I am proudly of Irish Heritage. In fact, I had the opportunity to visit Ireland in 1990 and meet relatives. I also saw the tiny cottage and land that my great great grandmother grew up in. I happened to see a beautiful Irish Wolfhound on that trip and fell in love.

Due to circumstances I was never able to buy one but the IW stayed in the back of my mind all that time. I now am in the position to have one and, for my anniversary present, my husband surprised me by telling me to start looking for an Irish Wolfhound puppy. We think we have located one that is perfect for us and now I have to name him.

I wanted something simple for him. I did some research on Celtic Deities and came up with a few possibilities. I liked "Neit" who apparently was the god of war. Not sure of the pronunciation though. If anyone could help me with that one I would appreciate it.


Anyway, I'm taking suggestions for a name for this wonderful little boy. Would appreciate any help you would like to offer.

Thanks,

Sunshine

I've never heard that one. When I think of the god of war, I think of the Morrigan.

I don't know if the name you found would be pronounced differently from modern Irish (that's often the case). Were there any accent marks? That will make a difference.

I've always rather fancied "Lugh" as a name for an Irish wolfhound. Pronounced as "Lou" or "Lew." Since the month of August (Lúnasa) is named for him, that might make a nice name for your puppy.

I don't know if you've discovered "Namenerds" yet, but it's a great place to look for Irish names for just about everything:

http://www.namenerds.com/irish/meaning1.html

Congrats on your new boy! They're lovely dogs! A lot of work in the early days, but worth it!

Redwolf

Thank you so much. My husband just picked him up and he is on his way home here. I can't wait.

This is what the website said:

In Irish mythology Neit (Néit, Nét, Neith) was a god of war. He was the husband of Nemain, and sometimes of Badb. Also grandfather of Balor, he was killed at the legendary Second Battle of Moytura. The name probably derives from the proto-Celtic *nei-t-[1] meaning fighting or passion. A similarly named deity appears on two Celtiberian inscriptions,[2] as a Romanized Mars Neto and as Neito. Neit is also described as the uncle of the Dagda, who gave him Ailech Neit (Neit's Stonehouse), which is elsewhere described as the grave of Aed, son of the Dagda.[3]

I thought of naming him Boru - after Brian Boru - but then I thought that it was a little too common. I'm so happy to get the advice on the website you suggested and I'll check it out. I wanted something special, different for him. Since he's a very special boy to us already.

Again, thanks, and I'll check out the website and let you know what I come up with. My relatives came from Co. Monaghan and I thought of that, too. The farm name was Camaghey. That might be nice too. I just don't know yet. If I could figure out how to add a picture I'd post one of him for you.

Blessings,

Sunshine

Bran - was Fionn mac Cumhaill's dog. Good name for a hound of any kind.

Do you happen to know any Russians? When correctly pronounced, the "t" at the end of Néit should sound the same as the "t" at the end of the Russian word for 'no' (неть)

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ЯГОН ТОҶИК НЕСТ ИНҶО???

I know the word "Nyet" for no in Russian. I thought that Neit was pronounced "Neith" or "Neeth." I still haven't settled on a name yet. But I need to soon. I just keep calling him "Puppy." He's just 10 weeks old and already weighs 30#. I think he's gonna be a big boy! For some reason I just cant settle on something to call him yet. I've had Shih Tzus for 40 years and have always been able to come up with adorable cute names that fit them. This seems to be different. I don't want a cutesy name or a common name. No silly names. And I want something that links him to his heritage. I've read about Cu Chulainn. And I thought of his birth name Setanta. Just don't know. I think I'm making this harder than it has to be. I love the help and still appreciate all the suggestions.

I had to look up Fionn Mac Cumhaill - and I have heard of Finn MacCool. Everyone I talk to says I should name him Guinness. Since I don't drink it didn't seem like it worked. I thought I could name him that and then call him Brew. I used to feed my pregnant mares Guinness. It was so good for them. I learned that when I was over on my relatives farm in Monaghan.

If it were modern Irish, it would be (roughly) "netch," but I don't think it's a modern Irish word, and I don't know how that would influence the pronunciation. Irish doesn't have the "th" sounds we have in English, btw...there's no "th" as in "this" or as in "thin."

"Setanta" is a good one for a wolfhound, I think.

Redwolf

Do you know how to say it as a Russian does? The "t" at the end is a sound we do not have in English. It is palatalised!

This is a good point.
As Redwolf mentioned, modern Irish no longer has a "th" sound -- but if this is from an older Irish then it could very well be pronounced that way. Older Irish did have both "th" sounds. But I am afraid I am not familiar with older Irish of any kind or with such deities as this.

Sorry!! I know this is probably not helpful at all in your quest to name your dog!!

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Thank you all for your suggestions. I've never had such a hard time naming an animal before. Perhaps I'm just trying too hard to find the right name. I'll just keep trying & I'm sure something will come to me. He's being trained to eventually be a therapy dog going into nursing homes & hospitals so you see why he needs to have something that says "I'm Irish" & yet be easy for children & elderly to say & remember. He's just a loving, sweet boy & I think he will do his job wonderfully. Hopefully with the perfect name. Thanks all,

Sunshine