How would the surname Mahoney be pronounced in your parts?
I’m originally from London.
Mahoney. Just like Ma-hoe-knee. Ma rhymes with Pa 
I know two Mahoney families. Both use a two syllable pronunciation: Mah-nee
Also originally from acrooss the pond and Ive never heard it pronounced any other way other than that suggested by Mr. Floppy
Its Mahoney as in the phrase Pogue Mahone but with a ‘Y’ added because Pogue Mahone is Irish and means kiss my arse
It’s an Irish name. In Ireland the stress in on the first syallable, and the second syllable practically disappears. There is a secondary stress on the last syllable.
We know how it’s generally pronounced in America, because we used to get MAS*H, where one of the characters had this name. We thought the American pronunciation was very funny. But we were easily amused.
Same with ‘Costello’ - Americans always stress the second syllable. We thought that was funny too.
My pronunciation of Mahoney would be the same as Mr Floppy’s…but then I’m also English rather than Irish. However, I have a friend whose surname is Mahon, pronounced “Marn”.
Hang on, I stress the second syllable too - like Elvis CosTELLo. How do you pronounce it?
I think this is the crux of it - I suspect we English pronounce it wrong. I went to school with an English Mah-hoe-Knee
In the case of my Irish grandmother’s family, COS-tell-o. In the case of Elvis, as you do.
Ma-honey said fast would kinda give you the Irish way…
We put different sounds to the letters in Irish so it’s kinda hard to write down.
US’ers generally spread the sound out too much and hit the 2nd syllable too hard from an Irish perspective.
Same with Costello and Kinsella.
That’s how I pronounce it too (and it’s my own name for chrissake), but my brother was wondering why the Irish guys in his apartment building thought our pronounciation was hilarious.