My message and questions are intended to be constructive and complimentary of your work.

My family name is Finan which is the Anglicized spelling of the original Irish name “Fionnain.”

As grateful as I am to have a character in your work to have my name, using the modern Anglicized version of my name, I am quite disappointed to constantly hear my name mispronounced by the other characters.

Finan and Fionnain are pronounced exactly the same.  During the 9th and 10th Centuries the Irish still spoke their native language and would not have spelled the family name “Fionnain” as “Finan.”

The name Finan would NOT be pronounced “Finnan.” Through out seasons two through four, Finan was called Finnan instead of Finan.

Finan is properly pronounced with a long “i” vowel sound and the second vowel is a soft or short vowel sound.  Fi nen is a close approximation of the correct pronunciation.

Since the Finan name has been Anglicized, I always refer judges whom I practice in front of to their presumed First Grade Phonics Class.

Thank you for your body of work.  It is outstanding!  Even though my name is being mispronounced, I still am thrilled to see my name in the credits.

My late father and I are real life warriors like your Finan.  My father served with the U. S. Marine Corps in the Pacific in World War II and I am a Retired U. S. Marine that served all over the world. If your Finan were alive today, he would certainly be a U. S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. (Gunny). Integrity and guts just like my dad.

I hope and pray that the series continues and that Finan (Fionnain) survives for many more seasons and learns how to pronounce his own name in future episodes.

Sincerely yours,

Paul W. O’Finan, Esq.

Major USMC (Ret.)