Mo- in the names of mediaeval saints?

djwebb2021 · **Joined:** Thu 27 May 2021 3:22 am **Posts:** 1751

This is referred to on p6 of Vol 2 of Woulfe's Irish Names and Surnames (Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall):

Quote:

The names of saints are sometimes preceded by mo, my, a term of endearment, and at the same time take the diminutive termination -óg as : Mochaomhóg, Mocheallóg, Mocholmhóg. When the name begins with a vowel, the o of mo is elided and the M incorporated with the name, as Maodhóg, Íde, etc.

see https://archive.org/details/irishnamessurnam00woul

[This is regarded as the authority on Irish names and the book is full of interesting things]

tiomluasocein · **Joined:** Thu 01 Sep 2011 11:36 pm **Posts:** 687

djwebb2021 wrote:

CaoimhínSF wrote:

This practice led to some odd names when the anglicizing of names came about (18th-19th century). In County Wexford, some families have (or at least had for a while) a tradition of naming their sons Moses, but it had no connection with Judaism or the Bible. The Irish form of the name was Maodhóg, which was created from mo + Aodhán + óg [the last part being a diminutive ending]. Some children with that name had it anglicized as Aiden, but some priests apparently decided that Moses was the right way to go.

How did they pronounce that in Co. Wexford? /me:'o:g/?

For what it's worth (because it's nearby in Waterford), I asked a friend of mine who grew up speaking Irish and went to school in An Rinn. For him, your pronunciation is spot on. The only difference I could hear is that he really extends the o:. :LOL:

He's got a little boy who he's called Eamonn Óg who he called Ógi. It takes him forever to get the name out of his mouth.

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Mo- in the names of mediaeval saints?

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