A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather, or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic.
The declension of Irish nouns, the definite article, and the adjectives is discussed on this page.
Irish orthography is the set of conventions used to write Irish. A spelling reform in the mid-20th century led to An Caighdeán Oifigiúil, the modern standard written form used by the Government of Ireland, which regulates both spelling and grammar. The reform removed inter-dialectal silent letters, simplified some letter sequences, and modernised archaic spellings to reflect modern pronunciation, but it also removed letters pronounced in some dialects but not in others.
Irish, like all modern Celtic languages, is characterised by its initial consonant mutations. These mutations affect the initial consonant of a word under specific morphological and syntactic conditions. The mutations are an important tool in understanding the relationship between two words and can differentiate various meanings.
The Soghain were a people of ancient Ireland. The 17th-century scholar Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh identified them as part of a larger group called the Cruithin. Mac Fhirbhisigh stated that the Cruithin included "the Dál Araidhi [Dál nAraidi], the seven Lóigisi [Loígis] of Leinster, the seven Soghain of Ireland, and every Conaille that is in Ireland."
A formal Gaelic language name consists of a given name and a surname. First names are either native or nativized. Surnames are generally patronymic, i.e. they refer to a historical ancestor. The form of a surname varies according to whether its bearer is male or female though for some surnames the adjectival form of a name such as Dòmhnallach can be used for both men and women. However, when used in the female form the first letter is lenited.
Ulster Irish is the variety of Irish spoken in the province of Ulster. It "occupies a central position in the Gaelic world made up of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man". Ulster Irish thus has much in common with Scottish Gaelic and Manx. Within Ulster there have historically been two main sub-dialects: West Ulster and East Ulster. The Western dialect is spoken in parts of County Donegal and once was spoken in parts of neighbouring counties, hence the name 'Donegal Irish'. The Eastern dialect was spoken in most of the rest of Ulster and northern parts of counties Louth and Meath.
Connacht Irish is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Connacht. Gaeltacht regions in Connacht are found in Counties Mayo and Galway. Connacht Irish is also spoken in the Meath Gealtacht Ráth Chairn and Baile Ghib. The dialects of Irish in Connacht are extremely diverse, with the pronunciation, forms and lexicon being different even within each county.
Niall Ó Dónaill was an Irish language lexicographer from Ailt an Eidhinn, Loughanure, County Donegal. He was the oldest of the six children of Tarlach Ó Dónaill and Éilis Nic Ruairí from Grial, Loughanure. They had a little land and a few cows. His father would spend June to November working in Scotland and died when Niall Ó Dónaill was 13 years old. Ó Dónaill himself would spend summers working in the tunnels in Scotland.
Comhar is a prominent literary journal in the Irish language, published by the company Comhar Teoranta. It was founded in 1942, and has published work by some of the most notable writers in Irish, including Máirtín Ó Cadhain, Seán Ó Ríordáin, Máirtín Ó Direáin, Máire Mhac an tSaoi and Brendan Behan. Comhar also publishes books in Irish.
MacLeòid or MhicLeòid is a masculine surname in Scottish Gaelic. The name translates into English as "son of Leòd", and the feminine form is NicLeòid: a contraction of "Nighean-Mhic-Leòid", meaning "daughter of the son of Leòd." These surnames originated as patronymic names; however, they no longer refer to the actual name of the bearer's father or grandfather. There are numerous Anglicised forms of MacLeòid.
Onomastics is an important source of information on the early Celts, as Greco-Roman historiography recorded Celtic names before substantial written information becomes available in any Celtic language.
Mac Coitir and Mac Oitir are masculine surnames in the Irish language. The names translate into English as "son of Oitir". These surnames originated as a patronyms, however they no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. There are specific forms of these surnames that are borne by married and unmarried females. There are numerous Anglicised forms of these surnames.
Mac Amhlaoibh is a masculine surname in the Irish language. The name translates into English as "son of Amhlaoibh". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The form of the surname for unmarried females is Nic Amhlaoibh. The forms for married females are Bean Mhic Amhlaoibh and Mhic Amhlaoibh. The Irish Mac Amhlaoibh has numerous Anglicised forms. The surname has been borne by several notable Irish families that are unrelated to each other.
Mac Íomhair is a masculine surname in the Irish language. The name translates into English as "son of Íomhar". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The form Nic Íomhair is borne by unmarried females; the forms Bean Mhic Íomhair and Mhic Íomhair are borne by married females. A variant form of Mac Iomhair is Mag Íomhair; the feminine forms of this surname are likewise Nig Íomhair, Bean Mhig Íomhair, and Mhig Íomhair. All these Irish surnames have various Anglicised forms.
Mac Sitric is a masculine surname in the Irish language. The name translates into English as "son of Sitreac". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The form Nic Sitric is borne by unmarried females; the forms Bean Mhic Sitric and Mhic Shitric are borne by married females. A variant form of Mac Sitric is Mag Sitric; the feminine forms of this surname are Nig Sitric, Bean Mhig Sitric, and Mhig Sitric. All these Irish surnames have various Anglicised forms.
Mac Torcaill is a masculine surname in the Irish language. The name translates into English as "son of Torcall". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The form Nic Thorcaill is borne by unmarried females; the forms Bean Mhic Thorcaill and Mhic Thorcaill are borne by married females. Variant forms of Mac Torcaill are Mac Thorcaill and Mac Thurcaill; the feminine forms of these two names are Nic Thorcaill, Nic Thurcaill, Bean Mhic Thorcaill, Bean Mhic Thurcaill, Mhic Thorcaill, and Mhic Thurcaill. All these Irish surnames have various Anglicised forms.
MacAlasdair is a masculine surname in Scottish Gaelic. The name translates into English as "son of Alasdair". The feminine form of the name is NicAlasdair, which translates into English as "daughter of Alasdair". These surnames originated as a patronyms, however they no longer refer to the actual name of the bearer's father. There are numerous Anglicised forms of MacAlasdair.
Mac Amhalghaidh is an Irish masculine surname. The name translates into English as "son of Amhalghadh". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The form of the surname for unmarried females is Nic Amhalghaidh. The forms for married females are Bean Mhic Amhalghaidh and Mhic Amhalghaidh. The Irish Mac Amhalghaidh has numerous Anglicised forms. The surname has been borne by at least one notable Irish family.
