Sile and I have never found it particularly easy to name things, or people come to that.
When our first born Caitriona arrived we could not agree on what to call her. After days of quite heated discussion and as our preferences were polar opposites we decided that we would have to make this an entirely democratic decision.
We voted on the naming using a primitive version of PR.

We shortlisted about 8 names and then took pencil and paper into two corners of our room and marked each name out of ten, the victor to be the name which won most points.
I remember my number one was Maeve, Sile’s I think was Brid.
We both placed Caitriona somewhere about the middle and, to both of our surprise, it won.
Now, of course it seems to have been the perfect decision.
The idea of any other name for the same child seems ridiculous.

When we were naming the restaurant the decision was easier.
I had worked for some years in a restaurant in Waterford owned by George and Susie Gossip.
That this was officially called Ballinakill House mattered not a whit to the people of Waterford.
It was universally called Gossips.
The logic therefore was to cut to the chase with our own place and call it Dwyers as that was what it would be called anyway.
(Mind you over the years, as people got more used to me, I heard the place quite often called “Martins”!)

This leads me to our current problem.
What to call the new Chambre d’Hote in France.
Le Presbytere is obvious but as every second B&B in France goes by that name it is hardly memorable.
I have suggested Les Trois Soeurs for various reasons which I have outlined here.
Sile doesn’t like it.
She also says that it doesn’t roll easily off the tongue, she is right there, too many Rs and too many diphthongs for ease.

We then are back at square one.
Here are some of the suggestions to date.

Una, Sile’s sister suggested Thez Les Bez, catchy but hardly respectful to the locals, likewise friend Donal’s suggestion of Maison Thezan, both do however roll off the tongue easily.

Sile suggested Le Jardin de Curé, a lovely name but, we both agreed not appropiate as we hope eventually to turn the whole garden into a swimming pool. Le Piscene de Curé doesn’t have the same ring.
I have thought of Les Oies Sauvage after the early Irish migration to France after the Battle of Kinsale but it is a tad pretentious.
As the O Dwyers (O Duibhir in Irish)who fled Tipperary on that flight became Haudaoires or Audaoires I have toyed with Chez Audoire but think the point would be a little arcane.

We are trying to put together a name that has relevance to the place it is in and also carries resonance of the place we have come from.
We will eventually get there.
In the meantime any person out there who manages to suggest a title which we then adopt can have a weekend for two in the same place in Thezan, free gratis and for nothing as soon as we are up and running, which at the moment looks like being sometime in 2008.

Thinking cap anyone?