Jayna Marrinan mentions "My husband pronounces Marrinan as MARE-nun, accented on the first syllable." The family in Ohio, however, essentially says Mare-nan, and that generally follows the Anglicized form of the Gaelic in the manner of "Harrigan." "I just thought it was lazy speech, but now I see the connection to the Murnane or Marnane families."
There occasionally still is some chance of hearing the traditional Irish-American songs. "Harrigan" was written and composed by George M. Cohan in 1907. It is the song that spells out "Harrigan." It was performed in Cohan's 1908 musical "Fifty Miles from Boston," it also was part of James Cagney's film in 1942, "Yankee Doodle Dandy" about Cohan.
The following version of the lyrics got only slightly adopted for the Marrinan family:
"Marrinan"
"Who is the man who will spend or will even lend? Marrinan, That's Me! Who is your friend when you find that you need a friend? Marrinan, That's Me! For I'm just as proud of my name you see, As an Emperor, Czar or a King, could be. Who is the man helps a man every time he can? Marrinan, That's Me!
CHORUS M - A - double R - I - N - A - N spells Marrinan Proud of all the Irish blood that's in me; Divil a man can say a word agin me. M - A - double R - I - N - A - N, you see, Is a name that a shame never has been connected with, Marrinan, That's me.
Who is the man never stood for a gad about? Marrinan, That's Me! Who is the man that the town's simply mad about? Marrinan, That's Me! The ladies and babies are fond of me, I'm fond of them, too, in return, you see. Who is the gen that's deserving a monument? Marrinan, That's Me!
REPEAT CHORUS