A mum from the US has shared the reasons behind her decision to give her daughter a ‘hard-to-pronounce’ Irish name.
It might come as a surprise to those of us who call Ireland home, as it is a very popular name over here.
Everymom journalist Caitlin Gallagher wrote a piece for the publication with the headline: "I Gave My Daughter a Hard-to-Pronounce Name – I Hope She Doesn’t Hate It."
Caitlin’s husband Ultan has an Irish background, which the writer says was a huge contributor to her choosing a name with ties to Ireland.
Immediately knowing that it was the perfect name for their little girl as soon as she was born, the couple met and married in Ireland and go back frequently to visit Ultan’s family.
Without further ado… the name is Saoirse, meaning ‘freedom’ and pronounced ‘seer-shah’.
Explaining the reaction to Saoirse’s name in the States, Caitlin penned: "As many traditional Irish names go, it’s not at all spelled how it’s pronounced, and most people look at it for a few minutes before guessing something like 'Say-or-sea.'
"And I get it. If I didn’t already know her name, it would absolutely trip me up, too. But after years of gathering the most unique and beautiful names I could find, I love that we went with Saoirse – even if it’s a hard-to-pronounce name. And I really hope she doesn’t grow up hating it."
After their baby girl was born, the couple were met with some of the same comments, including: “Good luck with that name!” and “That’ll be a tough one growing up!”
Caitlin added: "And while I know they were all made with light-hearted intentions, it still made that old familiar doubt creep back up in my mind. Did we do the wrong thing by giving her a hard-to-pronounce name? Are we cruel?"
Summarising why she has no regrets about choosing her daughter’s Irish name, Caitlin concluded: "Everyone there [in Ireland] knows it and never hesitates to say, pronounce, or spell it, which I think will make her feel right at home whenever she steps off the plane and back onto Irish soil. She’ll hear, 'Ah, Saoirse, welcome back!' instead of, 'Say-or-sea? I’m sorry, did I butcher that?'
"I love that for her. There’s also the very famous Irish actress, Saoirse Ronan, who has done a lot of the legwork for the rest of them by being well-known and clarifying the pronunciation in countless interviews (thanks, girl!)."
Would you have expected the name Saoirse?
*This article was originally published on RollerCoaster.ie.
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