Hi Robert - I was fascinated by the evolution of the name MacSlowey to Molloy. I was particularly struck by your comment that "In Ulster we have had a habit of dropping a hard consonant as in McCutcheon becoming McCushion". I usually pronounce my Johnston surname without the "t" (perhaps it's my Fermanagh genes coming to the fore!). because I find it easier to say. The problem with this is that, invariably, people end up spelling my name "Johnson". When I do prounounce the "t", then people spell my name "Johnstone". As my grandfather used to say, "Johnston - spelled with the aristocratic T, without the pretense of the E". Kerry Johnston in Toronto

Where I lived before there were quite a few families named/spelt Mulvihill BUT not all related and apparently stemmed from 3 unrelated families and who differentiated between one another by 3 different pronunciations.. Mulvi hill, Mulva hill and Mulvee hill Get one wrong and you'd soon be corrected, "Oh he's not a Mulvahill, he's a Mulveehill!" even though the name was spelt Mulvihill for them all....!! Certainly would be easier if they differentiated by changing to spelling it as pronounced!! On 01/04/2015 20:34, Kerry Johnston via wrote: > I usually pronounce my Johnston surname without the "t" (perhaps it's my > Fermanagh genes coming to the fore!). because I find it easier to say. The > problem with this is that, invariably, people end up spelling my name > "Johnson". When I do prounounce the "t", then people spell my name > "Johnstone". > > As my grandfather used to say, "Johnston - spelled with the aristocratic T, > without the pretense of the E". > > Kerry Johnston in Toronto