![\"Translation:](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2016\/05\/girl-with-daisy-chain-larger-w-rbl-text-5-18-16-for-5-11-16-e1463611665105.jpg\")
<\/a>Translation: My name is N\u00f3in\u00edn. And I’m wearing daisies [n\u00f3in\u00edn\u00ed]!<\/em> Graphic: pre-1923 image.<\/p><\/div>(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)<\/strong><\/p>\n Daisy?\u00a0 N\u00f3ra? On\u00f3ra?<\/strong> Honor? N\u00f3ir\u00edn vs. N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>?\u00a0 So what exactly is going on here with this name?<\/p>\n Well, here’s the short answer.\u00a0 “N\u00f3in\u00edn”<\/strong> is generally considered to be a variation of the name N\u00f3ra (On\u00f3ra),<\/strong> even though “N\u00f3ra<\/strong>” also has another diminutive form, “N\u00f3ir\u00edn<\/strong>” (Noreen).\u00a0 The name “On\u00f3ra<\/strong>” means “honor (honour),” close to the generic Irish word “on\u00f3ir<\/strong>.”\u00a0 Bhuel<\/strong>, many names have more than one variant and\/or diminutive, so that’s nothing new, really.<\/p>\n But “n\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>” is also the Irish word for “daisy.”\u00a0 The website behindthename.com<\/em> sums up the situation quite nicely with its comment on the name “N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>,” saying that it is a diminutive of “N\u00f3ra<\/strong>” but that “It can also be inspired by the Irish word\u00a0n\u00f3in\u00edn<\/em>\u00a0“daisy” (nasc th\u00edos<\/strong>). “Inspired” may not be real specific here, but it acknowledges the similarity without pinpointing a derivation.<\/p>\n A. “N\u00f3in\u00edn” as a Name and as a Flower<\/strong><\/p>\n At any rate, let’s look first at how we use the name in context.\u00a0 The good news is there are no changes for direct address or to show possession — unlike so many other nouns and names. No changes at all to the beginning or the end of the word — almost amazing!<\/p>\n N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n T\u00e1 N\u00f3in\u00edn anseo<\/strong>. \u00a0N\u00f3in\u00edn is here.<\/p>\n Dia dhuit, a N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>.\u00a0 Hello, N\u00f3in\u00edn.<\/p>\n c\u00f3ta N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>.\u00a0 N\u00f3in\u00edn’s coat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If we’re talking about the daisy, we have:<\/p>\n an n\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>, the daisy<\/p>\n dathanna an n\u00f3in\u00edn, the colors of the daisy<\/p>\n na n\u00f3in\u00edn\u00ed, the daisies<\/p>\n dathanna na n\u00f3in\u00edn\u00ed, the colors of the daisies<\/p>\n B. “N\u00f3in\u00edn” in Direct Address<\/strong><\/p>\n If we were actually talking to a daisy, we’d say the same as above.\u00a0 It just wouldn’t be capitalized if we were writing it down.\u00a0 So we’d say, “… a n\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n So who’s been talking to daisies lately?\u00a0 Well, maybe not lately<\/em>, but there’s always Wordsworth, whom I’ll take the liberty of loosely translating into Irish here:\u00a0… Ach anois l\u00fach\u00e1ir orm f\u00e9in a chuirim, \/ Mo thart ag gach sruthl\u00e1n a choiscim \/ Agus go fonnmhar gr\u00e1 N\u00e1d\u00fair a chaithim \/ Tr\u00edot, a N\u00f3in\u00edn ghleoite!<\/strong><\/p>\n That’s from\u00a0Wordsworth’s original, aptly named “To a Daisy”:\u00a0But now my own delights I make, \/ My thirst at every rill can slake \/ And gladly Nature’s love partake \/ of Thee, sweet Daisy!<\/p>\n Well, there you have it, “daisy” in direct address.<\/p>\n Of course, we could debate ‘sweet’ here.\u00a0 ‘Milis<\/strong>‘ (sweet) mostly refers to food, and “cumhra<\/strong>” (sweet) is more like “fragrant,” which I don’t really think is what Wordsworth intended.\u00a0 I believe he meant “sweet” as in “nice” or “pretty,” i.e. “gleoite<\/strong>,” in Irish. \u00a0Plus I like the way the long “o” sound of “gleoite<\/strong>” echoes the sound of “n\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>.”\u00a0 BTW, why is “gleoite<\/strong>” lenited, becoming “ghleoite<\/strong>“?\u00a0 Because it’s in direct address.\u00a0 Yes, adjectives can also have direct address forms, ach sin \u00e1bhar blagmh\u00edre eile<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As for translating “rill” into Irish, I can’t say I’ve thought much about rills outside of the line “… I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills …”.\u00a0 A “rill,” at any rate, in Irish, is a “sruthl\u00e1n<\/strong>,” a slight diminutive of “sruth\u00e1n<\/strong>” (stream, brook).<\/p>\n Of course, we can see that Wordsworth actually did capitalize the word “daisy,” but that was a 19th-century thing, since he also used upper case for “Nature” and “Zephyrs,” and he consistently capitalizes other words we wouldn’t capitalize today.<\/p>\n Robert Burns’ poem, “To a Mountain Daisy,” might have been a good exercise here but I’ve just double-checked it.\u00a0 Great, great poem, but he doesn’t literally use the phrase “to a daisy” there.\u00a0 His phrase “Thou bonnie gem” comes closest, since it’s in direct address, but we’re really trying to stick to daisies here, not poetic epithets for them.<\/p>\n C. “N\u00f3in\u00edn” as a Name: A Brief Comment on Frequency and Popularity<\/strong><\/p>\n As for current usage of “N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>” as a name, I see a nice handful of examples online, but not a whole lot, leis an fh\u00edrinne a dh\u00e9anamh<\/strong>.\u00a0 \u00a0Let’s take a quick look at “N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>” compared to “N\u00f3ir\u00ed<\/strong>n.”<\/p>\n For “N\u00f3ir\u00edn<\/strong>” + “name,” I get 28,300 hits in a Google search; without the qualifier “name,” I get 107,000.\u00a0\u00a0 For the anglicization “Noreen” + “woman’s name,” I get 229,000; I added the qualifier because “noreen” has so many other meanings and contexts globally.\u00a0 \u00a0Searching for “N\u00f3ra” as such is almost too broad to be useful–there are about 130,000,000 hits, including on the first page, an anti-snoring device, a lighting company, and the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA), as well as many examples of the name “N\u00f3ra<\/strong>” or “Nora.”<\/p>\n In contrast, “N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>” + “name” as a search gives a mere total of 140 (adding the qualifier “name” to try to eliminate references that are just to the plant).\u00a0 “N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>” + “woman’s name” yield even fewer results — 11, after duplicates are eliminated.\u00a0 I haven’t seen too many adaptations of “N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>” as “Noneen,” but they do show up from time to time.\u00a0 One interesting example is the sculpture “Head of Noneen<\/em>” (aka Head of a Girl<\/em>), from 1919, by Sir Jacob Epstein (nasc th\u00edos<\/strong>).\u00a0 It’s curious how an artist in the early 20th century ended up with a girl, presumably named Noneen, as a model.\u00a0 And how did the girl come to be called “Noneen”?\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Who was she?\u00a0 Eolas ag duine ar bith? <\/strong><\/p>\n At any rate, it seems clear that “N\u00f3ir\u00edn<\/strong>” is far more widespread as a name than “N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>.”\u00a0 As for some examples of “N\u00f3in\u00edn,” <\/strong>as a name, most of the hits are simply references to baby name sites or Irish name sites.\u00a0 I don’t find too many examples of “N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>” in a real-life context, but here’s one:\u00a0N\u00f3in\u00edn Brugha (1913-2004, daughter of the Irish revolutionaries and politicians Cathal and Caitl\u00edn Brugha; Cathal, 1874-1922, was the first ceann comhairle<\/strong> of D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann<\/strong>)<\/p>\n I’ve also noted online a few c\u00fanna faoil<\/strong> and capaill<\/strong> named “N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>,” usually without the s\u00ednt\u00ed fada<\/strong>, unless the owners are actually Irish speakers.<\/p>\n D. “N\u00f3in\u00edn” and “Noneen” in Art and Literature<\/strong><\/p>\n As a fictional character, we have a few “N\u00f3in\u00edn\u00ed<\/strong>.”\u00a0 “N\u00f3in\u00edn N\u00ed Chathasaigh<\/strong>” appears in the play _L\u00e1 Bu\u00ed Bealtaine<\/em><\/strong>_, performed at the Abbey in 1953 and 1959, and written by none other than the author of the Irish grammar workhorse, _Progress in Irish<\/em>_ and such delightful little books for learners as Mic\u00ed Monca\u00ed<\/em>, Luaithr\u00edona<\/em><\/strong> (Cinderella) and R\u00e1p\u00fanzell<\/em>,<\/strong> \u00a0not to mention the pioneering and controversial _An Triail<\/em><\/strong>_.\u00a0 C\u00e9 h\u00ed sin?\u00a0 Mair\u00e9ad N\u00ed Ghr\u00e1da. \u00a0Chun tuilleadh eolais a fh\u00e1il faoin dr\u00e1ma seo, f\u00e9ach na naisc th\u00edos, l\u00e9irithe in \u00c9irinn i 1953 agus 1959 agus i gCeanada i 2011.\u00a0 Eolas faoi l\u00e9irithe eile ag duine ar bith<\/strong>?\u00a0\u00a0 Bearna mh\u00f3r idir na l\u00e9irithe, de r\u00e9ir cos\u00falachta.\u00a0 Eolas ag duine ar bith faoi l\u00e9iri\u00fa ar bith eile idir an d\u00e1 am?<\/p>\n Another fictional “N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>” is in the recently published children’s stories by Eibhl\u00eds N\u00ed Dhonnchadha, _N\u00f3in\u00edn agus Siar Aniar<\/em><\/strong>_ and _N\u00f3in\u00edn agus Rolla\u00ed Polla\u00ed<\/em><\/strong>_. \u00a0\u00a0Eolas agaibh faoi N\u00f3in\u00edn ar bith eile i litr\u00edocht?<\/strong><\/p>\n There is a “Noneen” in a lesser known Se\u00e1n O’Casey play, _Behind the Green Curtains_ (1961) which had a relatively late world premiere (December 5, 1962, at the University of Rochester, New York — hmm, c\u00e9n f\u00e1th Rochester?<\/strong>).\u00a0 Ar aon chaoi<\/strong>, it was “Noneen Melbayle,” a maid, played by Elaine Magidson, in a student performance.\u00a0\u00a0 BTW, this is not to be mistaken for a similar sounding play, _Behind the Green Curtain<\/em>_, by Riley LaShea!\u00a0 A l\u00e1n cuirt\u00edn\u00ed uaine i litr\u00edocht, nach ea?<\/strong>\u00a0 OK, whatever.\u00a0 Gan a bheith ag caint faoi dhoirse uaine!<\/strong><\/p>\n And there’s a man named “Noneen” in a 2009 Star Wars novel, _Millennium Falcon<\/em>_, by James Lucerno, but whether that’s even meant to be connected to all our other “N\u00f3in\u00edn\u00ed<\/strong>” is totally unclear.\u00a0 Suimi\u00fail, mar sin f\u00e9in<\/strong>.<\/p>\n E. Spelling the Name “Honor”<\/strong><\/p>\n One last point about all the women named “Honor “in English that I can think of or find reference to — the spelling consistently has the “-or” ending, not “-our,” as the generic word is spelled in Britain and Ireland.\u00a0 Examples include Honor Mary Boland Crowley (politician), \u00a0Honor Tracy (writer), Honor Blackman (actress), and Dr. Dame Honor Bridget Fell (zoologist), all with British or Irish backgrounds.\u00a0\u00a0 Not that that’s really an Irish-language issue, but it’s worth noting if you use the UK spelling and are doing searches for these women or the name “Honor” and its cohorts (Nora, Norah, etc.).<\/p>\n F.\u00a0N\u00f3in\u00edn\u00ed — Some Flower References<\/strong><\/p>\n Finally, two additional interesting uses of the word “n\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>,” in its basic sense as “daisy,” are<\/p>\n a) N\u00f3in\u00edn Herbal Products, in Scarriff, Co. Clare (http:\/\/noinin.ie\/) and<\/p>\n b) the charming Irish knit “n\u00f3in\u00edn <\/strong>beret” If you follow the link to the photos in the site, you’ll see a cute daisy-shaped pattern creating the crown of the hat (https:\/\/anirishknitodyssey.wordpress.com\/2015\/02\/05\/noinin-beret\/)<\/p>\n Bhuel, bh\u00ed i bhfad n\u00edos m\u00f3 i gceist anseo n\u00e1 sh\u00edl m\u00e9 nuair a thosaigh m\u00e9 an bhlagmh\u00edr seo.\u00a0 Bhabh! \u00a0T\u00e1 s\u00fail agam go raibh suimi\u00fail, do lucht na n-ainmneacha Daisy, N\u00f3ra, Nora, Norah, N\u00f3ir\u00edn, Noreen, N\u00f3in\u00edn agus Noneen, ar a laghad! — R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n Nasc ginear\u00e1lta: <\/strong><\/p>\n 1) N\u00f3ta tr\u00e1chta “N\u00f3in\u00edn” mar ainm:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.behindthename.com\/name\/no10ini10n\/submitted<\/p>\n Naisc do Noneen \/ N\u00f3in\u00edn in eala\u00edn agus i litr\u00edocht:<\/strong><\/p>\n 2) Head of Noneen: http:\/\/www.artfund.org\/supporting-museums\/art-weve-helped-buy\/artwork\/5166\/head-of-noneen-head-of-a-girl-sir-jacob-epstein<\/p>\n 3) an dr\u00e1ma, L\u00e1 Bu\u00ed Bealtaine le Mair\u00e9ad N\u00ed Ghr\u00e1da<\/strong><\/p>\n 4) Leabhartha Eibhl\u00eds N\u00ed Dhonnchadha le “N\u00f3in\u00edn” mar phr\u00edomhcharachtar (n\u00ed ach sampla de na naisc iad seo): <\/strong><\/p>\n (le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Daisy?\u00a0 N\u00f3ra? On\u00f3ra? Honor? N\u00f3ir\u00edn vs. N\u00f3in\u00edn?\u00a0 So what exactly is going on here with this name? Well, here’s the short answer.\u00a0 “N\u00f3in\u00edn” is generally considered to be a variation of the name N\u00f3ra (On\u00f3ra), even though “N\u00f3ra” also has another diminutive form, “N\u00f3ir\u00edn” (Noreen).\u00a0 The name “On\u00f3ra” means “honor (honour),” close to…<\/p>\n\n
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