Index of Names in Irish Annals: Síle

by Mari Elspeth nic Bryan (Kathleen M. O'Brien)

Feminine Given Names: Síle

Spellings:

What we know as a set of Irish Annals are manuscripts that were each compiled during a particular time period, usually using older material as sources. For example, when the Annals of the Four Masters were written from 1632 to 1636, they covered events that occurred centuries and millenia before (including legendary history). So, when an entry in this set of annals refers to a person who lived in the year 738, the spelling used for that person's name is very likely not using the spelling that would have been used in 738.

Standard forms of this name (based on spelling systems of different periods) would be:

Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c1200-c1700) form:

Síle

Note: See also Sisuile. I have listed these names separately because I could find no instances of a single person being referenced by both a Síle form and a Sisuile form.

Frequency & Dates:

Number of women found in the annals with this name: 12

Found in Years: 1471, 1473, 1485, 1486, 1489, 1491, 1499, 1521, 1530, 1531, 1544, 1582, 1589

Research Notes:

FM, under the year 1471, has a footnote that says:

This name is usually anglicised Sheela, and thought to be an ancient Irish proper name of a woman; but it does not appear to have been in use among the Irish previous to the English invasion, nor much till the fourteenth century. It is a mere hibernicised form of Celia, or Cecilia, or, as the French write it, Cécile. (FM vol. 4, p. 1074, footnote "i").

It is important to note that this footnote was written in the 19th century. As a result, the assuptions it discusses date to that time.

Sources:

Further information about the name Síle, may be found in:

OCM (pp. 165-166 s.n. Síle).
FM (vol. 4, p. 1074, footnote "i")

The Sources page lists the Annals referenced below. Information about secondary sources is included on that page as well.

Raw Data

In the table below, I have separated individuals with a blank line. That is, when there are multiple entries in the annals that refer to a single person, those entries are grouped together.

Within the list of entries refering to a single person, I have sorted the entries primarily by orthography when it is obvious that what I am seeing is the same entry showing up in multiple annals. The entries that tend to use older spellings are listed first.

NOTE: The Annals referenced below under the code letters A, B, C, E, & F tend to use later spellings than the other Annals. In some cases, the spellings listed in these Annals may not be appropriate for the year referenced in the Annal entry.

In some Gaelic scripts, there is a character that looks approximately like a lowercase f, but without the crossbar. This character (represented by an underscored , e, in the entries below) sometimes represents e and sometimes ea depending upon the context of the text.

Annals Entry Context Citation (formatting preserved)

(d. 1473)

U3 U1473.7 AN Sile, ingen Rughraide Meg Mathgamna

(d. 1485)

D M1485.6 AN Sile inghen mec Siurtáin ben Ricaird a Burc baincheann ban Connacht

(d. 1486)

D M1486.21 Sile inghen Aodha mic Uilliam Uí Ceallaigh ben Uí Mhadadháin

(d. 1489)

D M1489.41 Síle ingean Diarmata an Dúnaidh Meg Carthaigh ben Toirrdhealbhaigh Ui Bhriain

(d. 1491)

U3 U1491.7 Sile, ingen Toirrdhelbaigh Ui Raghalligh, ben Glaisne, mic Remainn Meg Mathgamna

(d. 1499)

U3 U1499.11 Sile, ingen an Espuic Meg Uidhir, .i. Ros Espuc

(d. 1521)

D M1471.15 Sile ingen Uí Domnaill, .i. Niall Garb, ben Neill mic Airt Uí Neill

U3 U1471.1 Sile, ingen Neill Gairb Ui Domnaill, bean Neill, mic Airt Ui Neill ["Sile, daughter of Niall Ua Domnaill the Rough, wife of Niall, son of Art Ua Neill"]

E M1521.9 Síle inghen Néill Ghairbh Uí Domhnaill

(d. 1530)

Co 1530.21 Sile inghen h. Fhallamhain ben Cairbre h. Birnn ["Sile Celia, daughter of O'Fallon, and wife of Carbry, son of the Prior"]

LC2 LC1530.20 Síle ingen h-I Fallamain uxor Cairbri mic in prióra h-I Birn

(d. 1531)

Co 1531.12 Sile Óc ingen Cairbre h. Birnn

LC2 LC1531.11 Síle ingen Chairbre h-I Birn

(d. 1544)

E M1544.7 Sile ingen Magnusa I Domhnaill (ben-sidhe Uí Bhaoighill Domhnall)

(d. 1582)

LC2 LC1582.38 Síli ingen I Domnaill [unrelated, an ben do bí ag Tadg Og mac Taidg mic Aedha ["Síle, daughter of O'Domhnaill, the wife of Tadhg Og, son of Tadhg, son of Aedh"]

(d. 1589)

LC2 LC1589.45 Ingen I Falluin .i. Sile ingen Cobhuigh, in ben do bhith ag Cedach mac Domnaill I Ceallaigh ["O'Fallon's daughter, i.e., Celia, daughter of Cobhthach, the wife of Cedach, son of Domhnall O'Cellaigh"]

Kathleen M. O'Brien's articles are hosted by Medieval Scotland, which is published by Sharon L. Krossa (contact). Shopping online? How you can support this site. (Jan 2006)
© 1996-2007. All rights reserved. Copyright of individual articles belongs to their authors. Please do not copy or redistribute without proper permission!
http://MedievalScotland.org

Shop
Amazon.com

Shop
Amazon.co.uk

Number of women found in the annals with this name:	12
Found in Years:	1471, 1473, 1485, 1486, 1489, 1491, 1499, 1521, 1530, 1531, 1544, 1582, 1589

Annals	Entry	Context	Citation (formatting preserved)

(d. 1473)
U3	U1473.7	AN	Sile, ingen Rughraide Meg Mathgamna

(d. 1485)
D	M1485.6	AN	Sile inghen mec Siurtáin ben Ricaird a Burc baincheann ban Connacht

(d. 1486)
D	M1486.21		Sile inghen Aodha mic Uilliam Uí Ceallaigh ben Uí Mhadadháin

(d. 1489)
D	M1489.41		Síle ingean Diarmata an Dúnaidh Meg Carthaigh ben Toirrdhealbhaigh Ui Bhriain

(d. 1491)
U3	U1491.7		Sile, ingen Toirrdhelbaigh Ui Raghalligh, ben Glaisne, mic Remainn Meg Mathgamna

(d. 1499)
U3	U1499.11		Sile, ingen an Espuic Meg Uidhir, .i. Ros Espuc

(d. 1521)
D	M1471.15		Sile ingen Uí Domnaill, .i. Niall Garb, ben Neill mic Airt Uí Neill
U3	U1471.1		Sile, ingen Neill Gairb Ui Domnaill, bean Neill, mic Airt Ui Neill ["Sile, daughter of Niall Ua Domnaill the Rough, wife of Niall, son of Art Ua Neill"]
E	M1521.9		Síle inghen Néill Ghairbh Uí Domhnaill

(d. 1530)
Co	1530.21		Sile inghen h. Fhallamhain ben Cairbre h. Birnn ["Sile Celia, daughter of O'Fallon, and wife of Carbry, son of the Prior"]
LC2	LC1530.20		Síle ingen h-I Fallamain uxor Cairbri mic in prióra h-I Birn

(d. 1531)
Co	1531.12		Sile Óc ingen Cairbre h. Birnn
LC2	LC1531.11		Síle ingen Chairbre h-I Birn

(d. 1544)
E	M1544.7		Sile ingen Magnusa I Domhnaill (ben-sidhe Uí Bhaoighill Domhnall)

(d. 1582)
LC2	LC1582.38		Síli ingen I Domnaill [unrelated, an ben do bí ag Tadg Og mac Taidg mic Aedha ["Síle, daughter of O'Domhnaill, the wife of Tadhg Og, son of Tadhg, son of Aedh"]

(d. 1589)
LC2	LC1589.45		Ingen I Falluin .i. Sile ingen Cobhuigh, in ben do bhith ag Cedach mac Domnaill I Ceallaigh ["O'Fallon's daughter, i.e., Celia, daughter of Cobhthach, the wife of Cedach, son of Domhnall O'Cellaigh"]