* What's that there drum called? 

I'll tell you, I've heard some strange pronunciations of the word 'bodhrán', from the backwards BOWED-ran (rhymes with SNOWED-can) to the British bah-RAHN (rhymes with ma-DAWN).  Every time I run into a native Irish speaker, I ask them how THEY pronounce the name of my drum.  That's not been the sure-fire test either, as there are several regional dialects of Irish.  Here's the best synthesis of what I've heard and learned:

• According to the delightful Field Guide to the Irish Music Session by Barry Foy, the word rhymes with bow - ron. (That's interpreted to mean bow: like the front of a ship or what you do from the waist, and ron: like the diminutive of Ronald.)
•  According references in the Foclóir Póca (English - Irish, Irish - English Dictionary):
  bodhrán¹ baura:n  deaf person; dullard
  bodhrán² baura:n  winnowing drum; (kind of) tambourine
  
  • The á is NOT a stress mark, but rather a pronunciation guide for the vowel.  The : indicates that the vowel following it is long.  In this case, a: is pronounced like the English word 'far'.
  • Most Irish words are stressed on the first syllable unless otherwise indicated.  You are equally safe to stress the first syllable of bodhrán, or to equally stress both syllables.  Do NOT stress the second syllable, as the British are wont to do.  It sounds pretentious and just a little prissy.
  • Irish has what are called broad and slender consonants pronounced differently from the neutral sounding consonants of English.  A slender b is indicated with an accent mark, so in the case of bodhrán,  the b is a broad consonant.  The Foclóir Póca offers no handy example of an equivalent sounding English consonant.... so, we're out of luck here.
• No, you do not pronounce the 'd'.

I hope this helps you in the elusive hunt for the Irish pronunciation of the word bodhrán.

Send questions and comments on the pronunciation of the word bodhrán to brenda@bsutton.com.

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