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Post by Treecat on Aug 1, 2008 9:17:41 GMT -5
...pronounce them! Eithne is Enya. Thank God she made it simple for us! There are other Irish musicians who haven't made it so easy, sticking to that fussy Gaelic pronunciation and spelling that confuses us all (who are NOT Irish that is). Should we ever have the luck to meet these people and shove our autograph books in front of their noses, we want to do it correctly, and pronounce their names right, right? Of course. So, calling upon our Irish contingent.. would you be so kind as to provide pronunciation guides and English versions of the following? From Altan -- the best Irish group outside of Clannad: Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Cathal MacConnell
From Relativity and Nightnoise: Triona Ni Dhomhnaill And we can't leave out this brilliant Donegal singer who has not one but TWO unpronounceable names! Aoife Ní FhearraighYes, I'm Gaelic-handicapped and can't even spell in English, let alone Irish. So lend a hand here, and don't let me be an embarrassment at the next Celtic concert!
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Post by Moe on Aug 1, 2008 12:25:55 GMT -5
Excellent thread, TC - I too have pondered how to pronounce such names correctly and thus avoid making an idiot of myself.
Thank heavens Maire changed to Moya....
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Post by riene on Aug 1, 2008 21:40:58 GMT -5
I think Aoife is pronounced 'ee-fa'...but I wouldn't swear to it.
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Post by Moe on Aug 2, 2008 10:00:59 GMT -5
I think Aoife is pronounced 'ee-fa'...but I wouldn't swear to it. I'd called her Eva Ferry - would she sue me?
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Post by Treecat on Aug 2, 2008 10:30:29 GMT -5
I don't think so, Kerry. You might have to buy a dozen cds though.
I know the "ee fa" pronunciation, and I know that her last name is Ferry in its English translation. But how does her last name sound in Gaelic?
For instance, Ni Bhaonain is pronouced "ni'vree nine".
If Sky and Draoicht don't show up soon, I'll be forced to go to Leo's and drag them away from the bar. Hey, that's an idea! Road trip! ;D
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Post by skyscape on Aug 4, 2008 14:36:15 GMT -5
My tuppence worth:
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh = Mwah-raid Nee Ween-ee
Cathal MacConnell = Ka-hal Mock Con-nill
Triona Ni Dhomhnaill= Tschree-na Nee Gho-nill
That "dh" sound is impossible to transcribe! It's just a soft palate sound like in "gh"..
Has anyone stuck these names into the speech synthesiser?
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Post by Treecat on Aug 6, 2008 8:22:53 GMT -5
Ack, I didn't even think about the translator. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the interpretations, Sky. I don't know why, but I always thought the 'dh' would sound like 'dom', with the 'h' unpronounced. I've been pronouncing so many things wrong......
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