Hello from Florida, USA! Very happy to be here I'm writing a fantasy/historical fiction novel, which needs to have certain words and expressions in Irish Gaelic. I'm hoping this forum is okay with this! I'm happy to give credit if the novel ever gets published LOL. Please let me know where I should post my questions (I only have one for now). Thanks so much!

Hello! Fáilte romhat.



Here

Ok, great! What's the correct way to say "my golden-haired girl" in Irish?
As in, "Katie, my golden-haired girl!"
Thanks.

It looks like you're addressing the person in question. So I'm translating this as though you're speaking to Katie. If, however, you intend it to be said to somebody else about Katie, you'll need a different translation.

Even still, there are a few ways you can translate this. The name Kate/Katie has an Irish form, Cáit. I'm going to give you a version with this form and one without changing the name into Irish.

1. A Cháit, a chailín cinn-óir!
2. A Katie, a chailín cinn-óir!

There's a character in Irish mythology, Niamh of the Golden Hair, whose name is translated similarly, Niamh Cinn-Óir.

There's a difference between narrating and addressing in Irish.
In the last case, there's no "my".

fionn órga = golden blonde

(Is í) mo chailín fionn órga (í) = (She is) my golden-haired girl
A Cháit, a chailín fhinn órga! = Katie, my golden-haired girl! (fhinn because of vocative case)

órbhuí = golden ("gold-yellow")

A Cháit, a chailín órbhuí!

órfholt = golden hair, an órfhoilt = of the golden hair

A Cháit, a chailín an órfhoilt! (not very common)

Niamh Chinn-Óir a thugtar uirthi (mar gur bean a bhí inti)

And, though cailín is a masculine word, in vocative case lenition is necessary as well:

A Cháit, a chailín chinn-óir!

(cinn-óir = "head-of-gold", golden headed)

Hi Ade, thanks so much for this! My character is (VERY loosely) based on Neave of the Golden Hair, so this is amazing. Thanks again!

Hi Labhrás, thank you so much for all the details. I appreciate it tremendously!!

Thanks again! I'm so thankful for this forum!

I have another question. This one is a bit complicated (at least to me). I need a character's Irish surname to have the meaning of "beloved." Is there an Irish surname that roughly translates to "beloved," or might one be made up and still sound authentic? The surname would exist in the 16th Century Ulster and would belong to one of the chieftains, so it would also be a clan name. I've been looking all over the internet, and the closest I've come to is " O'Ghrá," although I am sure this sounds very wrong to Irish speakers! Any help would be greatly appreciated!