Rosaleen (Rosie) Moriarty-Simmonds OBE is a British businesswoman, artist and disability rights campaigner. She was born without arms or legs after her mother was prescribed thalidomide in pregnancy.
In the "Dark Rosaleen" poem, the title character is a pretty obvious personification of Catholic Ireland and the poem is a rallying call for resistance to British rule. Rosaleen is sick, and can be revived with "wine from the Pope", for instance.
I know a few people named this, and all of them say their name like ROSE-ah-leen. I've never heard the other pronunciation, and honestly, I don't think it's as pretty.
― Anonymous User 7/27/2007
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Since the 1880's Rosaleen hasn't appeared on the top 1000 list.
― Anonymous User 9/25/2006
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Actually pronounced Rose-a-leen. The Gaelic version, RÓISÍN, pronounced Rosh-een.