It's Ma-raid -- rhymes with "parade."

[glenn]

For years I had been mispronouncing Mairead's name, and I suspect many of us are, since we never hear it spoken unless we have the good fortune to meet her at a Meet & Greet.  Well I had the incredible good fortune to be able to talk to her--the second time in two years--at the M & G in Sacramento, California.  I was determined not to mispronounce her name again, so she told me it's Ma-raid---rhymes with "parade."  So there you have it, right from the lovely lady herself!  Now we never again have an excuse for mispronouncing her name! 

[Tiffany Gray]

I looove her name!!!  I had trouble pronouncing it at first when I was getting to know CW.  Then I looked it up on Google.  At first, I thought it was pronounced "May-read" lol.  I love that name and the way it's pronounced.

[Emily!]

Hehe, I believe she's said that one or two times on TV show appearances before if my memory serves me right. Pretty good way of explaining it!

[MikeyK]

I looove her name!!!  I had trouble pronouncing it at first when I was getting to know CW.  Then I looked it up on Google.  At first, I thought it was pronounced "May-read" lol.  I love that name and the way it's pronounced.

That's how I pronounced her name at first. I didn't think it was right but I didn't know any other way of pronouncing it! Then I think it was the Bonnie Hunt Show where I learned how to say it right. Finally! 

[celticartzyangel]

LOL It took me fuh evah to learn how to pronounce it! first it was Mair REE add (Where the HECK did I get that!?  ) Then it was May-read... NOW I FINALLY say it right! XP! but I REALLY LOVE LOVE LOVE her name! It's GORGEOUS! And as a plus it means pearl! (oh what do you know? Why does that NOT suprise me?  )

[Maggie]

LOL It took me fuh evah to learn how to pronounce it! first it was Mair REE add (Where the HECK did I get that!?  )

You may have heard it from someone from Northern Ireland, that's how they would say it.

Máiréad says it on her official web site. Mu-raid. Yes, it means "pearl" or "little pearl".

It's my name too. (Máiréad Máire Ni Riain)

[Palmie00]

LOL. I grew up listening to Irish music, but I still wasn't sure how to say her name when I first discovered them as a group. The way I said it was MAY-RADE. The latter was correct, but the first part way off hahahaa.

[Iluvcelticwoman]

LOL. I grew up listening to Irish music, but I still wasn't sure how to say her name when I first discovered them as a group. The way I said it was MAY-RADE. The latter was correct, but the first part way off hahahaa.

that's how i thought of it when i first heard her name!

[RickOShea]

It's my name too. (Máiréad Máire Ni Riain)

Maggie, how do you pronounce your full name, phonetically?

[Maggie]

It's my name too. (Máiréad Máire Ni Riain)

Maggie, how do you pronounce your full name, phonetically?

Mu-raid Maw-re Nee Reen

Most Irish people pronounce Máire as maw-re, some say "moy-ra"

When you see any name with a prefix O' that is the masculine form, meaning "grandson of"

Girls or unmarried ladies, or ladies like me who prefer to keep their maiden name, the prefix is Ní

Our Family name was originally O'Maoilriain which is pronounced O'Mulreen.

It was anglicized to RYAN.

If you know anybody with that surname, it's a safe bet they had Tipperary ancestors.
Go there and look at the names over the Pubs, you'll see what I mean!  

[RickOShea]

^^^Thanks Maggie^^^.  That's a beautiful name.... My horrendous Southern accent doesn't do it justice when I sound it out.

[Natalia]

It took me awhile to learn how to pronounce Mairead's name too.  But her name is so pretty!

[Hubert]

Here is another interesting old thread that I have encountered.  For the past two years I have tried to get the local PBS people up to speed.  On the pledge drives they keep pronouncing it "Mae Reed".  There is one of them that calls her
"Mae Red".  This drives me crazy.  When I see some of the PBS people at CW concerts I correct them.  It never helps.  They keep pronouncing it incorrectly.  I saw a video where an Irish television commentator pronounced it "Ma Ray Ed".
His pronunciation was heavy on the "Ray" and light on "Ma" and "Ed".