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irish names

This must-see video perfectly captures what it’s like to have an Irish name.

It features comedy sketch group – Just These, Please – in a hilarious musical parody of Destiny Child’s “Bootylicious.”

As the three of them walk into an American coffee shop, they are asked their names.

Immediately, the trio breaks into song, voicing the struggles of Irish spelling to the barista, who looks as lost as ever.

Aoife, Siobhan, and Domnhall ask him: “Can you handle this?”

They begin breaking down the spelling of common Irish names to the rhythmic beat: “There’s a ‘B’ in Siobhan. Use a ‘V’, you’d be wrong.”

Decked out in 80s neon jackets and scrunchies, the group’s groovy moves and thumbs up totally make the video.

Domnahll takes up the rap as the names slowly grow more and more complicated. He tells of the ‘M’ in Niamh and ‘DHB’ in the end of Meadhb.

“My cousin’s name is Caoimhe, even I find that one quite tough,” Siobhan sings and gets low in a purple jumpsuit.

The "name contains seven silent letters.” They poke fun at the ridiculousness of Irish pronunciation.

Throughout the video, the three singers constantly change outfits, highlighting all the classic 80s garb.

The comedians also use giant letter balloons as props, spelling everything out for the American barista.

However, the group hits their main stride when they get to the chorus: “I don’t think you’re ready for this spelling.”

The whole music video is gas and gets across their main message perfectly:

When it comes to Irish names, “don’t spell phonetically.”

Check out the full video below:

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As someone who is generally referred to as 'Nee-am-huh' on holidays, I can confirm that having an Irish name poses some linguistic challenges while abroad.

The silent letters, the extra letters, the Godforsaken fadas; it's no surprise that anyone unfamiliar with the Irish language would struggle pronouncing any name born of the Emerald Isle.

And while you might assume we're used to it, a recent tweet posted by Irish comedian, David O'Doherty, has been quick to remind us that the hurt runs deep, and the sense of competition over the least-pronounceable name even deeper.

"Happy Christmas to all the Aoifes not at home in Ireland this Christmas," David wrote on Christmas Eve. "It’s hard being called Aoife, but especially when you’re overseas. You are in my thoughts #aoifes."

And while Aoifes far and wide took to Twitter to thank David for his thoughts, it seems a few disgruntled social media users wanted equal recognition.

"How about being a Nuala all year round! Real life Irish struggles," wrote one Twitter user to which David replied: "THIS IS A SHOUT-OUT TO AOIFES, NUALA. You will get your turn."

"All the Siobháns, Oisíns, Caoimhes, Saoirses, Siofras, Meadhbhs and Eoghans need to stop being angry at me," David followed up.

But Twitter wasn't having it, and it wasn't long before every damn name was getting a shout-out.

And the clincher?

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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.

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…

 

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

 

3. Blaithín
Zero points for effort on this one.

 

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

 

5. Oisín
Sounds like a type of sushi.

 

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

 

7. Sinéad
Because who doesn't want their name to sound like 'snail'?

 

I spelled it for her! #fail #starbucksirishnames #london

A photo posted by Sinead McCabe (@sinmcc_) on

 

8. Rory
Sigh.

 

#starbucks #starbucksirishnames #fail

A photo posted by @kitanavalentine on

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