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[Facts] Nally and Irial
I'm reading a book that takes place in Ireland in the 1800s. There are two male names I would like to know more about; Irial and Nally. Is Nally a nickname and if it is what could it be a nickname for (it's not mentioned in the book whether it is a nickname or not)?
I would also like to know the meaning of Irial.Thanks
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Computer says no
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As a surname, Nally is a form of McNally, which is from Gaelic Mac an Fhailghigh, which meant "son of the poor man". This is the explanation given in both MacLysaght's The Surnames of Ireland and Hanks & Hodges' Dictionary of Surnames. Irish Names by O Corrain & Maguire has Irial as a form of Irél, a name from Irish legend (the son of "the great Ulster warrior Conall Cearnach"). Evidently no etymology is known beyond that.

This message was edited 4/20/2009, 2:03 PM

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That's odd - I had a dream the other night about a baby called Ireal! I have a feeling Irial has been asked about here before but I could be wrong. I have heard the name before anyway.I googled Irial and this came up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Driel_F%C3%A1id. Is it an assumed name in the book or was the character born with it? It's the kind of name people adopted in the late 19th century as part of the Celtic Twilight. Nally is an Irish surname (rare enough) - I have never heard it as a first name.
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