There’s far more to a name than one might think at first

Country Living with Francis Farragher

It’s funny at times how a small thing can set a thought process in place. Hopefully, not being too narcissistic from a newspaper point of view, as I was looking at the front-page picture on the front page of last week’s Connacht Tribune, a really delightful shot (by Seán Lydon) of a young girl from Portumna picture alongside Joe Healy and her pet lamb at Corrandulla Show, the link between names and activities/occupations struck me.

It was the prettiest of pictures of seven-year-old Isabella Dagg but straight away the link between the name and the sheep rang a bell in my brain, and took me back to one of those farm activities that as a child, I certainly had no great fondness for – yes, you’ve guessed it, dagging sheep.

This piece of ovine grooming certainly held no romance for a 12-year-old, although in fairness, my contribution to the process was mostly in the containment of the lamb or hogget that was coming under the ‘barber’s touch’ from my father’s dagging shears. The ‘dagging’ word had nearly evaporated from my brain cells until I glanced at that beautiful picture.

On a broader scale there is a very academic term to describe people of a particular name who end up in a profession that matches their moniker. We’ve all come across them here and there – the John Barber who cuts hair or the Seán Ashe who doctors trees.

Now, admittedly this has to slip into the world of grand trivia, but what else would man be doing on a showery Thursday?

Anyway from my little research probes, the scientific or academic title for this name link to occupations is ‘nominative determinism’. (Try saying that some night when you have a couple of pints extra in the tank!).

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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