| NAME |
PRONOUNCE |
ENGLISH |
DESCRIPTION |
AUDIO
|
Ide,
Ida |
"ee + da" |
Ita |
Meaning "thirst" as in "thirst for goodness or knowledge." St. Ide and St. Brigid are considered the most influential woman saints of early Irish Christianity. Associated with education, Ide founded a monastery in Killeedy in County Limerick where a holy well is dedicated to her. In an earlier legend she was the foster-mother of the infant Jesus. |
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| Iona |
"i + o + na" |
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St. Colmcille founded his monastery on Iona, the island between Ireland and Scotland in 563 AD and thus the name is associated with "blessed." |
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| Kaitlin, Kaitlyn, Kaytlin |
"kate + linn" |
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These are recent spellings of the name Caitlin. |
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The word cadhla means beautiful and implies "a beauty that only poetry can capture." |
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| Kerry |
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ciar means "dark" and probably implies "dark hair and brown eyes." County Kerry means "the land of the descendant of Ciar" who was the love-child of the High King Fergus Mac Roth and the legendary Queen Maebh. |
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| Kyna |
"key + na" |
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From cion "love, affection, esteem." |
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| Maebh |
"may + v" |
Maeve |
From an old Irish name Madb, "the cause of great joy" or "she who intoxicates." The great warrior queen of Connacht and embodiment of sovereignity she stars in Ireland's greatest epic "The Cattle Raid of Cooley" (read the legend). She left king Conchobhar Mac Nessa for Ailill because "you are a man without meaness, fear or jealousy, a match for my own greatness." But the couple quarrelled over who had the most possessions. Maebh's bull had defected to Ailill's herd and so she bought Daire's brown bull. When Daire went back on the deal she went to war with Cuchulainn (read the legend) and the province of Ulster to recover the bull. |
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| Maire |
"my + ra" |
Mary |
The name that was used in Ireland for Our Lady was Muire and interestingly, her name was so honored that it was rarely used as a first name until the end of the fifteenth century. Then Maire became acceptable as a given name but the spelling Muire was reserved for the Blessed Mother. |
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Margaret |
The Irish form of Margaret, it became popular around the fourteenth century. |
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| Maolisa |
"mail + issa" |
Melissa |
maol + Iosa "follower of Jesus." A name first used by clerics as early as the tenth century.
It is used for boys and girls. |
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| Meara |
"meer + a" |
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The Irish word mara means "sea." |
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| Mona |
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Muadhnat "little noble one" is one possible source of the name. The Normans brought Monique, "giver of advice," or it could refer to Madonna, "lady" as in the Mona Lisa. |
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| Muireann, Muirenn |
"mur + in" |
Miren,
Moirin |
Means "sea white, sea fair." The very appropriate name of the 6th century mermaid caught by a fisherman in Lough Neagh. He brought her to St. Comghall who baptized her which transformed her into a woman. |
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| Muirgheal |
"mur + el" |
Meryl,
Muriel |
muirgheal "bright as the sea." The Irish form of the name Muriel. |
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| Muirne |
"mir + ne" |
Morna, Myrna |
muirne means "high-spirited, festive." Muirne loved Conall who was from an opposing tribe. Her father, a druid, opposed the match and had Conall killed but not before Muirne had conceived a son, who grew up to be the legendary warrior Fionn Mac Cool (read the legend) and who later avenged the death of his father. |
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