The Irish Pronunciation Thread

simmo

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Reading a book at present in which certain names crop up regularly and I just want to check how they are pronounced. There are no prizes for guessing what the book is about. ;) :ninja:

MacStiofan
O'Connail
Daithi
Ruaridh
O'Bradaigh
 
Reading a book at present in which certain names crop up regularly and I just want to check how they are pronounced. There are no prizes for guessing what the book is about. ;) :ninja:

MacStiofan - Mack Stiff on
O'Connail - O Conn Ill
Daithi - Dootty
Ruaridh - Roo Ree
O'Bradaigh O Brad Ig
 
Not sure that I see a parallel between the two of them, Luke, tbh.
McBride had IRA physical force philosophy in his DNA from the cradle -- his oul' fella having been executed for taking part in the 1916 Rising and his Ma being Maud Gonne.
Stephenson (MacStiofain), on the other hand, was as "middle-English" as you can get. Born there, educated there, immersed in an English-family setting. That he gravitated towards revolutionary republicanism, and through sheer commitment and dedication was elevated to the position of overall leadership of the IRA must be one of life's oddities.
Of course, McBride later drifted into parliamentary politics; Stephenson, in contrast, remained a die-hard republican militarist singlemindedly adhering to the "war" ideology 'til his deathbed.
 
A Secret History of the IRA by Ed Moloney. Interesting stuff.


Fantastic book -Moloney now lives in New York for personal reasons.To follow up you could try Beyond the Grave by the same author and Bandit Country by Toby Harden.
 
Fantastic book -Moloney now lives in New York for personal reasons.To follow up you could try Beyond the Grave by the same author and Bandit Country by Toby Harden.

I'll add them to my list. I'm enjoying the book but it would be more appropriately called "How Gerry Adams Shaped The IRA from 1969 onwards" based on what I've read so far (about three quarters).
 
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