They may not make sense phonetically IN ENGLISH, but nor do many French names, Spanish names, German names, Greek names etc.
Also, I don't see why they are any more pretentious than those of another language. I agree that it's annoying when people say they love Irish names just because they're Irish, but it doesn't have to be an all or nothing matter. You don't have to like all Irish names, just as you don't have to like all English ones.
Sorry to rant, but I found your post rather offensive.