The story of Niamh

Hey, I have one more reader: my marvelous friend Debbie, just home from her honeymoon! Yes, Debbie, in answer to your question-- these are the 2 names I have chosen for the baby, Niamh if its a girl and Daniel if its a boy.. (Sorry it that wasn't clear!)

But, there are a number of people out there who are questioning my choice of a girl's name-- they think, to quote my boss, "its just not right to do that to someone"-- to saddle a kid with a name (or more specifically, the spelling of that name) so traditional that people won't know how to pronounce it. So I have to tell people how to pronounce it-- so what? Most people who meet her will be told how to pronounce her name long before they see it in writing..

So anyway, here is where the name comes from..

The name "Niamh" (pronounced Neeve-- see, it's not hard!) means "radiance, lustre, brightness." It is a Gaelic name rooted in Irish mythology. The original Niamh was the daughter of the king of a magical place called Tir-Na-nOG, Land of the Young. Depicted as a beautiful princess riding on a white horse, the love Niamh found with an Irish warrior is legendary:

One morning the Fianna were deer hunting on the shores of Lough Lein in County Kerry. They saw a beautiful white horse coming toward them. Riding on the horse was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. She wore a long dress as blue as the summer sky and studded with silver stars. Her long golden hair hung to her waist.

"What's your name and what land have you come from?" asked Fionn, leader of the Fianna. "I am Niamh of the Golden Hair. My father is king of Tir-Na-nOg" she replied. "I have heard of a warrior named Oisin. I have heard of his courage and of his poetry. I have come to find him and take him back with me to Tir-Na-nOg." "Tell me," Oisin said, "what sort of land is Tir-Na-nOg?" "Tir-Na-nOg is the land of youth," replied Niamh. "It is a happy place, with no pain or sorrow. Any wish you make comes true and no one grows old there. If you come with me you will find all this is true."

Oisin mounted the white horse and said goodbuy to his father and friends. He promised he would return soon. The horse galloped off over the water, moving as swiftly as a shadow. The Fianna were sad to see their hero go, but Fionn reminded them of Oisin's promise to return soon.

The king and queen of Tir-Na-nOg welcomed Oisin and held a great feast in his honor. It was indeed a wonderful land, just as Niamh had said. He hunted and feasted and at night he told stories of Fianna and of their lives in Ireland. Oisin had never felt so happy as he did with Niamh and before long, they were married.

Time passed quickly and although he was very happy Oisin began to think of returning home for a visit. Niamh didn't want him to go but at last she said "Take my white horse. It will carry you to Ireland and back. Whatever happens you must not get off the horse and touch the soil of Ireland. If you do you will never return to me or to Tir-Na-nOg." She did not tell him that although he thought that he had only been away for a few years, he had really been there three hundred years.

Ireland seemed a very strange place to Oisin when he arrived. There seemed to be no trace of his father or the rest of the Fianna. The people he saw seemed small and weak to him. As he passed through Gleann-na-Smol he saw some men trying to move a large stone. "I will help you" said Oisin. The men were terrified of this giant on a white horse. Stooping from his saddle Oisin lifted the stone with one hand and hurled it. With that the saddle girth broke and Oisin was flung to the ground. Immediately, the white horse disappeared and the men saw before them an old, old man. They took him to a holy man who lived nearby. "Where is my father and the Fianna?" Oisin asked. When he was told that they were long dead he was heartbroken. He spoke of the many deeds of Fionn and their adventures together. He spoke of his time in Tir-Na-nOg and his beautiful wife, Niamh, that he would never see again. Although he died soon after, the wonderful stories of Niamh and Oisin have lived on.


So, what do you all think? Post a comment (or I might be able to create a poll-- I don't know yet), telling me what you think about the spelling of the name.. Keep it traditional or opt for a more phonetic spelling, like "Nieve"? (Legal disclaimer: No promises I will follow any of your advice!!)