Irish Accents in Movies

Shelga

Judi Dench's in Philomena was pretty good, I thought.

Worst I've had the misfortune of seeing has to be Gerard Butler's alright. Still, English friends seem to find it hilarious when I do an impersonation of him in PS I Love You, as an Irish person doing it highlights just how ridiculous it is.

Cortina_MK_IV

Vinny Jones as Keith Ritson in "Kill the Irishman." Half Irish, half Lithuanian (supposedly) and with a bit of Watford thrown in.

Tony EH

Watched 'Snatch' for the first time last night. Thought Pitt's "accent" was bloody awful myself.

Ralf and Florian

MyKeyG wrote: »

The more I watch Snatch the more Brad Pitt loses it for me...It's not the same foit Toorkish! 'Nobody brings a fella the soize of you...' but the worst I've seen in recent times is Rusell Crowe in 'A Winters Tale'. Not only is it a brutal attempt you can't even understand the dialogue.

What Hollywood doesn't get is that there's no universal Irish accent. The best accents have been when the actor has attempted a local accent like Cate Blanchett in 'Veronica Guerin' (even though I've seen some sites disagree) or Paddy Considine in 'In America'.

Yes, there's a kind of standard Irish accent that they usually do in Hollywood, vaguely resembling a Dublin accent and that pays no heed to where in Ireland a film is supposed to be set. Probably evolved from actors and voice coaches using footage of Noel Purcell for inspiration.

Steamy

Tommy Lee Jones 'attempt' in Blown Away was pretty god awful. I don't remember which part of Ireland his character is meant to be from but regardless, it's terrible.

MilesMorales1

Rooney Mara's Irish accent in the secret scripture was just awful.

Paddy2012

It's not a great film but I think Ben Barnes in Killing Bono does a very decent Irish accent. James McAvoy's in Inside I'm Dancing is great too.

Cervantes2

Sienna Miller in Live by Night. Just terrible

Tony EH

Tony EH wrote: »

Watched 'Snatch' for the first time last night. Thought Pitt's "accent" was bloody awful myself.

You're joking!

Yourself isit

Zillah wrote: »

Every single moment of Alexander.

Alexander was just his accent wasn't it.

George White

Rod Steiger, Lee Remick and Patrick Stewart in Hennessy - all brutal. Eric Porter isn't too bad, while Ian Hogg a la Alex Norton in Patriot Games just sounds Scottish.

Cortina_MK_IV

And Patrick Bergin the worst Irish accent by an Irishman in Patriot Games. He must have been told he didn't sound Irish enough so to go off and watch Fred Astaire in Finian's Rainbow for inspiration.

optogirl

Tony EH wrote: »

Watched 'Snatch' for the first time last night. Thought Pitt's "accent" was bloody awful myself.

have to agree with this - he was lauded as having nailed it at the time but I honestly thought people were reluctant to criticise because it was supposed to be a traveller accent and maybe people felt unqualified to comment ....and because it's Brad Pitt

Dempsey

optogirl wrote: »

have to agree with this - he was lauded as having nailed it at the time but I honestly thought people were reluctant to criticise because it was supposed to be a traveller accent and maybe people felt unqualified to comment ....and because it's Brad Pitt

Or he nailed it

Professor Moriarty

Seán Connery in Darby O'Gill and the Little People. In case you haven't seen it, despite it's name it's actually a good film. Connery's Irish accent is a disaster. Shurely shome mishtake.

TheIrishGrover

optogirl wrote: »

have to agree with this - he was lauded as having nailed it at the time but I honestly thought people were reluctant to criticise because it was supposed to be a traveller accent and maybe people felt unqualified to comment ....and because it's Brad Pitt

I must admit that I thought he nailed it. I come from an area (No Limerick) that has a pretty similar accent. Because I moved around continuously my accent has become diluted. However I hear his accent as being very close to my relatives' accents (And I thank GOD mine has diluted somewhat).

Peirce Brosnon's Dublin accent in Evelyn is TERRIBLE. ANY Scottish actor doing an Irish accent (Connery, Connelly etc)

It does work both ways though. For every Damian Lewis in Band of Brothers there is Benedict Cumberbatch in Dr Strange or Dan Stevens in Legion (Just raise the pitch a little and speak through your nose)

Dirty Dingus McGee

Orson Welles's Irish accent in The Lady From Shanghai is either one of the greatest or one of the worst.It's just so weird hearing him with an Irish accent that it really adds to the overall weirdness of the film.

I always though Robert Mitchum in Ryans Daughter actually sounded and looked Irish and he did a really good job in that film.

Mike Guide 69

Leonardo Di Caprios's Irish accent in "Gangs of New York" is typical American ideology / postcard Orishness that borders on national embarrassment , its terrible.

Actually on the flip side, one American actor who actually made a decent attempt at the accent was Jared Leto in "Last of The High Kings",hard to imagine that film was made in 1996, where do the years go????

gizmo81

Too many bad ones but one of the better ones was Cate Blanchett as Veronica Guerin.

enterprise2017

osullic wrote: »

Non-Irish actors can't seem to do a convincing Irish accent.
What is the worst Irish accent you've heard in a movie?

especially that lad whats his name Liam Neeson,

JP Liz V1

Will Poulter in Glassland is very good

Kenpo

Didn't think Jared Leto's Irish accent in Alexander was too bad.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Its been years since I've seen it but I remember brad pitts nordie accent in 'the devils own' being alright.

Sexual Chocolate

Jon Voight in The General was half decent I thought.

dark crystal

The best Irish accents I've heard on screen have been Minnie Driver in Circle of Friends, Judi Dench in Philomena (both already mentioned) and Paddy Considine in In America. Considine was so good, I actually thought he was Irish

eviltimeban

The worst Irish accents can also be done by Irish actors. Every time I see a clip of Fair City (I don't watch it) I hear these awful "stage" Dublin accents, and you just know the actors don't really talk like that.

Brad Pitt's in Snatch is amazing, as they say in the movie: it's not quite English, and it's not quite Irish. It's "pikey".

For worst, then sure any of the "begorrah" style ones will do. But I still can't get over the Irish actors making a balls of their own accent.

gnarbarian

:pac:

Syphonax

Tommy Lee Jones in Blownaway is pretty god awful. He literally is the little evil Irish leprechaun going around blowing things up.

Sexual Chocolate

Ino he's from the north but Ciaran Hinds Dublin accent in Veronica Guerin was good.

Day Lewis and Postlethwaite as Michael and Giuseppe Conlon were brilliant as well.

Pat Mustard

Jamie Dornan may be from the North or whatever but his "Kerry" accent in Jadotville was appalling.

"Whaat am eye suhpoosed to dooo?"