# Correct Pronounciation of "Eire"?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciation-of-eire/311371
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 7, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciation-of-eire/311371 "2005-07-07T00:20:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciation-of-eire/311371/1 "2005-07-07T00:20:24Z")

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Does Eire rhyme with fire? Or, ear? Or, maybe eerie?

Thanks,  
Me!

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### Author: ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciation-of-eire/311371/2 "2005-07-07T00:43:29Z")

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[http://www.m-w.com](http://www.m-w.com) says I’ve been pronouncing it wrong. I’m not good at writing these things out, but they’ve got it sort as air-a.  
-Lil

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### Author: ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciation-of-eire/311371/3 "2005-07-07T00:53:05Z")

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> [@Jinx](#):
>
> Does Eire rhyme with fire? Or, ear? Or, maybe eerie?
> 
> Thanks,  
> Me!

Growing up in Cleveland on the shores of Lake Eire, I can’t rcall anyone who didn’t pronounce it exactly like the word eerie. Same is true for the town in Pennsylvania.

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### Author: ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciation-of-eire/311371/4 "2005-07-07T00:57:09Z")

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**Percypercy** is right, at least on a general level: _air-a_

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### Author: ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciation-of-eire/311371/5 "2005-07-07T01:00:20Z")

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I’ve generally heard it pronounced as _air-ah_ too.

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### Author: ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciation-of-eire/311371/6 "2005-07-07T01:02:59Z")

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> [@OldGuy](#):
>
> Growing up in Cleveland on the shores of Lake Eire, I can’t rcall anyone who didn’t pronounce it exactly like the word eerie. Same is true for the town in Pennsylvania.

I think you’ve confused Erie with Eire! There is no Lake Eire nor Eire, PA!

- Jinx 😕

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### Author: ![max\_power](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@max\_power](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/max_power)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2005, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciation-of-eire/311371/7 "2005-07-07T09:56:17Z")

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just confirming the _air-ah_ pronunciation.

Pronunciation in irish can be very different from english.

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### Author: ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2005, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciation-of-eire/311371/8 "2005-07-07T10:58:15Z")

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Yep it’s_air-ah_ for me too. Though in France it becomes _air_

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### Author: ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2005, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciation-of-eire/311371/9 "2005-07-07T12:59:29Z")

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I don’t think I have ever heard this word spoken aloud, and have only run into it in crossword puzzles.

I’ve always pronounced it in my mind to rhyme with fire, but I doubt very much if that is correct.