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Could someone help me with the Latin translation of, "Apostle of Ireland"? I have found, "Apostolus Hiberniae". Does "Hiberniae" have end in the "æ" ligature or are the "a" and "e" separate? I am painting an icon of St. Patrick for an older Catholic. Thank you in advance!

cmw
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Joel Shambe
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1 Answers1

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The letters a and e are in the same syllable (and are pronounced as a diphthong in some eras and dialects) in the word Hiberniae. They can be written separately or as the ligature æ without any change in meaning or pronunciation. The ligature is only an option when the two vowels are in the same syllable.

In church art it is very common to use the ligature when possible (thanks for the comment cmw!), so in that use context it would indeed be preferable to use it and spell the word as Hiberniæ. It is a matter of style and preference, and arguably neither option is wrong.

For more details on æ and ae, see this old question on comparing the two in various cases.

Joonas Ilmavirta
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    I will say that the ligature is very frequent in church art, and so should probably be preserved if one is paying homage to that style. – cmw Nov 22 '21 at 15:46
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    @cmw Thanks! Updated. I'm less familiar with church art, but my vague recollection agrees. – Joonas Ilmavirta Nov 22 '21 at 18:33