Boy's name
Cathaoir
“KA-heer”
possibly 'warrior' or 'battle-lord'
Why it is said that way
The th is an h and the ao here is ee: KA-heer.
- th → h — never the English th
- ao → ee, or ay in Munster
The story behind the name
Cathaoir Mór is the legendary ancestor of the Leinster dynasties. Cathaoir Ó Doirnín and Cahir O'Doherty carried it into history — the latter's doomed 1608 revolt burned Derry and gave the crown its excuse for the Plantation of Ulster.
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