One of the first questions asked at readings is how to pronounce the name of Una McGann's daughter Aoife, from Haunted Ground. For the record, it's 'EE-feh.'
Here's a handy pronunciation guide for the other names, and a short glossary with definitions for some of the other possibly unfamiliar words you'll find in the books. If you find any mistakes, or would like to see other names or expressions added, let me know!
Pronunciation of Proper Names
Áine Rua ............................................ ON-yeh ROO-ah
Aoife ...................................................... EE-feh
cáilín rua ................................................. COLL-een ROO-ah
Cathal Mór ............................................ CA-hal MORE
Ciaran ..................................................... KEER-ahn
Cormac ................................................... COR-muck
Deasy ..................................................... DEE-zy
Declan .................................................... DECK-lan
Devaney .............................................. duv-VAN-ney
Eamonn .................................................. AY-monn
Éilis ....................................................... AY-lish
Ferghal .................................................. FER-gal
Francie Dearg and Mici Bán............. Francie JAR-ug and MICK-ey BAWN
Malachy ................................................. MAL-uh-key
Mag Annaigh ........................................... mag-AN-na
Niall ...................................................... NILE
Nuala .................................................... NOO-lah
Ó Flaitheartaigh ................................... oh-FLAH-her-ty
Ó Floinn ................................................ oh-FLYNN
O'Rafferty ............................................ oh-RAFF-er-ty
Orla ...................................................... OR-lah
Pádraig ....................................... POUR-ig or PAW-drig
Páidín .................................................... PAW-jeen
Peadar ................................................... PAD-ar
Roisín ..................................................... RO-sheen
Saoirse ..................................................... SEER-shuh
Síle Mhicí Uí Ghallchóir .........SHEE-lah VICK-ee uh GAL-ah-her
Tómas Ó Flic ................................... to-MAHSS oh-FLICK
Tríona .................................................... TREE-nah
Una ........................................................ OO-nah
A Short Glossary
Some of these words might be unfamiliar to readers, so I've tried to explain them as best I can.
A B C D E/F G H I/J/K/L M N O P/Q R S T U/V/X/Y/Z
(Click the letters above to jump to that section)
adipocere: a yellow or brown wax-like organic substance formed by the anaerobic bacterial hydrolysis of fat in animal tissue, such as body fat in corpses (sometimes also known as corpse, grave or mortuary wax)
after (doing something): to have just done something, e.g., "I'm just after having me dinner."
Amhrán Thoraí: (pronounced OW-ron HO-ree) means 'Song of Tory (Island)'
aisling songs: allegorical songs, usually depicting Ireland as a beautiful young woman; the Irish word aisling (pronounced ASH-ling) means 'vision'
amadán: (AHM-uh-don) a fool or an idiot
anseo: (ahn-SHO) here
aul wan: mother
bán: (BAWN) meaning white, or fair-haired
banbh: (BAHN-uv) a piglet
banshee: from the Irish bean sí (literally 'fairy woman'), a weeping harbinger of death
base-batter: foundation stones, as in a tower house, which are broader at the bottom than the top
bate of it, did you ever see the: anything to beat it, in other words, anything more astonishing
bawn wall: a defensive wall around a medieval castle
bawn-coloured: from the Irish bán, meaning 'white'
belt of a seedy beet: a blow given with a sugar beet plant gone to seed
biro: (pronounced BY-ro) a pen, a ballpoint
blackguard: (pronounced 'blaggard') scoundrel or villain
blás: (BLAHSS) Irish word for flavor; in music, the proper style and soulful expression
bollocks: actually refers to male genitalia, but used many different ways; "Ah, that's a load of bollocks!" etc., and as a general expression of dismay
boot: trunk (of a car)
Bord na Móna: the Irish Turf Board, which harvests peat for burning in power plants
boyo: a bit of a lad, a man of loose morals
brack: (originally 'barm brack') a sweet cake made with currants
Bracklyn: (BRACK-lin) from the Irish breac linn, meaning 'speckled place'
Brigid's cross: a simple woven cross made of straw or rushes
busman's holiday: a holiday on which a person also has to work
busy Lizzies: impatiens
cailín rua: (COLL-een ROO-ah) literally, 'the red girl' in Irish, i.e., the red-haired girl
car hire: automobile rental
carry: gave a lift (in a car)
carrier bags: thin plastic bags with handles
ceann, (as in, 'lose the ceann'): (KYOWN) ceann is the Irish 'head'; to lose one's head, lose control
Ceili, Ceili House: in Irish, ceilí (pronounced KAY-lee) is a term for a social gathering or party; it's now come to mean more specifically a dance with live music. "Ceili House" is a radio programme of traditional ceili band music
Celtic Tiger: a term for the recently thriving Irish economy
chevaux-de-frise: (from cheval-de-frise, literally, 'horse of the Frisians') an obstacle, stone or wooden board with projecting spikes, to hinder enemy horsemen, originally used by the Frisians against Spanish cavalry
chipper: a fast-food restaurant
chroí: (CHREE) from croí, the Irish word for heart; mo chroí, 'my heart'
Choum reap suor/Choum reap lir: traditional Khmer greeting/parting words
ciúnas: (CYOON-as) Irish word for 'silence'
Clanricardes: descendants of Richard de Burgo, a Norman nobleman who settled in Galway
coddin': having someone on, joking
collect: pick up or give a lift (in a car)
Connacht: (CON-acht) also spelled Connaught, one of Ireland's four provinces
cooker: stove
corbel: a projection built out from a wall as a bracket to support a beam or roof-truss
corncrake: an elusive meadow bird of western Europe
cowshite: manure
craic: (CRACK) conversation, chat
craythur: (CRATE-her) Irish way of saying 'creature,' especially an individual for whom one feels pity
cuppa: a cup of tea
curandero: a Mexican man who practices healing techniques inherited from the Mayans
daft: crazy
deal of (something): a good number, a lot
dearg: (JAR-ug) meaning red (as in red-haired)
delft: glazed earthenware, usually blue and white, after the crockery produced in Delft, Holland; has come to refer in Ireland to any kind of dishware
demesne: the land around a mansion belonging to an estate
dickie bow: bow tie
dogsbody: a menial worker, drudge
donkey's years: a long time
dote: a sweet, lovely person
draíocht: (DREE-ocht) the Irish word for 'enchantment'
Drumcleggan: Irish place name meaning 'ridge of the skull'
Dúchas: (DOO-chus) the Heritage Service; the government body which oversees historic sites in Ireland
Dunbeg: Irish place name meaning 'small fort'
dustbin: trash can
EC: the European Community, also known as the European Union, or EU
eejit: an idiot
fag: cigarette
fuck-wit: a dolt, an idiot
furze bushes: Ulex europaeus, or aiteann gallda in Irish, a prickly green bush with yellow flowers, also called gorse or whin
Gaillmh: (GALL-yuv) Irish name for Galway
Garda Síochána: (GAR-dah shee-oh-CAHN-nah) Ireland's national police force
Gardaí: (gar-DEE) plural form of Garda, policeman
garderobe: a privy built in the wall of a medieval castle
gawping: gawking, staring
ginger: red, as in red hair
gob: mouth; from the Irish word gob, which means a bird's beak or bill
gobshite: someone who talks nonsense, an idiot
Goilín: (GO-leen) a singer's club that meets weekly in Dublin
golden pages: advertising telephone directory; Yellow Pages
gombeen: idiot
grá: (GRAH) love
grassing up: informing on someone to the authorities, snitching
harper: a person who plays Gaelic harp, especially the ancient wire-strung harp
HB Ice Cream: a common type of frozen confection sold at newsagents and sweet shops
hire-purchase: rent-to-own
hooded crow: Corvus corone, or Feannóg in Irish, a common type of crow with grey body and black wings and head
hoor: whore
hoormonger: whore-monger, pimp
hoovering: running a vacuum-cleaner
Hunger, The: more accurate name for the Irish Potato Famine
hurley: a stick with a rounded end, used in the Gaelic game of hurling
hurling ball: small round leather ball used in the Gaelic game of hurling, also called a sliothar (SLIT-thar) in Irish
jack the lad: a boyo, a ladies' man
jackdaw: Corvus monedula, or Cág in Irish, a small type of crow; known for collecting shiny objects in its nest
Jaysus: Jesus
jumper: a sweater
kaffir: from the Arabic word for 'infidel,' and originally used as a descriptive term for a particular ethnic group; has come to be used as an abusive and contemptuous term for any person of color (primarily in Africa)
knackered: tired, worn out
leaving cert: an examination at the end of secondary school in Ireland
legless: drunk
lok: an honorific title in Khmer, roughly equivalent to 'mister'
lorry: truck
machicolation: in medieval military architecture, a series of openings in a stone parapet, through which missiles or boiling liquid could be dropped onto the heads of assailants beneath.
mad drunk: blotto, three sheets to the wind
maggotty: mad drunk
make a haymes (of something): make a mess of, foul up
Mamaí: Irish word for mother; pronounced 'mammy'
midden: refuse heap left by a prehistoric settlement
midge: a small, two-winged, gnat-like insect
milagroso: miraculous (Spanish)
motte: an artificial mound of earth fortified as a castle; in earlier times sometimes with timber stockade, usually later with stone tower or keep
mullion: in medieval and early Renaissance architecture, a vertical bar of wood or stone dividing a window opening
N6: one of the main arterial highways in Ireland
naggin of whiskey: a small bottle of the pure drop
nappy: a baby's diaper
narky: cranky
oiche mhaith: (EE-heh wah) Irish for 'good night'
Orangeman: member of a fraternal Orange lodge in the North of Ireland, usually associated with Unionist politics
Ortha na nGael: ortha can mean 'prayers' or 'charms' or 'songs' because in ancient times these things were one and the same; the full title is usually translated 'Prayers of the Gaels' or "Songs of the Gaels'
óstan: an inn or hostel
passing remarks: making comments, either in front of someone or behind their back
peg: to throw
petrol: gasoline
planters: settlers brought in to Ireland by the English government
porter: a dark brown beer made from charred or browned malt; stout; Guinness is one example
Portlaoise: (port-LEASH) town in Co. Laois, site of a prison and psychiatric hospital
préachán: (PRAY-uh-con) Irish word for crow or rook
prie-dieu: a kneeler, as used in a church or confessional
Provos: Provisional Irish Republican Army
punters: gamblers, drinkers at a pub
punts: Irish monetary unit, also known as pounds or #IR
quare: queer or strange
queue: to stand in line
Raidió na Gaeltachta: Irish language radio network
Radio Éireann: the old name for Raidió Telefís Éireann, the Irish national
broadcasting service, before the age of television
rake: a lot, a load, as in "You're a rake of trouble, young fella."
Ranelagh: (RAN-uh-lah) a neighborhood in Dublin
rashers: Irish bacon
ringfort: an early medieval earthwork fortification, usually built between AD 500-1000
RTÉ: Raidió Telefís Éireann, the Irish national broadcasting service
rua: (ROO-ah) can refer to a red-haired person, or something of a reddish-brown, russet color; madra means 'dog' in Irish, and madra rua is a fox
Sassenach: (SAHSS-en-ach) Irish word for Saxon, the old term for English settlers in Ireland, and usually not meant in a nice way...
scarper: to run away, decamp
scree: also called 'talus;' a sloping mass of loose rocks at the base of a cliff
scullery: a room adjoining the kitchen where pots and pans are scrubbed and stored
scut work: the worst work
scutch: rough wood and brush
schmozzle: a Yiddish word meaning 'muddle' or 'quarrel'
shite: shit
síle-na-gig: (SHEE-lah na GIG) an ancient female fertility symbol
sin é: (shin AY) Irish for 'that's it'
slag: a woman of loose morals
slag heap: a pile of fused refuse or dross separated from metal in the process of smelting
slagging, to slag: teasing; to tease or heckle
sleán: (SLANE or SLAWN) turf-spade; used for cutting turf for fuel
snug: a booth in a pub
spanner: a crescent wrench
squireen: an Irish diminutive of squire, or country gentleman; not a compliment
Stephen's Day: the feast day of Saint Stephen, December 26; a traditional day of revelry in Ireland when bands of local men and boys would dress up and go out 'hunting the wren', and amuse the neighbors with music and song
suss out: to investigate
susto: an idiom of distress principally reported among Latinos in the U.S. and Latin America. Susto is an illness attributed to a frightening event that causes the soul to leave the body, leading to symptoms of unhappiness and sickness. Symptoms are extremely variable and may occur months or years after the supposedly precipitating event
10p coin: an Irish ten-pence piece
12th of July: the day the Orange lodges march to commemorate the victory of William III over the Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1691
take the piss (out of someone): to tease or make fun of someone
Taoiseach: (TEE-shuck) Irish word for leader; ruler; now a political position similar to prime minister
topping, to top (someone): killing, to kill someone
torch: flashlight
tow-rag: someone who plays it safe and follows the status quo; a yes-man
townsland: township, a section or area outside town limits
UCD: University College Dublin, now part of the National University of Ireland
UCG: University College Galway, now part of the National University of Ireland
uilleann pipes: (ILL-an pipes) a type of Irish bagpipe filled with a bellows strapped to the arm; uilleann is the Irish word for 'elbow'
under obso: under observation
Weetabix: brand-name of a prepared cereal similar to Shredded Wheat
whisht: hush, keep quiet
yoke: general term for 'thing', as in "Would you ever hand me that yoke?"
