A long shot, but does anyone know if any research has been done on the confirmation names that Irish children have chosen over time?

@theirishfor I am oddly invested in this

@theirishfor My sister wanted Madonna. She was told she's have to choose a saints name🤦‍♀️

@theirishfor Does anyone actually use their Confirmation name at any time ever??? (other than on their confirmation day of course )

@theirishfor I chose Kezia, after seeing it in a book. Our nun principal called me to her office and said I couldn’t pick a non-Saint’s name. Boldly I then Bible-shamed her as it was in there (a Hewbrew name) and I got to pick it.

@theirishfor I need to know!! Because I love being nosey!!

@theirishfor I don't think they're even recorded, are they?

@theirishfor What would Enoch think of these stories of boys choosing girls names and girls choosing boys names? Is it any wonder that Irish Roman Catholics are getting soft of gender fluidity.

@theirishfor I chose Alexander after Alex Higgins. Confirming my obsession.

@theirishfor I'll never forget my best friend arguing that Lucifer was technically an angel and therefore deserved to be his confirmation name

@theirishfor My friend Miranda chose "Sexburga" they couldn't do anything because she is legit a Catholic saint. St Sexburga of Ely.

@theirishfor True story. I chose George after my favourite uncle but when the bishop asked what name I was taking I thought he was just asking my name and I said Michael. So I am Michael Michael Burns! 🙄

@theirishfor My son is making his confo next month & we were up the church last week for the taking of the pledge ( didn't even know that still happened) anyway the priest said girls can take boys names & boys can take girls names 😱imagine doing that in holy Catholic Ireland in the 80s🫣

@theirishfor In 1991 a girl in my class wanted to take the name Jolene after the Dolly Parton song and I will never forget the teachers appalled reaction. “Child! Do you even know who Jolene WAS?!” They wouldn’t let her use it. Still cracks me up.

@theirishfor I had literally forgotten until I saw this tweet just now that I have a confirmation name.

@theirishfor It's often not a choice anyway. I had Thomas imposed by my father, making me Michael John-Thomas (he gave John upon my birth). When I changed my name to Irish, my father bemusedly informed me that Seán-Tomás was a euphemism for one's penis in his native Co. Limerick.

@theirishfor I helped my youngest nephew choose his - Wulfstan! Bishop of Worcester, he was an abolitionist who helped cease the slave trade of Bristol, and who was known for daily washing the feet of the poor. Plus, he had a badass name.

@theirishfor I chose Martha cause there was a girl in school called Martha who was pretty and I wanted to look like her.. dunno how I thought that was going to work...

@theirishfor I chose a male name (Joseph, circa 1983) just to annoy the nuns. Drove them into a spin but it was a saints name so they couldn't prevent me. One of my sweetest victories in life!

@theirishfor I kinda wish it went on the formal registers. Went with Faolán, I.e. little wolf, which means my name begins with young deer, and concludes with young wolf.

@theirishfor I was so ready to defend my "controversial" choice (Pia, as a feminine spin on Padre Pio, only recently canonized) but I had broken my foot a few weeks prior and walked up the aisle in crutches, and the bishop only asked what happened to me.

@theirishfor there were at least 3 ronaldos in my class

@theirishfor I wanted to annoy Sr Agustine, so opted for a boy's name. I was going to go for Luke after Luke Skywalker. Then decided I may regret it and went for Matthew. To top it off other people annoyed her more with Double Barrelling saints and got-inspired Prudence. Still regretting it.

@theirishfor We tried to persuade a younger brother (Michael Oliver O'Neill) to take Robert but he didn't fall for it.

@theirishfor My friend chose Eric as his confirmation name after his favourite footballer, Eric Cantona. We made our confirmation on the 11th of May 1996, and Eric Cantona ended up scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup Final the same day.

@theirishfor Gariella cause of Highschool musical 😌

@theirishfor I made my confirmation in 1989 when Bros were at the height of their fame, we were told we had to pick a family or holy name, a girl in my class took Luke or Matthew insisting this was in honour of the apostles 😅

@theirishfor I picked Bernadette, then every single girl in my confirmation class did the same. I told them to come up with their own names, but no.