The annual list of baby names released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is an event of yearly obsession for many people, but this year's list - released this morning - is even more cheering than usual as the State agency recognises the síneadh fada for the first time.
First published in 1998, the list is based on the analysis of births registered with the State in a particular calendar year but in more than 20 years, Irish names that include the síneadh fada have never been spelled correctly, as the accent would be excluded.
This decision is far from trivial, in a practical and a symbolic sense. For instance, the name Seán has been included in the top five boys' names every year since it was published, but the data doesn't distinguish between Seán or Sean.
This decision also makes the CSO the latest State agency to acknowledge on a large scale the importance of the síneadh fada to Irish language, culture and identity. The move came after a recommendation by the State statistician, and comes at a time of increased scrutiny on the State's respect for Irish language.
Just last month activists criticised the NTA for failing to put fadas on Leap Cards, which the transport body blamed on "technical limitations".
The CSO said that the change would recognise the síneadh fada "as significant for the purposes of name differentiation" and added that it "would confirm the position that the fada matters."
While the list published this morning will include this change, an online app that allows users to research the usage of names over a period of years will still need to be updated.
