But here’s another hard rule: expect the unexpected. There are three Irish dialects – Connacht, Munster and Ulster – and the way names sound often varies with regions and accents.

It’s important, though, to recognise certain features as aspects of the Ulster dialect. Then you can make your decision as to what extent you want to use them in your own Irish. If you go to ...

Austrian crew set out for Ireland on Monday at 5am in their own cars, travelled through the night, sharing driving duties, and arrived 1,900km and 27 hours later ...