Boldhighlander,
1) Firstly, yes, it is a dialectic difference. The aspirated
d (rendered as
dh) is pronounced by some as a "y" sound, and by others as a hard "g" sound. Some modern Irish language spellings of the name omit the
dh altogether, rendering it as
Ó Móra. While we're on that topic, the apostrophe after the O prefix in an Irish surname is an Anglicisation itself, and is not part of the Irish language. It is always
Ó, meaning
descended from or
grandson of. The
O' is probably from English scribes confusing it with
of. Also, the name should be spelled in Irish,
Ó Mórdha or
Ó Móra (depending on one's preference). By not aspirating (adding the "h") to the d, an Irish-speaker would pronounce the name as OH MORD-A. This confusion is often seen in Irish names today because the original Irish script did not use an h to represent aspiration after a consonant, but instead used a dot over the top of the letter. Many Irish names are mistakenly spelled this way; Domnall, instead of the correct, Domhnall, etc. People would forget to "replace" the dot with an H. Baffled? Sorry...
2)
Mac Raonuill would be pronounced MAC RAIN-ILL.
Mac Mhic Raonuill would be pronounced as MAC VICK RAIN-ILL. These are Scottish Gaelic spellings, the Irish would
Mac Raonaill, but pronounced the same.
3) Etymologically speaking, the name Holmes is of Norse origin, from
holmr. Therefore it can occur anywhere in the Isles.
Originally Posted by slohairt
Boldhighlander,
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