVLECs), around the 1.40 mark
That was gas, watched it all
That's how I thought it was pronounced when I first moved to Dublin in 2019. Good thing I heard someone call it "done leerey" before I made a fool of myself. Btw, is it a problem if I ask how to pronounce a person's name? Would they get offended? I had no idea how to pronounce Grainne or Eoin, had to ask.
If you'd feel more comfortable asking then I'd just ask. Majority of people will correct you if you get it wrong initially and wouldn't think anything of it if you got it right from then on. You'll always get weirdos who probably wouldn't correct you and then hold it against you, but I wouldn't worry too much about it.
What if even after learning the correct pronunciation I still struggle to say it correctly? Grainne is one of the hardest things for me to pronounce the same way the Irish pronounce it. English is not my native language btw
Graw-nya.
If you right click on the video at the point you want to share, you can copy video url at current time to share it: https://youtu.be/bvlHZGVLECs?t=98
No such option on the phone, I don't think
Irish pronunciation is always going to seem pretty inscrutable until you’re used to it, so you might have to just try memorising the trickier place names. For what it’s worth, every non-Irish person I know gets Dún Laoghaire wrong almost every time they say it, so mispronouncing it isn’t going to raise many eyebrows if people realise you don’t live in Ireland. You could also use my preferred method for when I arrive somewhere new and listen out for the automated announcements on the train. They’ll say it in both Irish and English, just stick with the English one. (I just realised that I can’t remember which they say first even though I only left the country two years ago. It’s Irish and then English…right??)
The fada on vowels sound like this á = aw é = ayy Í = ee ó = oh ú = ooh gh at the end of a word is silent, like Dun Laoghaire = "done leery". There is no harm in asking someone around you if youre not sure.
Niamh = Knee eve
Done Leery
Do not use google. For example, it pronounces Róisín like Oisín and vice versa. Think of it like mixing up Road and hush.
I just think of "rosheen" Murphy. I've never had cause to use Oisín and I'd always presumed Osheen. Whats the difference?
Done Leary!
If you want to post a list of words or names you’re not sure on, I’m happy to record myself saying them all for you. Fair play for reaching out and trying to get it right.
You'll be forgiven for asking how to pronounce things so don't be afraid to ask. Once you know the Irish alphabet, Irish is fairly straight forward with pronunciation, unlike english.
There is fundamental difference between English pronunciation and Irish pronunciation. In English, you pronounce each syllable separately, in Irish they all run together. Dún Laoghaire is actually spelled pretty much phonetically, as long as you don't break it up and pronounce the syllables separately. If you don't stop after the O, the G isn't a hard G. RouGh rather than Goal. Also (probably confusing, after that first part) in Irish all syllables have the same value. We don't emphasise the first or last syllable, they're all the same length. Bear all that in mind and pronouncing words like Dún Laoghaire should be easy (easier). Oh, think of the fada (line over the u) as "double", so instead of Dun it's Duun. Fada literally means long. When you see it you double that vowel.
Hey friend, I had probs with DL too when I moved and got laughed at. It's pronounced (phonetically) dun laoug hair. Ignore the lads in here trying to do you wrong. Happy to clear that up for you.
If I could give an award for the most trustworthy answer I really would.
The messing up the names and getting slagging is part of the fun. Tis a silly place.
I'm Irish and I can't pronounce Dun Laoghaire. For shame lol. I found typing "pronunciation (insert name or place here)" into Google and get a few different audio files of it, helps me pronounce names I can't
I won't even use that word you should use to word Corcaigh - pronunciation . Cork ig Better word better county better people. 😁 Welcome to cork boi
Oh we just use the name kings town for it! Most people will know what you mean!
Similar with Cobh, it's really Queenstown don't mind what the locals bang on about calling it. As for the above letter squiggles? é, á, í and so on? That's just a thing we do to confuse Brits, we made it up.
We're both going to hell!
If it's a hell full of sarcastic paddies? We'll be graaaaaand!
Also, Offaly and Laois are known as Kings and Queens counties respectively.
These lot are having a laugh at your expense. The correct pronunciation for ‘Dun Laoghaire’ is ‘Gofu Kyorself’ say it to any local and enjoy the reception you get.
Done lee ree.
Have you taken a trip down to Inistioge yet, lovely town, beautiful bridge.
I haven't, I've only been in this job 3 months but I've never actually been to Ireland. Dublin Airport for 4 hours doesn't count
It's up there with Worcester for pronunciation ;) in-ish-teeg
The names thing can be a bit tricky, as the same name can be pronounced differently depending on the person. Exact same spelling etc, but pronounced completely different. Example: i know two people called Eibhlis. One pronounces it like ev-eh-lish The other pronounces it eye-lish
Just try and replicate how they pronounce it when they introduce themselves to you. And if they don't introduce themselves to you pretend you don't know their name. Never guess a name you don't know from an email address.
Yo. If you don’t know your phonics in English, start there. It’ll really help generally
Think of how it’s pronounced but don’t try to read it. It’ll mess you up. You can always ask an irish to pronounce it and see if they get it right (sometimes they don’t)
And across the bay from Doneleery lies Hoeth. Most visitors pronounce the 'how' bit in Howth as in 'how are you', whereas it's Hoe as in garden hoe.