What are your favourite Irish names and their meanings?
What obscure names do you associate with [name]Ireland[/name] and why?
Blessings,
[name]Bella[/name] <3
I loooove
[name]Saoirse[/name] (Seer-sha or Ser-sha, I’ve heard both), it means liberty
I also like the name [name]Ireland[/name]. I have a little cousin named [name]Ireland[/name] [name]Kennedy[/name]. Sooo cute!
My sister’s middle name is [name]Shannon[/name] and I love it (she hates it).
And even though she wasn’t named for the city/river [name]Shannon[/name] in [name]Ireland[/name], thats what I always associate her name with after I spent a few months there. That may be why I like her name so much.
:o) I also love the name [name]Ireland[/name]. I like place names, though (obviously! - lol).
I love Irish names. I’m not Irish at all so I’d feel kind of silly using them. But, alas, one can dream!
[name]Roisin[/name] ([name]RO[/name]-sheen) - means [name]Rose[/name]
[name]Aine[/name] (AHN-ya) - means brilliance
[name]Sorcha[/name] (SOR-ca or SOR-a-ca) - means bright or shining
[name]Dermot[/name] (comes from [name]Diarmaid[/name]) - means free man
[name]Cormac[/name] - means tree trunk (lol)
[name]Eamon[/name] - means rich protector
I loooove [name]Declan[/name] for a boy and [name]Aoife[/name] (ee-fa) for a girl! I don’t know what [name]Declan[/name] means but [name]Aoife[/name] means beauty/radiance. 
Our ancestry goes back to [name]Ireland[/name].
We have [name]Agnes[/name] and [name]Farrell[/name]/Faryle(corageous), neither of which are my favorites but are okay. Starred ones are favorites:
[name]Ashlyn[/name], form of [name]Aislinn[/name] (dream)*
Connelley (love, friendship)*
Donelley (dark, brave one)
[name]Donovan[/name] (dark red)
[name]Donegal[/name] (place name, nn. [name]Don[/name])
[name]Finnegan[/name] (meaning fair, nn. [name]Finn[/name])*
[name]Flynn[/name] (son of the red-haired one)
[name]Sullivan[/name] (Irish surname)
[name]Beckett[/name] (dweller near the brook)*
[name]Cedric[/name] (Celtic meaning model of generosity)
[name]Maxwell[/name] (Scottish, but close enough; meaning great stream)*
[name]Lachlan[/name] (Scottish; meaning from the fjord-land)
My favorites:
[name]Niamh[/name] - “bright”
[name]Emer[/name] - “swift”
[name]Bridget[/name]
L”adan - “grey lady”
[name]Roisin[/name]
[name]Saoirse[/name]
[name]Kieran[/name]/[name]Ciaran[/name]
Cill
My favorites:
[name]Niamh[/name] - “bright”
[name]Emer[/name] - “swift”
[name]Bridget[/name] - “power, virtue”
[name]Aine[/name] - “splendor”
L”adan - “grey lady”
[name]Roisin[/name] - “little rose”
[name]Iona[/name] - “blessed”
Enda - “birdlike, freedom of spirit”
[name]Saoirse[/name] - “freedom, liberty”
[name]Maeve[/name] - “joyous, intoxicating”
Aibhlinn - “longed-for child”
[name]Kieran[/name]/[name]Ciaran[/name] - “little dark one”
[name]Cillian[/name] - “church” - hm…
[name]Angus[/name] - “excellent strength”
[name]Lorcan[/name] - “little fierce one”
[name]Riordan[/name] - “royal poet”
[name]Ronan[/name] - “little seal”
Cianan - “ancient”
[name]Cormac[/name] - “son of charioteer”
[name]Desmond[/name] - “from south Munster”
[name]Tierney[/name] - “lord”
[name]Tiernan[/name] - “little lord”
[name]Colman[/name] - “little dove”
[name]Declan[/name] - “suggesting, full of goodness”
[name]Oisin[/name] - “little deer”
My favorite Irish baby name is [name]Oisin[/name], pronounced O-sheen. It means ‘little deer.’ I first read about it in a novel named In the Country of the [name]Young[/name] and I was introduced to the legend of Tir na nOg. boy
Also from that legend (and book) is [name]Niamh[/name]. I don’t necessarily like the shortness of it (Nee-ev) but I love the look and mystery. I pronounce is Nee-ev because that is how I was taught but most pronounce it Neev. girl
[name]Aisling[/name] is also from the same book and is pronounced [name]Ash[/name]-leen, [name]Ash[/name]-ling, or [name]Ash[/name]-lin. I pronounce is [name]Ash[/name]-ling or [name]Ash[/name]-leen. It’s a type of poetry to mean ‘dream or vision.’ It’s become a name because it’s just so darn beautiful. girl
[name]Roisin[/name] ([name]RO[/name]-sheen), meaning rose. So beautiful and simple.
Granuaile (Grawn-u-wail) was a nickname for [name]Grainne[/name] or [name]Grace[/name] O’[name]Malley[/name], a pirate. I just love the flow of it. girl
boys
I also love [name]Darragh[/name] (Dar-ah) and it means ‘oak.’ It’s also from the aforementioned book.
[name]Cillian[/name] (Cill-ee-in; strife) from [name]Cillian[/name] [name]Murphy[/name], the wonderful Irish actor who is in Breakfast on [name]Pluto[/name] and 28 Days Later.
[name]Malachi[/name] ([name]Mal[/name]-ah-key or [name]Mal[/name]-ah-kai; ‘my messenger’) from the book, as well. [name]Cillian[/name] [name]Murphy[/name] named his son [name]Malachy[/name].
I love [name]Eamon[/name] (Ay-mon; rich protector), also from the book.
[name]Casey[/name], meaning brave.
I know it’s not a name but I love the word [name]Eire[/name], one of the Irish words for [name]Ireland[/name]. It’s so lovely.