Why do the Irish defy the basics of the English language with their names?
Because many of their traditional names are Irish Gaelic names, not English names, and the Irish rules of pronunciation and spelling are very different from English. In the example of Siobhan (which I think should actually have an accent over the A but we won’t worry about that right now): S is always pronounces like the English “sh” sound when the closest vowel is an I or an E. The actual spelling SH in Irish is silent or pronounced like H. BH is pronounced either V or W depending on what’s closest to it. Usually you get a V with I or E and a W with A, O, or U, but in this name you see one of the exceptions — a BH surrounded by O and A and pronounced V. Confused yet? The O in this name is silent and is just meant to help you figure out how to pronounce the BH. It might also have an influence on the pronunciation of that entire first syllable, but my Irish is a bit rusty so I can’t remember for certain.
