tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post7283131349422923343..comments2024-03-27T02:55:10.109-07:00Comments on Irish Papist: On the name MaolsheachlannMaolsheachlannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406722311993627528noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-47972494284700288312022-04-29T13:44:33.501-07:002022-04-29T13:44:33.501-07:00I didn't know there was a debate about which M...I didn't know there was a debate about which Malachy it was! That's interesting. I'll have to look into it. Gaelic history is such a closed book to most of us.<br /><br />I'll give Maire Ní Mhaonaigh's book a miss, though. I agree, "revisionism" isn't a bad thing in itself, but the passion to "debunk" is pretty contemptile. Possibly the most extreme exercise in this spirit is The Druids by Stuart Pigott, although that's so gloriously curmudgeonly that I find myself admiring it. It must be thirty years since I read it, though.Maolsheachlannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09406722311993627528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-35101274592878589462022-04-29T05:47:53.145-07:002022-04-29T05:47:53.145-07:00Actually, is the Maolsheachlann in Thomas Moore...Actually, is the Maolsheachlann in Thomas Moore's verse Maolsheachlann II or Maolsheachlann Mór, who won the famous [arm? neck?] 'Ring of Tomair' (Thor?) and the also famous 'Sword of Carlus' from the vikings of Dublin in the 990s, when he freed Irish hostages and slaves, a few years before Brian Boru succeeded him as high king?<br /><br />One especially sour academic book or Irish kings is Maire Ní Mhaonaigh's "Brian Boru: Ireland's Greatest King?". How dour, dry, condescending and joyless! The urge to "debunk" is evident in every sentence. Debunking and rebalacing assessments is fine with a more balanced tone, but hers projects a different sort of bias.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-12472384545193693442018-10-01T01:15:32.683-07:002018-10-01T01:15:32.683-07:00Thanks so much for that Leo. Good to hear from you...Thanks so much for that Leo. Good to hear from you. I'm going to stick with my lifelong pronunciation but that is a very interesting insight!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14624883279247783972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-69043471723021495642018-09-30T22:03:32.543-07:002018-09-30T22:03:32.543-07:00Hello. I have only now got to read your original p...Hello. I have only now got to read your original post and wanted to comment on correct pronunciation of your name. What Anonymous says is absolutely correct. It agrees with everything I learned in Gaeilge lessons in my Dublin based school in the 1940s and 1950sAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13172280372636650266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-857938658094190552017-06-17T12:46:14.571-07:002017-06-17T12:46:14.571-07:00Hi Mal! I've never heard the name Mael before,...Hi Mal! I've never heard the name Mael before, is it Irish?Maolsheachlannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09406722311993627528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-82756355559579869712017-06-17T12:17:06.504-07:002017-06-17T12:17:06.504-07:00I HAVE TWO FIRST NAMES: MAEL AND MALCOLM. WHEN INT...I HAVE TWO FIRST NAMES: MAEL AND MALCOLM. WHEN INTRODUCING MYSELF, IT'S ALWAYS MAL. THE USUAL RESPONSE IS 'WHAT'S THAT FROM?' I ALWAYS PICK MAEL.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-77441983547716126952017-04-08T12:06:36.519-07:002017-04-08T12:06:36.519-07:00I don't know how I missed this comment for alm...I don't know how I missed this comment for almost a year, Lucas. Míle buíochas.Maolsheachlannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09406722311993627528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-61457536783604291212016-04-13T08:24:06.176-07:002016-04-13T08:24:06.176-07:00Maolsheachlann, as Gaeilge, should be pronounced &...Maolsheachlann, as Gaeilge, should be pronounced 'Mawl-eck-lawn' as the 's' phonetic is palatised due to the presence of the following 'h'. Same principle applies when you say 'A Sheamuis, a chara' and where 'Sheamuis' transmutes from Seamus (Shaymus) to Sheamius ('Haymaish)....<br />Anyway, Maolsheachlann is a damn fine name and I am very pleased that it's still in use. May it long continue! <br />ta se iontach aimn!!<br />beir bua,<br />Lucas Mac an AirchinnighAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-77406002277739089212014-12-05T13:04:04.388-08:002014-12-05T13:04:04.388-08:00That's certainly enigmatic! I think you're...That's certainly enigmatic! I think you're doing pretty well to guess Shock-lynn. I'm also impressed by your theories on it looking like Old Irish, though I'm not sure whether it's correct or not.Maolsheachlannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09406722311993627528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-34086146583022468932014-12-05T12:58:00.425-08:002014-12-05T12:58:00.425-08:00I wouldn't have gotten the Mwale section right...I wouldn't have gotten the Mwale section right, but I probably would have gone with Shock-lynn. In spelling your name looks much more like Old Irish rather than Modern Irish, albeit to my barely trained eyes. The fact that it seems to be an old name that didn't really get modernized lends some credence to that theory, though. (Ah, Irish, the only language in I learned how to say "I don't remember last night" within the first couple of months.)Stephanie Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08435698159183117354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-78005616055505296242013-12-06T11:11:29.119-08:002013-12-06T11:11:29.119-08:00I only came across Badass of the Week through rese...I only came across Badass of the Week through researching that article!Maolsheachlannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09406722311993627528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-79785652088545606452013-12-06T11:05:35.341-08:002013-12-06T11:05:35.341-08:00Yeah, thanks for the pronunciation. By the way, I ...Yeah, thanks for the pronunciation. By the way, I think Wolf the Quarrelsome appeared on bad ass of the week.Antainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-52368267990395302312013-12-05T08:41:01.250-08:002013-12-05T08:41:01.250-08:00"Maybe the government will collapse and you&#..."Maybe the government will collapse and you'll be the new High King of Ireland, leading the people into a new age of story telling and poetry." Oh, my God-- I think I would abdicate straight away!<br /><br />I never even heard about Wolf the Quarrelsome. Unfortunately I don't know that much about Irish history, or any history. I try studying it (I've often tried) but the various kings, queens and revolutionaries start wandering into the wrong centuries and sequence once I take my eyes off them.<br /><br />So, next time you meet, you'll know not to worry at all about what you call me!Maolsheachlannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09406722311993627528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-84937807906838309512013-12-05T07:20:27.305-08:002013-12-05T07:20:27.305-08:00That part about people trying to guess your name w...That part about people trying to guess your name was hilarious, especially the person who calls you Malcolm. That's actually the reason I avoided pronouncing your name the first time we met. I couldn't think what the pronunciation might be, though I assumed it was along the lines of Male-Sha-Clawn; therefore I also thought your name was manly.<br /><br />You talk about names and fate/destiny, and also talk about Irish Kings. Maybe the government will collapse and you'll be the new High King of Ireland, leading the people into a new age of story telling and poetry.<br /><br />As for Brian Boru and Irish history, I'm not sure if these so called professionals are actually decent historians or just people who think their assumptions are enough to be proper history. I do like the story about Brian Boru's death though. Especially the part when Wolf the Quarrelsome avenges him, though that part may be romanticised due to its graphic nature and the fact that not much is known about Wolf. I do find the whole thing of clans and kingdoms rather exciting.Antainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-39600790745279032052013-12-05T01:13:43.263-08:002013-12-05T01:13:43.263-08:00Thanks for your kind words, KR!
When it comes to ...Thanks for your kind words, KR!<br /><br />When it comes to my own prospective children, I would want to honour my family's tradition of Irish names, and even of relatively rare Irish names, but I wouldn't necessarily want something obscure. I like Lucas, the Irish version of Luke. I like Moibhí, the name of a saint associated with the area where I grew up. I think Iona would be a nice name for a girl. But I don't have any definite ideas.<br /><br />Ha! I'm glad you feel the same way about "people people", it's nice to know somebody does! Yes, I remember being intrigued, even when I was a teenager, by the fact that extroverted people-- the sort of people who you'd think would have more experience of interacting with others, and therefore more deftness-- were usually more obtuse and gauche than shy people. The secret being, the extroverts don't care (or often even notice) how they are making other people cringe, and so they just keep going on their merry way, and get enough positive reactions to reinforce their self-image. Of course, I'm not talking about all extroverts here; just the kind of extroverts who see themselves as "people skills people". Rrrrrrr. Sorry to hear you have to deal with them so much!Maolsheachlannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09406722311993627528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091756463128804432.post-45708897731848489712013-12-04T16:12:29.531-08:002013-12-04T16:12:29.531-08:00Fascinating post. I've only been following a s...Fascinating post. I've only been following a short time, but I'm thrilled to have been here in time to catch this. (Maybe consider making it a "featured" or "sticky" post for newcomers to find.)<br /><br />I loved not only the story of your name [I feel smarter from having read this!] but also how it relates to contrarian streaks--yours and your family's. And yay for the history that isn't/"shouldn't"/mightn't be true...may such history and the sense of the past long outlive the pompous fools of our day! If you don't mind my asking, what kinds of names would you choose for your children?<br /><br />Though it was just an aside, what really made this self-identified curmudgeon's day was your one sentence on people skills people. I've been utterly swamped by them this year (as academic colleagues, supervisors, instructors)--"tactless, unreflective, and loud" indeed. Brash, uncultured, the list goes on . . . and, yes, always the inane comments at introductions, even if one doesn't have an unusual name: misattribute the ethnicity of the name, make inappropriate remarks about attire or demeanor. Someone once said I have "Catholic handwriting" [i.e., cursive script!]. Another that I had an "Old World face." Curmudgeons unite: do not dignify people-skills-people's small talk with a response. Except after due deliberation in brilliant posts on one's own blog, of course.<br />-KRAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com