Barry Keoghan has finally settled the debate over how to pronounce his last name.
It turns out the BBC Radio 1 presenter, who has been saying it correctly all along, deserves a pat on the back.
THE Banshees of Inisherin star, 33, appeared on Greg James’ show Breakfast show on March 11, where the two became friends over continued public confusion over the Irish actor’s last name.
James, who pronounces it “Kee-oh-gan”, revealed he was regularly put down by listeners insisting he was wrong.
“Every time I say it on the radio,” James said, “people say, ‘That’s not Kee-OH-gan.’ I say to myself: “It’s true! “” Keoghan was delighted, asking who exactly was broadcasting the incorrect version, to which James joked “everyone”.
Keoghan was unambiguous about the correct pronunciation, offering a simple rule: “Until a Keoghan tells you that’s not how you say it, well, you know.”
It was equally clear that the alternative, shortening it to something closer to “Kee-gan”, simply wouldn’t do.
“No, Kee-gan is wrong. It looks like an infection,” he joked.
As for how James himself remembers the correct pronunciation, he came up with a rather memorable and very adult explanation involving the famous frontal scene at the end of Salt burn.
Keoghan has previously suggested that his tricky last name could have been an asset.
“I find that if you have a name that is difficult to pronounce, you are more likely to go far, especially in the United States,” he said. Geek Ireland in 2022, citing Saoirse Ronan as an example.
“So maybe it’s an advantage to have a special name.”
