
I do not think that I have ever met a ‘Cornelious’ but some of those who I addressed as ‘Cornelius’ may have been silently offended at my assumption as to the spelling of their name.
When I spotted this headstone at Abbeystrowry Cemetery earlier, my first thought was that it was an unusual spelling – one that I had not seen previously. My crossword brain then kicked in thinking that words ending in ‘ious’ are generally adjectives – devious, previous, conscious…
Reading down the headstone, it appears that ‘Cornelious’ was a popular name in a branch of the McCarthy clan.
There are many names that demand clarification as to spelling when first introduced to the nameholder – Ahern/Aherne; Mahony/ O’Mahony/ O’Mahoney (generally leads to a soup discussion); and, Isobel/Isabel/Isabelle.
Cornelius/ Cornelious has now been added to that list.