ÉAMON, (e:'m*n, rhymes with "Raymond"). n., Irish Gaelic. 1. A
proper given name, the rough English equivalent of which would be Edward
or Edmund. [If your browser doesn't support accented characters and
displays this as "IAMON", it's actually "Eamon"
with an acute accent over the "E"]
In my case, this wasn't exactly a given name, but a taken name.
I was born Charles Edward Taggart, III. Sorta distinguished sounding,
ain't it?
I was named for my father, Charles Edward Taggart, II -- my grandfather
didn't like the traditional "Jr.", apparently -- who in turn
was named after his father Charles Edward Taggart.
There's nothing wrong with carrying on a family name, and I'm proud my dad
named me after him. However ... I always kinda wanted my own
name.
I must admit, I'm a rather unique individual. I don't know anyone quite
as ... well, weird as I am. And it just didn't seem to fit that
I'd have to go through life as a unique individual while bearing someone else's
name with an incrementally higher Roman numeral appended to it's rear.
I was inspired to change my middle name upon my first trip to Ireland in
1988. I'm Irish-American (although I usually refer to myself as
Irish-Louisianian), and I've always felt a deep kinship with my Irish
ancestry. I'm not one of these fawning Irish-Americans who sings old
rebel songs, puts quarters in the IRA collection jar on the bars without
thinking of the consequences, or sees nothing in Ireland but what's in
the guidebooks and medieval castle banquets. I love Irish culture and
history, I love the people and the land and the music and the
literature. I embrace what I love about it, warts and all, and criticize
what I don't like about it (like how the Church has stunted the country's
development and the intellectual freedom of its citizens for centuries,
while at the same time being a pivotal part of its culture).
That trip was one of the greatest experiences of my life, as were my
subsequent trips there. I felt bonded to that place, and I felt very
much at home there, even though I had never been. I managed to fit in
pretty well myself; with this mug of mine, I pass for native Irish rather
easily. And I'll never forget what one of my friends said to me when I
was there on my first trip. Bernadette McFadden Brien, sister of one of
the people I went there to initially visit, was expressing her surprise
that her husband took to me so well. "Eddie really doesn't care for
Americans, and he was all ready to not like you, but he ended up liking
you a lot. You're not a typical American at all ... you're really very
Irish."
I thought it was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to me, and it
meant a lot to me. I didn't even mind the embedded swipe at my countrymen;
many of them deserve it anyway (I've seen some appalling behavior by
Americans travelling abroad).
Another thing was that when I was there, I was good-naturedly teased
about my name. "Charles Edward," said my friend Theresa
Aldridge, "how English!"
I was never fond of my middle name to begin with. Nothing against anyone
named Edward or Ed or Eddie; I'm sure it's a fine name, as long as it's
attached to someone else. I just hated it when it was attached to me.
My sister Marie used to call me "Edward" to piss me off when we
were kids, and it worked.
So around the time of this first Irish trip, I decided that it was time
for me to have my own name.
I had pretty much stopped using the Roman numerals years earlier anyway,
and decided to make a non-legal de facto name change, to Charles
Éamon Taggart. Now that's a name!
Eventually, I'll get 'round to changing it legally, if I have the $150 or
whatever it takes lying around unused (which won't happen anytime soon).
I've already got it as an alias on my new driver's license, though, and
it looks great.
I was thinking that my folks would be kind of ... well, tweaked to find this out.
I did sorta mention it to them once, emphasizing that my name isn't changed, only
translated, or "Gaelicized". "Uh huh," said Mom. I don't think she was thrilled.
Oh well.
I suppose if I really wanted to go all out, I could have Gaelicized it fully, to
Cathal Éamon Mac an tSagairt. But I'd get really tired of spelling it for
people.
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Chuck Taggart
(e-mail chuck)