Good Day to You!
I'm a nice Polish girl married to a great Irish man (30 + years).
Two years ago we took a cycling trip in Ireland and were bitten.
We love Ireland!!! We have been fortunate enough to buy a cute
little lake house. We want to get a sign made to hang from a mail
box post. I want the sign to say
McLaughlin's Lake House ....
so is McLaughlin's Loch Tiag the correct way to say that?
Thanks,
Joy

Teach Loch de McLaughlin?

DID YOU NOT WANT TO TRANSLATE THE NAME?
Teach Loch Ua Lochlainn

teach locha = lake house (or lochtheach maybe)

Mhic Lochlainn = McLaughlin's

Teach Locha Mhic Lochlainn = McLaughlin's Lake House

I like the sound two 'loch' syllables. Does my version seem right dóibh siúd a bhfuil tuiscint ar an ghramadach acu?

I suggest "Teach Mhic Lochlainn cois Locha"
Mac Laughlins house by the Lake. Otherwise I would go for "Teach Locha Mhic Lochlainn", although it sound too much like a word for word translation.

I'd definately go with aonghus's first one, and as he said, the second one's pretty dodgy, word for word translations aren't worth the trouble and his first one sounds great.
from a nearly native speaker.

I like 'cois locha' too.

Another possibility is to do something with the word 'crannóg' ('crannog' in English dictionaries).

One of the meanings is a lake-dwelling of the ancient type that was built offshore on little, usually artificial islands for protection.

Crannóg Mhic Lochlainn/McLoughlin's Crannog?

I think that is pretty clever. However, I really like Aonghus' first one as well.

Tigh Mhic Lochlainn Chois Locha

(The place name is lenited!)

Go maire sibh é
Laura
Scoil Ghaeilge Uí Lócháin, Bhrúiclín

I beg to differ!
I'm (as usual) not sure of the reason, but Chois Locha doesn't sound right.

Well I have to ask you about this one.
Last week I called an old Irish friend (left Ireland 40 yrs ago). I told him about my request. He said ....Tighe Na Lough. I want your opinion. Thanks!!!!
``

"Teach Mhic Lochlainn cois Locha" seems to be the jury's decision.

Aongus is right about Cois Locha. It's not a proper name. If it were one of the few placenames with 'cois' in it, yes: pobal Chois Fhairrge, mar shampla.

What about Laura's other addition to the translation: tigh? Is it more homey than 'teach'? Does it suggest 'in the house' rather than 'house' to anyone?

Joy, your friend's version is a bit rough, but 'tigh na locha' also means lake house ('house of the lake'). Tí, tig and tigh are all variations of 'teach' (house).

What does Lochlainn mean? As others have pointed out it contains the root "loch" (=lake). That might make "Teach Locha Mhic Lochlainn" a little redundant; "Teach Mhic Lochlainn" might suffice.

It contains the sound "loch", but it doesn't mean the same thing. The surname is said to come from a Norse personal name. But the association for people who know Irish would be wider, because as an ordinary word in Irish "Lochlainn" is the name for Scandinavia; "lochlannach" means: Scandinavian; Norseman; marauder (once pretty much the same thing!)

Lochlann for Scandanavia means the place with many lakes. Anybody who goes to Sweden will know why!

Mac Lochlainn would mean son of the Norseman.

But Teach Mhic Lochlainn doesn't express the concept that it is beside a lake.

I would have no problem with Tigh Mhic Lochlainn - this is how most of the pubs on say Inis Óirr get there names (Tigh Ned, Tigh Ruairí)
Tí is a more modern spelling for Tigh. I think Tig is a misspelling, based on forgetting the seimhiú (h) on the G which used to be written as a dot over the g.

My mother's maiden name was McLaughlin. For more about the clann see

http://members.aol.com/lochlan/clanmac.htm

They are talking about a clann reunion next year in Derry.

Lúcas

Your replies to my suggestion are very interesting, go raibh maith agat! If I undrestand you folks, "Teach Locha Mhic Lochlainn" , could literally be translated as "lake house of the son of the man from the place of lakes."

And your name could be translated grandson of the sea hound. All very interesting, but not terribly fruitful.
Almost any (sur)name can be "translated" to something curious and quaint.

Beir bua
First choice grandson of (Almhain - now there's a challenge - any takers? Apart from the bog of Allen and Fionn Mac Cumhaill's dún, I know of no occurrence of Almhain which would give a useful translation)

Thank you all for your help! This has been wonderful! Again, THANKS! Joy

Tigh= used to indicate someone's residence, a bit like the French "Chez"; appropriate when you have a name following. Teach: a house. Tig -- it is a misprint all right, they forgot the dot that would go over the "g"" to indicate se/imhiu/. As for the se/imhiu/ with chois locha-- I am correct. Msh: Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge. (See Ch. 4 in Learning Irish--muintir Chiarrai/ muintir Chonamara, srl. --or any Textbook you like!)
beir bua is beannacht
Laura

But cois locha is NOT a place. Cois Farraige is.
Teach cois locha is the house BESIDE the lake.
(not Cois Locha's house )
Gaeilge Chois farraige is Cois Farraige's Irish.

beir bua
Aonghus

...So if I wanted to put a little sign by my door which was the equivalent of 'chez Judith' I'd write: Tigh Judit? But it's really a cottage; I imagine there's lots of ways to say, Judith's Cottage...? (it's not on the water but it is surrounded by a hedge and will someday be a fragrance garden cottage)

By the way, I'm familiar with the English country garden, but I'm of Irish, not English descent....is there an Irish garden style?

thanks, Judith