Spell that? 8 times Starbucks totally mangled normal Irish names

Nov 2, 2015

As proven by our very own Saoirse Ronan this week, having an Irish name can make life pretty difficult at times.

No matter how many times you painstakingly S-P-E-L-L it out or come up with "easy" pronunciation tips ("It's Colm… like Gollum"), some people just can't seem to get their heads around your bizarre title.

Nowhere is that pain more real than at Starbucks, where busy baristas tend to write down a jumble of letters and hope for the best.

I'm giving my kid a super complicated Irish name so they will never have a properly spelled Starbucks cup

—(@EdeNede_) January 31, 2015

More often than not, they make a total hames of it. Here are a few of our favourite #StarbucksFails…

1. "A-O-I-F (for Frank) – E."
Um…

Oh #Starbucks… this is what happens when you spell your #Irish name A-O-I-F (for Frank)-E pic.twitter.com/KLuTgE7PJ0

— Aoife (@LittleMissAoife) June 25, 2015

2. Niamh
Two attempts, both unsuccessful.

The joys of having an Irish name. #Niamh #IrishAbroad #Starbucks #Denmark

A photo posted by Niamh Higgins (@niamh_higgins_) on Jun 1, 2015 at 12:06pm PDT

3. Blaithín
Zero points for effort on this one.

Yeah…..blank looks on #Starbucks #barista when I gave her my very #Irish name…..gave her my when-abroad name

A photo posted by @littleflower83 on May 5, 2015 at 3:57am PDT

4. Liam
This atrocity took place on Irish soil, to make matters worse.

I'm in Dublin and they can't even spell my Irish name right?? #starbucks #liem #liam #whatthehell #dublin #ireland #hotchocolate #christmas

A photo posted by Liam McNally (@liamlikesthis) on Nov 29, 2014 at 6:36am PST

5. Oisín
Sounds like a type of sushi.

The joys of having an Irish name when ordering a coffee in Starbucks. In fairness, they never get it right in Ireland pic.twitter.com/Y1USeWoi1Y

— Oisin Collins (@OisinCollins) April 20, 2014

6. Sorcha
First name 'Sur', last name 'Cih'.