Irish Names – The Origins, Meanings and Legacy of Ireland’s Traditional Names

Listing almost a thousand names selected from the enormous wealth of historical sources – annals, genealogies, myth, legend and epic poetry – that make up the literature of early medieval Ireland, this is not only a book for parents-to-be, but also an important record of Irish history and culture.

This is the quintessential guide to Irish names, a scholarly and authoritative classic. Of the extraordinary variety of names available to the early Irish – some twelve thousand are recorded – only a handful are in current use. This indispensible work of reference explains the background and meaning of these names, providing a fascinating insight into the society in which they had their origin.

Examples from the text:

CONAIRE (kun-ir’-e) m. This name is common enough as the name of legendary heroes but is rare as a name in the historic period. The most famous bearer of the name was the legendary high-king, Conaire Már, hero of the strange fatalistic early Irish tale, the Burning of Da Derga’s Hostel.

The name is found occasionally at a later period among the O Clery family.

ÉMER (ēv-er) f. Emer was the beloved of Cúchulainn. According to an early tale she alone of the women of Ireland was wooed by Cúchulainn ‘for she had the six gifts: the gift of beauty, the gift of voice, the gift of sweet speech, the gift of needlework, the gift of wisdom and the gift of chastity’.