…if Gormlaith = GORM-la and Rioghnach = [name]REE[/name]-oh-knock?
[name]Do[/name] you consider them completely unusable outside [name]Ireland[/name] (or even in [name]Ireland[/name]), or somewhat usable (perhaps as middles), or what?
Personally I would say they’re unusable, even in [name]Ireland[/name]. I grew up in [name]Scotland[/name] with a far, far simpler Gaelic name than either of these, and have only had one or two occasions where I DIDN’T have to explain my name to someone. I would feel bad for a kid saddled with such a tough name!
I don’t think they’re usable at all.
To be completely honest my brain fights even reading them. I just see G or R and then a bunch of meaningless characters.
I would say that they’re definitely unusable outside of [name]Ireland[/name]. I don’t live in [name]Ireland[/name] (I’ve been there, but only briefly), so I’m not totally comfortable saying that they’re not usable there, but my vague idea as someone who doesn’t live in the country is that they would be fairly over the top there as well.
Gormlaith makes me think very much of the word “gormless”, which is another huge minus to me beyond the clunkiness and the difficulties in pronunciation.
I’m an “anything goes in the middle” type of person, so I think that they could both be fine in the middle spot, especially with a more simple first name.
I don’t think they are usable either 
Honestly they sound like troll names. 
sorry
I agree with the pp who said the first sounds like gormless.
I wouldn’t even know where to begin with pronouncing the 2nd…sorta looks like rough neck.
Maybe as a middle name if it’s super important to you.
Troll names, LOL!
I still think these names are pretty (maybe in a so-clunky-they’re-pretty way) and they’ll stay on my lists for character names and middle names. Thanks, all, for confirming my doubts about them as firsts…
I’m thinking [name]Regan[/name] ([name]REE[/name]-gan) would be a good replacement for Rioghnach, but wonder if this would also be an uphill battle with pronunciation (people might always want to pronounce it like [name]Ronald[/name] [name]Reagan[/name]'s last name).
ha ha, you said what I was trying to verbalize.
[name]Don[/name]'t even know where to start to be honest…
Yes. I struggled trying to figure out the pronunciation. After I read your explanation, I struggled imagining them on a human let alone a female. They do sound kind of troll-ish.
I love the name [name]Regan[/name]! If it’s a character name you might be able to get away with spelling it [name]Regen[/name] to encourage the right pronunciation, but I’m pretty sure [name]Regan[/name] is widely known as that pronunciation. I would only say ray-gen for [name]Reagan[/name].
Have you considered [name]Riona[/name], which is related to Rioghnach?
I like Gaelic names and my husband LOVES Gaelic names, but we’re not in [name]Ireland[/name] so we’re trying to find ones that are a bit more easy-going. People might think [name]Riona[/name] is made up or [name]Fiona[/name]-gone-awry but it looks “like a girl’s name” if you know what I mean.
[name]Rhiannon[/name] or [name]Rhonwen[/name] ([name]Rhonwen[/name] is Welsh but I don’t know how far afield within UK you’re willing to go) or [name]Rowena[/name] could be other options. As is [name]Roisin[/name], which unfortunately DOES look like “raisin” but I think is very usable as a MN.
[name]Regan[/name] just makes me think of the evil sister in [name]King[/name] Lear but I’m a [name]Shakespeare[/name] nerd.
Oh yeah, those would be unusable in [name]Canada[/name].
I think they are usable as middles, but that mite be because half my family Is Irish so I no how to pronounce them. What about names that are slightly easier:
[name]Caoimhe[/name] - keeva
[name]Orlaith[/name] - [name]Orla[/name]
[name]Saoirse[/name] - seersha
[name]Aisling[/name] - ashling
Seanachai - shanakey
Alaoise - [name]Alisha[/name]
There are many beautiful Gaelic names…these are not two of them sorry. They don’t sound very pretty,and certainly don’t look it!
How about Aoife,Niamh etc?
A pp suggested Rhiannon and Rhonwen as names you could use instead,both are Welsh,not just Rhonwen.
Yeah, maybe consider using a ‘simpler’ name. I do [name]LOVE[/name] Irish names,but these seem a bit too ‘out there’.
~[name]Jasmine[/name]
I agree with kala_way! When I read the title of this thread, I thought they sounded like mythological monsters…or yes! trolls. But, if they are very special to you, middle names, perhaps?
My daughter’s middle name is [name]Regan[/name], and we say it more like rehgan, but people always ask when they see it.
And I’m gonna have to agree that they sound like troll names, like fantasy world ish.
I think most people would pronounce [name]Regan[/name] as [name]Reagan[/name]… but I did grow up with a girl named [name]Raegan[/name] (pronounced [name]Reagan[/name]).