Girl's name
Brónach
“BROH-nakh”
from brón, 'sorrow' — 'sorrowful'
Why it is said that way
The fada holds the o long and the ch at the end is the loch sound: BROH-nakh.
- ch → the back-of-the-throat sound in loch — not ch as in church
- á é í ó ú (the fada) → a long vowel — and never optional
The story behind the name
St Brónach of Kilbroney in County Down was invoked by sailors; her ancient bell, rung for centuries and then lost, was found hanging in an oak tree — the 'bell in the tree' that gave rise to local legends of ghostly ringing.
Where the name belongs
Meanings follow Ó Corráin & Maguire's Irish Names and Woulfe; pronunciations give the commonest Irish-English form. Know this name better — a dialect pronunciation, a family tradition? Tell us. · All Irish names A–Z