Hi, new to the forum so apologise if I have posted this incorrectly .

I have been looking for a translation of my surname (Súilleabháin) in Ogham and have tried using various online tools but I don't really trust them and want to make sure I have it correct. I would also like an idea on different fonts to use when spelling it in old Irish (Sengoídelc?). Finally I would also like the words "Always cunning" translated in old Irish as well. Here's what I have so far.

"Always cunning" or "Always sly" nearest Irish translation I have is "i gcónaí glic"? I would like this translated in both Ogham and old Irish as well if possible. Thanks for your time on this. Angelus

I'm not well versed in Old Irish (few people are), so someone else will have to help you there, but you have a typo in the Irish form of the name - there's only one "L": Ó Súileabháin The doubling of the "L" happened in the English transliteration of the name (that sort of thing is not uncommon).

According to MacLysaght’s Surnames of Ireland: "While there is no doubt that the basic word is súil (eye), there is a disagreement as to the meaning of the last part of the name" . Unfortunately, he doesn't say what the contrasting opinions are. Irish names of Gaelic origin, whether they are Mac or Ó names, are normally based on the name or a nickname of an ancestor, and so in this case there must have been a nickname using the word "eye".

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I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

Caoimhín, you're mainly right that Súileabháin with one l is the best spelling, but it is frequently found in traditional texts with ll too. See http://www.libraryireland.com/names/os/ ... abhain.php - a good source for information on Irish surnames - where it says "also but less correctly written Ó Súilleabháin".

Maybe because this is a Munster surname, and the l/ll distinction doesn't apply in Munster unlike the other dialects - and so the spelling with ll or l made no difference the pronunciation.

Also note the -ea- was written -io- at various points.

Ó Súiliobháin
Ó Súilliobháin

and of course Ua Súileabháin, Ua Súilleabháin, Ua Súiliobháin and Ua Súilliobháin.