Colm O'Regan: Goddesses, Celtic kings, and magical musicians to name your kids after

It's all in a name, and the more Irish, the better

Ogham Stones in the Stone Corridor, University College Cork. Ogma was a Tuatha De Dannan god and general polymath who invented Ogham script.
Picture: Tomas Tyner, UCC

With the surge in interest in Irish, there’s never been a better time to name your new child an unusual Irish name.

The world is more ready too, having become used to our pronunciation. Saoirse Ronan walked so that Caoimhín Kelleher might run. British football commentators have come to terms with the ‘Kw’ of ‘Cao’, the ‘v’ of ‘mh’ and the ‘een’ of ‘ín’. As a result, Aoifes, Niamhs, Aoibheanns (and its 34 variants) have been emancipated.