A Beginner’s Guide to Old Irish Pronunciation

by Annie Loughlin. Do not reprint without permission.

Old Irish, or Sengoídelc, is the language that was spoken in Ireland from around the sixth to the eleventh centuries C.E. It is therefore the language that is used for some of the earliest written sources that we have, and these include the names of many deities, words and phrases that are found within Gaelic Polytheism, and Gaol Naofa in particular.

As an ancestor of all modern Gaelic languages, and the lens through which we see much of our information that we draw on in our practices, learning some of the basics of pronunciation for Old Irish can help you gain more confidence in your practices.

The Basics

Pronunciation of Old Irish can be a lot different compared to modern Irish (or Scots Gaelic, another descendant of Old Irish), so things can get a little confusing sometimes. There are some very basic rules that can be followed, which can help you get the hang of things.

In Old Irish, the pronunciation of a letter can be affected by a number of factors, but the main ones are:

  • Where the letter is in the word – at the beginning, or in the middle/end of the word
  • Which letters come before or after it
  • In the case of vowels, whether they are accented or not (á ó ú é í, as opposed to the simple a o u e i)

The Old Irish alphabet consists of eighteen letters:

A B C D E F G H I L M N O P R S T U

Vowels

Before looking at how the vowels are pronounced, there are a few background details that we should look at. This will help you figure out pronunciations for yourself later on, and will also introduce you to some terms that you will need to be familiar with if you decide to look into Old Irish in more detail.

Vowels are split into two groups: broad and slender vowels.

Broad vowels consist of a, o and u
Slender vowels consist of e and i

This is why you find the vowels listed differently than in English – a o u e i, instead of a e i o u (as can be seen in the ogam alphabets, for example).

Slender vowels can affect the way certain letters are pronounced, and can cause palatalization. In most cases – and in very simple terms – this is where a ‘yuh’ or ‘uh’ sound is introduced into a word, like with the word bile (sacred tree) – pronounced BIL-yuh.

Where slender vowels are found with the letter s, it changes to a ‘sh’ sound. An example here is senchas (lore) – pronounced SHEN-uh-chas. In this case, the slender vowel also slenderizes the syllable after it, giving an ‘uh’ sound.

Generally, however, the vowels are pronounced like so:

a – in the first syllable of a word, it is lengthened, as in farther (or rather, if you have a posh English accent!)
a – in the second syllable of a word, it is a shortened sound, as in woman
o – a short sound, as in hot
u – a short sound, as in put
e – in the first syllable of a word, a short sound as in pet
e – in the second (and subsequent) syllable of a word, as in mother
i – a short sound, as in sit, but the sound can be changed by other vowels next to it

But! A vowel with an accent is often pronounced differently:

á – on its own, with no other vowels beside it, it gives an ‘aw’ sound, as in saw
áe – gives an ‘ay’ sound
ái – gives an ‘a’ sound, as in ‘and’
ó – on its own, ‘ow’ as in flow
óe – with an e after it, the sound changes to ‘ey’
ú – an ‘oo’ sound, as in food
é – an ‘ey’ sound
í – an ‘ee’ sound, as in seed

Consonants

Sometimes consonants can change their sound depending on where they are in a word. As a general rule, b, c, d, m, p and t all change their sounds depending on whether or not they appear at the beginning, or in the middle or end of a word, for example. However, when the same letter is repeated – such as in the name Ólamm – the initial pronunciation is kept. In this case, the ‘mm’ will give a ‘m’ sound, rather than a ‘v’ sound.

b – at the beginning of a word, it takes the usual sound as in English. Elsewhere it takes a ‘v’ sound
c – at the beginning of a word, it always takes a hard ‘c’, as in cat or Celtic. Elsewhere it takes a hard ‘g’ sound, as in got
d – as usual at the beginning of a word, but with a slender vowel it can take on more of a ‘j’ sound – Danann is therefore DAN-ann, whereas dé is pronounced more like ‘jay’. Elsewhere in a word, it becomes a hard ‘th’, as in the or that (as opposed to the softer sound in think)
f - a bit complicated! Stick with the usual ‘f’ sound
g – always a hard ‘g’, as in ‘gave’, but the sound changes slightly when it occurs at the middle or end of a word – it is still hard, but the sound begins at the back of the throat
h – does not occur on its own in Old Irish, but combines with other letters like ch and th (see below)
l – as in English, but slender vowels (e or i) can give it a palatalized sound – a ‘lyuh’ sound
m – word as usual at the beginning of the word, but elsewhere it can take on a ‘v’, or sometimes a ‘w’ sound
n – as in English
p – a normal p at the beginning of a word, but elsewhere it can take on a ‘b’ sound
r – as in English
s – as in English with broad vowels (a o u), but with slender vowels (e i) it takes on a ‘sh’ sound
t – as usual at the beginning of a word, but elsewhere it can take on a ‘d’ sound

Other sounds:

ch – never a ‘ch’ sound like chance, always pronounced as in loch or och!
ph – a ‘f’ sound, as in philosophical
th - a soft ‘th’, as in thing

One final point on consonants…Nasalization:

n and m – sometimes you will see these letters coming before the consonants b, d, and g. An example can be found with the phrase nem nglas, “the blue sky”. The presence of the n in nglas indicates nasalization, where the n is formed in the back of the throat before pronouncing the rest of the word. It effectively kills the sound of the next letter, so in this case the g should not be heard, and the word should sound something like “nlass,” all one syllable, not “nuh-glass” or “nuh-lass.”

Stress

In most cases (for our purposes) the first syllable of the word is always stressed, and remember – this can sometimes change the way some letters are pronounced, as in the case of a and e, above.

Pronunciation Guide

Here are some names, words and phrases that you might find useful, with suggested pronunciations, which should give you an idea of how all of the above works in context.

Getting to grips with the basics can be confusing enough as it is, without having to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as well. For this reason, the pronunciations are given as simply as possible, although they may not be as nuanced as they would be using the IPA. The capitalized syllable shows which part of the word should be stressed (where applicable).

Remember that ‘ow,’ as given in the guide below, will sound as in “flow.” Because some letters produce similar sounds – where d can give a hard ‘th’ as in “the”, while th gives a soft ‘th’, as in “think – these will be distinguished in the guide by the use of:

dh – for a hard ‘th’ (the)
th – remains for the soft ‘th’ (think)

Likewise:

gh – to show the slight change in sound of a g in the middle of a word
g – remains for the initial sound
dj – denotes the slight softening of d when it occurs at the beginning of a word with a slender vowel

Names

Áed – aydh
Aífe – EE-fuh
Ailill – AL-yill
Áine – AN-yuh
Amairgen – AV-ir-ghen
An Dagda – an DAGH-dha
An Morrígan – an MOR-ree-ghan
Badb – BADH-uhv
Banba – BAN-vah
Boand – BO-an
Bodb Derg – BODH-uv DJER-ug
Boruma – BOR-u-wa
Bricriu – BRIK-roo
Brigit – BRIGH-id
Cailleach – KAL-yach
Conaire – KON-ur-uh
Conall – KON-al
Conchobar – KON-cho-var
Cú Chulainn – KOO CHULL-an
Díarmait – DJYAR-mid
Domnall – DOV-nal
Emer – EH-ver
Eochaid – EH-kidh
Ériu – EYHR-yoo
Étaín – EY-deen
Fáelán – FAY-lawn
Fer Díad – fer DEE-a
Finnabair – FIN-a-vir
Finn mac Cumaill – fin mac KUH-vahl
Fótla – FOWD-la
Gabrán – GAB-rawn
Goibniu – GOYB-nyew
Gráinne – GRAWN-ya
Lí Bán – lee bawn
Lir – lyir
Lóegaire – LEY-ghir-yuh
Lug – Lugh
Lugaid – LU-ghidh
Mael Dúin – Meyl Doon
Manannán – MAN-ann-awn
Medb – MEDH-uhv
Midir – MIDH-ir
Míl – meel
Nemain – NE-vin
Nét – nayd
Noisiu – NOY-shu
Núadu – NOO-ah-dhu
Óengus – EYN-gus
Ogma – OG-ma
Oisín – OSH-een
Ólamm – OW-lam
Ollathair – OLL-ath-ir
Rúad – ROO-adh
Sadb – SADH-uhv
Samildánach – SAV-il-daw-nach
Scáthach – SCAW-thach
Suibne – SIV-nyuh
Tadg – TADH-ugh
Uisliu – ISH-loo

Words

Beltain – BEL-tin-uh
Brithem – BRITH-ev
Cairdes – KARDH-yesh
Cethardúil – CETH-ar-dhool
Cóiced – COW-gedh
Comalnad – COV-al-nadh
Dindshenchas – DIN-hen-chas
Dírgas – DJEER-gas
Dún – doon
Eólas – OW-las
Fían – FEE-an
Fír – feer
Geis – gehsh
Imbolc – IM-bol-uhc
Immram – IM-ruv
Lía Fáil – LEE-a fal
Lugnasad – LUGH-na-sad
Muinter – MUN-der
Ollam – OLL-uhv
Nem – nev
Nemed – NEV-udh
Samain – SA-vin
Senchas – SHEN-uh-chas
Síd – sheedh
Talam – TAL-uhv
Teglach – TEGH-lach
Temair – TE-vir
Ulaid – UL-idh

Useful phrases

Aes síde – ays sheedh
Bile Mór – BIL-yuh mowr
Dé ocus andé – djay ocus an-DJAY
Emain Macha – EH-vin MA-cha
In Rúad Rofessa – In ROO-adh ROH-fess-a
Imbas forosnai – IM-bas FOR-os-na
Lebor Gabála – LE-vor GA-vaw-la
Nem nglas, muir mas, talam cé – nev nlas, mweer mas, TAL-uhv kay

References and useful resources

  • Tales of the Elders of Ireland by Ann Dooley and Harry Roe – gives a useful and basic summary of pronunciation, plus a guide of all the names found in the book
  • A Guide to Early Irish Law by Fergus Kelly – has a good overview of Old Irish pronunciation, but slightly more advanced (using International Phonetic Alphabet)
  • Sengoídelc: Old Irish for Beginners by David Stifter
  • An Introduction to Old Irish by R.P.M. Lehman
  • A Grammar of Old Irish by Rudolf Thurneysen