Irish Names

A lot of overseas readers have asked for information on the Irish names of many of my characters. This sections gives you the history of some of the names…

One of the most difficult things to do is to come up with the right name for the characters in my books. It’s really important for me to get to know the character and giving him or her the right name is part of that process.

Some of my overseas readers (and I’m so glad you’ve all got in touch!) have asked about the Irish names of some of the characters. So I thought I’d give you a run through on them. If I’ve missed any out, please let me know.

Clodagh (Jane’s daughter in Dreaming of A Stranger)

This name is now popular outside Ireland too and it pronounced Klo-dah. In ancient times, rivers in Ireland were given names of local deities and children were then named after them. This name comes from the river Clody in Tipperary.
Hugh (Jane’s lover in Dreaming of A Stranger)

This name is equally popular aborad. The Irish spelling is Aodh, which means fiery. It’s also my godson’s name!

Conor Gallagher (Caroline’s Sister)

This is a popular name outside of Ireland too with this spelling, though its original Irish spelling is Conchobhar and it means ‘lover of hounds’. It was the name of one of Ulster’s High Kings.

Orla (David’s second wife in Far From Over)

It’s pronounced as you spell it, although often it’s also spelled Orlagh or Orlaith. It’s one of my favourite Irish names and it means ‘Golden Lady’.

Keelin (Gemma’s daughter in Far From Over)

I’ve used the Anglicised spelling of an Irish name because otherwise lots of people would have trouble with this. It’s original Irish spelling is Caoilfhionn though now you sometimes see it as Caoilinn. For any of you Irish students out there the original spelling gives the meaning away because it comes from Caoil (which means slender) and fionn (fair) – although in my story Keelin is dark but she’s very, very slender.

Ronan (Gemma’s son in Far From Over)

Obviously the fame of Boyzone’s Ronan Keating has made this name more recognised outside Ireland, certainly in the UK at any rate. So I probably don’t need to tell you how to pronounce it (Row-nan for those of you who haven’t heard it before). Interestingly, though, it means ‘little seal’ and was a very popular saint’s name!

Aisling O’Halloran (My Favourite Goodbye)

This is another one of my favourite Irish names. It’s original spelling is Aislinn but it’s pronounced Ash-ling and often spelled that way both in Ireland and overseas. It means ‘dream’ or ‘vision’.

Nessa Driscoll (He’s Got To Go)

Nessa is the eldest of the Driscoll sisters – in Irish mythology she was the mother of Conor (see Conor Gallagher). Unlike my Nessa, she was a powerful and ambitious woman and managed to get her son on the Irish throne.

Bree Driscoll (He’s Got To Go)

Bree is the youngest Driscoll sister. We’re not quite sure whether Bree is simply an abbreviated version of Brigid (Ireland’s favourite female saint whose feast day is 1 February!) The name means ‘exalted one’.

Finn (Cate’s fiancé in He’s Got To Go)

I explain a little about the origin of this name in the book and you can click on the link to read more. The legend of Fionn MacCuhaill is one of our greatest folk stories. It means ‘fair’ and the name of one of the great Irish folk heroes – Fionn MacCuhaill (pronounced Mac Cool). He was a much loved warrior and brave, wise, good-looking….a real catch!

Declan (Bree’s boyfriend’s father in He’s Go To Go)

Another name which is very popular outside of Ireland and comes from Dag (good) and Lán (full) so it means full of goodness. St Declan is a well known foklore figure.

Doireann (Cora’s sister-in-law in Anyone But Him)

Another Irish name which I really like, it’s pronounced Deer-Ann. It’s thought that it may actually be a corruption of Der Finn (daughter of Finn, or Fionn as I’ve mentioned earlier) although it’s been translated as meaning ‘sullen’. I would never make a Doireann character sullen, although I do think that it describes a dark person!

Áine (an acquaintance of Jin in Anyone But Him)

This is the Irish form of Anne and it’s pronounced Awn-nyeh. It means ‘brightness’ or ‘splendour’ and most of the girls named Áine that I know are blondes! Áine was also the name of one of Fionn’s wives and Áines are supposed to be lucky in both money and love!

Kevin (Jin’s husband in Anyone But Him)

This name is hugely popular throughout the world but it’s of Irish origin. It means ‘gentle child’ and was the name of another of our most loved saints. St Kevin founded the magnificent monastery at Glendalough (worth a visit if you’re a tourist!)

Cian (Kevin’s son in Anyone But Him)

This Irish name is pronounced Keen. It means ‘ancient’ and was the name of the son-in-law of one of Ireland’s best known High Kings, Brian Boru. Unfortunately both Brian and Cian were killed fighting the Vikings in the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. Given that I now live in Clontarf I felt that Cian had to make an appearance in one of my novels!

Jin (Anyone But Him)

OK – obviously Jin is very much not an Irish name. But a few people have asked me where it came from. The answer is that her name is Virginia but when she took up modelling she called herself Jin. This was explained in one of the early drafts but eventually got edited out. Hopefully this puts your minds at rest.

Eavan (How Will I Know?)

I’ve used the Anglicised version of this name because the Irish spelling is Aoibhinn which would cause some problems for overseas readers. It means ‘radiant beauty’ and was a popular name for Irish princesses!

Sive (one of Georgey’s friends in How Will I Know?)

Another Anglicised spelling here. The Irish spelling is Sadhbh and it means ‘goodness’ or ‘sweetness’. Sive has folklore links to Fionn – she was his lover but was turned into a deer. Years later Fionn found a child in the woods who had been raised by a dear and realised that the child must have been his by Sadhbh. He named the child Oisin (little deer). I have a nephew named Oisin and he is a dear, but also a terror!

Gráinne (Steve’s mother in How Will I Know?)

Pronounced Graw-neyh it’s another name connected with the great Fionn. She’d been promised to him in marriage but reckoned he was too old for her and so put a spell on his nephew, Diarmiud (pronounced Deer-mud) instead and ran off with him. The legend of Diarmuid and Grainne was compulsory reading in schools for a long time (I don’t know if it was meant to warn us off running away with boys!)

Dervla (Mirror Image : Destinations short story collection)

This is a name which has become common outside Ireland. Its Irish spelling is sometimes Deirbhile (which means poet’s daughter) or Dearbhail (which means true desire) but nowadays in Ireland you often see it spelled as Dearbhla which is a kind of Irish combination of the two!

Bronagh (Valentine’s Day : Destinations short story collection)

This comes from the Irish word brónach which means ‘sorrowful’ and it’s a very common name in Ireland. The Anglicised version is simply spelled Brona – and that is now apparently very popular in the US.

Nieve (Bad Behaviour)

Spelled Niamh in Irish, she was the daughter of the Sea God Mannan who fell in love with Fionn’s son, Oisin (link to that legend) and brought him to live with her in Tir na nOg. She was known as Niamh of the Golden Hair, although in Bad Behaviour Nieve is actually dark-haired.

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Irish Legends

Since so many of the Irish names are famous ones in Celtic folklore, I thought you might like to read the stories themselves…

A selection of best-loved Irish folk stories.

The legend of Fionn MacCumhaill (Finn MacCool)

Finn was the son of Cumhail who fought for the position of leader of the Fianna an warrior body of ancient Ireland who guarded the High King. Cumhail was killed and his wife feared for their son’s life so she sent him away to be raised by a Druidess and her sister who were strong and wise women.

A druid, Fingeas, caught the Salmon of Knowledge and gave it to Finn to cook. As he was cooking it, Finn burned his thumb and sucked it, in the process acquiring the gift of prophecy.

Finn uses his gift wisely and gains command of the Fianna by saving the life of the High King Cormac who then promises his daughter, Gráinne, to him as his wife. Finn turns the Fianna from an unruly mob of fighters into a highly respected elite who were meant to be models of chivalry.

Finn is a respected warrior and has a number of wives. However one of his passions is with the goddess Sadhbh (Sive) with whom he has a son, Oisín.

One of the best known of Finn’s legends is that he is responsible for the formation of the Giant’s Causeway in Co. Antrim. A Scottish giant named Angus has cast aspersions on Finn’s fighting prowess. Finn throws a rock into the sea, challenging the giant to a fight. The two giants, Finn and Angus, begin to build a pathway across the sea to fight each other. But Finn is concerned because Angus is supposed to be twice his size. The night before the causeway is finished and the fight will take place, Finn and his wife Una make giant baby clothes and a giant cradle. Finn gets into the cradle in the baby clothes. Angus arrives at Finn’s castle where Una shows him Finn masquerading as a baby. The Scottish giant is now terrified as he thinks that if this is the baby, Finn himself must be a monster. He runs away, back across the causeway, with Finn in pursuit, lumps of earth being pounded out of the ground after him. One of the holes that he creates is filled with water and becomes Lough Neagh, the biggest lake in Ireland. Another lump falls into the Irish Sea and becomes the Isle of Man.

According to folklore, Finn MacCool is not dead but sleeping in a cave, waiting to defend Ireland should the need arise. (Although other tales say that he died defending the Fianna.)

Oisín and Tir Na Nóg

Tír na nÓg means The Land of the Young and was an enchanted island off the west coast of Ireland where everyone was young and beautiful and had no illness or unhappiness. It was home to the Tuatha de Dannan, the last band of gods and goddesses to rule Ireland.
Oisín, Finn’s son, was a member of the Fianna. One day he was out hunting when he saw a beautiful young woman named Niamh (Neeve). She was the daughter of the King of Tír na nÓg and she asks Oisín to marry her and to come to her country. So he agrees to this but eventually he dreams of coming home. Niamh agrees that he should visit Ireland but warns him that he can’t set foot on the soil. She gives him a fairy horse on which to make his journey. When he gets back to Ireland, Oisín realises that 300 years have passed and that all his friends and everything he knew is now gone. He decides to go back to Tír na nÓg. On the way back he sees a group of men trying to lift a heavy rock. He bends down to help them but he falls from his horse and immediately turns into an old, blind man. He wanders around Ireland for years and eventually meets St Patrick and tells him his story. He dies without ever getting back to Tír na nÓg.

Diarmuid & Gráinne

Gráinne was promised to Finn MacCool but she fell in love with his nephew Diarmuid. She puts a spell on him to make him run away with her, even though he is torn by this as he doesn’t want to disobey his leader, Finn. They spend 16 years evading Finn, not being able to spend more than 2 consecutive nights in any one place, and partly aided by other warriors of the Fianna who know that Diarmuid is under a spell and can’t help himself. Diarmuid eventually falls in love with Gráinne and they have children and make a kind of peace with Finn. But one night they hear the sound of a boar in the woods and Diarmuid goes to kill it. He does but is mortally wounded. He asks Finn for water to cure him and Finn refuses twice before eventually giving it to him, too late.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Below you will find a number of question which I am often asked. If you have a question that isn’t below, I would encourage you to fill out the form below and I will make every effort to answer it as soon as I can.

Sheila

When did you first start to write?

This question always makes me feel as though I should have woken up one day and decided that I was going to be an author. It didn’t happen like that for me and I’m sure it doesn’t happen like that for most people. From the moment my mother read me my first bed-time story and told me that it was now time to go to sleep, I’ve made up stories of my own. I always enjoyed creative writing at school and would regularly write short stories for my own amusement. In fact I wrote a very Enid Blyton like school story when I was around twelve or thirteen which I used to do in installments; and I bribed my sisters to do my share of the housework by promising them a new chapter every time they took over the vacuuming.

As I got older I sent in a few short stories to magazines. Some of them were published, most weren’t. The whole idea of writing a novel was always with me and I started about a hundred different ones but never got past the first chapter. But in 1994 I bought a computer and suddenly it became easier because I could edit as I wrote so I decided that the time had come to write a novel from beginning to end. Which is what I did.

How long does it take you to write a book?

It’s probably about a year from beginning to end and that includes all the messing about at the start when I’m not 100% sure what I’m writing about as well as the editing process and then reading through the proofs at the end. 

Are they autobiographical?

Well, if they were I would have been married and divorced by now, have had a number of affairs, moved to Spain, been jilted at the altar…no, they’re not. But of course there’s a part of you in all of the main characters, even the ones you don’t like.

Are they based on real-life situations?

Not any real-life situations that I’ve been through myself although, again, you do draw on your experiences when you’re writing but you adapt them. So I’ve been to the places in my novels and I’ve either done the jobs that my characters do or researched them. One of the great thrills of writing is being able to be a different person to the sort of person you are yourself – so I love writing about tall women because I’m short, or glamorous women because I’m not at all myself. I do like writing characters with interesting jobs because I like to see women getting on in life.

What was your previous job as a bond trader like? Was it really pressurized?

The most pressurized part of it for me was getting up at 6.30 every morning. I am not a morning person! I always think that other people’s jobs sound much more difficult than your own and although there was pressure you could deal with it.  It was very interesting because you needed to know what was going on in the world politically and economically all the time and we were all news junkies.  One of the hardest things about giving it up was not knowing what was happening all around me all the time.

If you had a job with long hours how did you find the time to write?

Lots of people tell me that they would love to write but they haven’t got the time. I think that if it’s something you really want to do you will find the time somehow. I used to write late in the evenings and my social life went to pot, but it was something I felt I had to do. 

How do I start writing a novel myself?

First of all you have to have an idea, whether it’s based on a type of character or a particular plot. And then (sorry for being obvious here) you sit down and you put words on the page. The big thing is not to keep trying to get the first paragraph perfect at the very start – do enough to get yourself into it and then you can go back and polish up what you’ve already done. This was what I was hopeless at at the very beginning. I used to keep trying to get everything perfect before moving on. Now I realise that once I get going and write a bit it’s actually easier to go back and get that perfect opening paragraph.

I’ve written a book! How do I get it published? Can I send it to loads of publishers at the same time?

Based on personal experience I wouldn’t send it to a publisher at all. I’d send it to an agent. This might sound crazy because you’re thinking you want to get it to the people who can actually publish it, not someone who’s going to take a cut of your money, but believe me, it’s good business sense. The publishing industry is a business like everything else and if you don’t know the business you don’t know some of the pitfalls. An agent does. Plus, your agent will know the publishers who are looking for a certain type of book, for example, and will be able to pitch yours to the people most likely to accept it. I was once talking to a guy who said that he’d sent his book to heaps of publishers but had no luck. When I asked about the book he said that it was a science fiction novel. But he’d sent it to publishers who didn’t have a science fiction list. He did this on the basis that they might like to break in to science fiction, but the reality is that most publishers want stuff that they already know how to market! He would have had better luck going to recognised sci-fi publishers. And if he’d had an agent, that’s what the agent would have done. I know that all writers think of their work as their creative baby, but you’ve also got to think of it as something that someone else is going to have to sell. 

How can I find an agent?

The Writers & Artists Yearbook is a mine of information about agents, publishers and lots of other things to do with the literary world and well worth buying.

How easy is it to get published?

We all hear the stories of publishers’ desks groaning under the weight of unsolicited manuscripts but at the same time they are also always on the look out for new talent. As well as which, they’re also looking for new and original voices. But the fact is that you need to be lucky as well. There are plenty of stories about rejected manuscripts which eventually get published and become mega-selling books. You have to have faith in yourself and what you’re trying to write. One of my favourite quotes is “a published author is just an amateur who wouldn’t quit.” Don’t quit.

Should I write for a certain genre? I prefer thrillers but maybe I should try chick-lit instead?

Never write anything that you don’t believe in. When I’m writing I honestly do become my characters (a bit disconcerting for those close to me, especially if I’m writing a pregnant woman, for example, and start complaining of back pain!).  I love reading thrillers myself but I know that I wouldn’t be able to keep to a nice, taut plot-line because I’d be wondering what the spy’s mother would be thinking about her involvement in the CIA or something so I know it just wouldn’t work. If you try to write romantic fiction but you just can’t bear dealing with people’s relationships, that isn’t going to work either. You really must write the story that’s most important to you. 

Of all your books, which is your favourite?

I really don’t have a favourite. When I’m writing them, each one is my favourite. Afterwards I panic that I cold have told the same story much better.  I spend most of my time feeling that I have a great idea and then thinking that I’ve never quite done it justice. Later, though, when I look back on them, I think they’re not so bad after all. I get totally involved with all of my characters and I refer to the books by the names of the lead characters rather than the titles. So I call them Gemma and Ash, for example, instead of Far From Over and My Favourite Goodbye.

Do you prefer writing novels or short stories? Where did you get the ideas for Destinations and Connections?

I enjoy the depth that novels allow me to give characters and the storyline but I like the discipline of the short story where you have to get so much into so few words. There’s also a more immediate sense of achievement!

Do you have a notebook where you write down all your ideas?

All authors are supposed to have this mythical notebook! I tell other people to get one. But I’ve never quite got around to it myself. And I’m sure I’ve forgotten great plot-lines because I haven’t got a notebook!

What’s the best thing about being an author?

Not working nine to five.

And the worst?

Feeling guilty because you’re watching TV instead of working!

Posted by admin on 11/01 at 08:49 PM - (9) ADD / VIEW COMMENTS