Why doesn't Simon Coveney have a Cork accent ?

Hangdogroad · 24-06-2020 10:19AM

Damian F wrote: »

He must be the only Cork man I've ever come across that doesn't sound like he's from Cork

Have you heard George Hook speaking? He sounds like a Dub.

Phoenix32 · 24-06-2020 10:28AM

I'm from Cork but I have a very neutral accent. When I lived in Dublin people knew I wasn't from there but never thought I was from Cork either. I think the accent comes out in certain words but I just don't sound the way people expect people from Cork to sound.

KaneToad · 24-06-2020 10:30AM

JupiterKid wrote: »

Simple explanation - private schooling. Boarding school especially knocks the strongest aspect out of most regional accents. Not remarking on this fact with any begrudgery as I went to private secondary school myself.

Not just any school, but the very expensive Clongowes Wood. The place to be, if you want to ensure you meet the right people to ensure you get the easiest ride to future success. Don't forget your taxes are subsidising these schools too.

jimgoose · 24-06-2020 10:32AM

KaneToad wrote: »

Not just any school, but the very expensive Clongowes Wood. The place to be, if you want to ensure you meet the right people to ensure you get the easiest ride to future success. Don't forget your taxes are subsidising these schools too.

At times like these I remember the motto of Mount Anville secondary school for young ladies in South Dublin: Let them Hate, so long as they Fear.

Seamai · 24-06-2020 10:37AM

walshb wrote: »

They don't spell like you either!:P

Fixed that for you ðŸ˜‹
99% of people can't spell my surname correctly and it's not even foreign.

CHealy · 24-06-2020 11:27AM

Nigel Fairservice wrote: »

A lot of people in Cork don't have very strong accents. I lived abroad for a few years and a lot of other Irish people I met knew I was Irish but couldn't tell I was from Cork. My accent comes out more when I say certain words. My missus, who isn't from Cork, pointed it out to me one day. I think it's the same for a lot of other Cork people.

Theres also so many accents in Cork. I think when people say "Cork accent" they think of that Northside Young Offenders accent, very rough and pretty awful, but most of us dont sound like that. Off the top of my head I can think of the following accents that are all a good bit different from each other:

Northside (rough, strong)
Southside (softer, sing-song)
Posh (Montenotte/Blackrock/Rochestown/Maryborough)
East Cork
North Cork
Bandon/Inashannon
West Cork
Kinsale

razorblunt · 24-06-2020 11:31AM

jimgoose wrote: »

Quite so. Niall Toibín went to de North Mon biy, but his own (non-performing) accent was quite upmarket.

That's because even though he pretended otherwise, he always had absolute notions of himself.

razorblunt · 24-06-2020 11:32AM

CHealy wrote: »

Theres also so many accents in Cork. I think when people say "Cork accent" they think of that Northside Young Offenders accent, very rough and pretty awful, but most of us dont sound like that. Off the top of my head I can think of the following accents that are all a good bit different from each other:

Northside (rough, strong)
Southside (softer, sing-song)
Posh (Montenotte/Blackrock/Rochestown/Maryborough)
East Cork
North Cork
Bandon/Inashannon
West Cork
Kinsale

+ RCYC, that's an accent all on it's owwwwwwn.

Randy Archer · 24-06-2020 12:00PM

Damian F wrote: »

He must be the only Cork man I've ever come across that doesn't sound like he's from Cork

He wants to be taken seriously, so of course he dropped the accent . Didn’t he go to Clongowes ?

JupiterKid · 24-06-2020 12:03PM

As someone else opined, many people have very neutral accents. I personally would have what you might call an "educated" Dublin accent, as do my two older sisters. Not "posh" or "southside" (I grew up in Castleknock on the northside) but neutral.

My parents had Northern accents - Dad from Belfast and mum from mid-Tyrone. My mum in particular was pretty adamant we would not have strong Dublin accents.

partyguinness · 24-06-2020 12:06PM

He has a neutral to slight Cork accent. It is typical from his background.

I am from Cork county and I have been told plenty of times I do not have a Cork accent save a twang that comes out every now and then.

But people outside Cork associate the 'Cork' accent with the strong inner city accent (*ahem*..working class Council estate dwelling up to no good character as a sweeping generalisation). People in the country areas do not sound like that at all. It varies. In England a guy stated said straight away I must be from Cork as I talk so fast and my supreme confidence. It's not my fault everyone else is slow.

It's like thinking all Dubs should sound like Ronnie Drew or some 'Dolores' character off Fair City.

I can spot a Cork City accent 10 miles away.

24-06-2020 12:06PM

touts wrote: »

Attack his policies. Fair enough
Attack the fact that his only experience before inheriting his family seat was working for a "sailing charity" (whatever that is). Fair enough
Attack his parties handling of the homelessness and health crisis. Fair enough

But attack the way he speaks. I'm sorry but that is just a gutter tactic. I'd love to hear the OPs accent. I'll bet its a howl. Most people who criticise the way others speak generally have an accent that does them no favours.

We have all got very sensitive if that opening post is to be construed as an 'attack'. Seemed more like a (odd) query to me.

Tordelback · 24-06-2020 12:15PM

One thing I truly Iove about this country is accent policing. It's the Irish version of racial purity testing: any deviation from the approved pronunciation of your postcode and you're a traitor to your volk. And then we laugh at Brits and Yanks who talk about "an Irish accent" - there isn't just one, we say, there are loads! But clearly only a very specific number.

JohnnyFlash · 24-06-2020 12:20PM

Only poor people with strong regional accents should be allowed get involved in politics.

whisky_galore · 24-06-2020 12:23PM

TheBoyConor wrote: »

Could well be prod with that name. West Cork is full of them. You can nearly smell it off of some of them. There is a saying back in west cork, even the pigs are protestant.

Who. F**king. Cares.

Anyone who still has a bee in their bonnet whether someone is Catholic or Protestant here, in the 21st century, has issues they need to address.

partyguinness · 24-06-2020 12:25PM

Tordelback wrote: »

One thing I truly Iove about this country is accent policing. It's the Irish version of racial purity testing: any deviation from the approved pronunciation of your postcode and you're a traitor to your volk. And then we laugh at Brits and Yanks who talk about "an Irish accent" - there isn't just one, we say, there are loads! But clearly only a very specific number.

I have live in England for past 10 years and sheer amount of accents is unreal. In fact I can distinguish more different types of English accents that Irish ones.

TBH in Ireland I can only really spot afew accents like the difference between say a strong Antrim accent (almost Scottish) and say Fermanagh or Derry accent (very soft).

Dublin, Cork and a general bogger accent- that's it for me...:o

Sometime if I am watching TV with Englsh wife she will ask what part of Ireland is that? Often I can't tell. I can tell you where they are not from but cannot tell you where they may be from unless it is celebrity.

I cannot spot a Limerick or Galway accent for the life of me but yet I can tell the difference in some Scottish accents (Highlands v Lowlands).

PsychoPete · 24-06-2020 12:26PM

I always assumed that he ditched the accent so people could understand him

The Hound Gone Wild · 24-06-2020 12:30PM

Most people from Cork city have no heavy accent to speak of. The stereotypical accent is really only found in the shticks.

partyguinness · 24-06-2020 12:34PM

PsychoPete wrote: »

I always assumed that he ditched the accent so people could understand him

There may be a slight element of truth in that but I think in reality he was unlikely to have grown up with or surrounded by natives with severe Cork accents. In fact he is likely to have positively stayed away from such plebs and stayed firmly on one side of the City.

Michael Martin by contrast has a far stronger Cork accent- he went to 'normal' school and had a normal Cork upbringing.

valoren · 24-06-2020 12:35PM

Coveney does speak with a Cork accent. It's not particularly strong but it's a Cork accent. I grew up in the Northside in Cork City. With all my fellow feens, beoirs and langer dans. When you speak properly people will say you're being "very grawned" i.e. you're not talking with Cork slang and/or you've toned down the classic lilt and are speaking in a grandiose manner. As such, Coveney is being "grawned".

When Cork people work in an environment where you're expected to speak in a way which is comprehensible then you figure out how to tone down the lilt and use proper language to articulate yourself. To put this into context, I've worked with a litany of people from various backgrounds. In the team I work with currently, an IT role, I work with an American, a Brazilian, a Croatian, two people from Limerick, three people from India and two people from Greece. You can't talk to them in the "aw now sham, story boyz, chalk it down, happenin’ feen, pure daycent like" Cork accent. You tone it down, speak articulately and over time the pace also slows down to find a mutual equilibrium between us all. It would be on a much larger scale for Coveney interacting with Politicans from a multitude of countries.

Treppen · 24-06-2020 12:38PM

daithi7 wrote: »

Oh ffs, pressfortruth , press-for-harassment more like. Coveney handled himself with a lot of class there, as usual , in fairness to him.

A class above the rest no doubt (although that's claimed by most Cork people).

Why was he there anyway?
What were they discussing?
As he was a public representative, who was he representing?

TheBoyConor · 24-06-2020 12:39PM

Correct. There is a cork city accent which is very sing song, a rural cork accent which is that but a bit more, i dunno, country; and then there is the northside city accent - kinda nasal speaking through your nose, dyaknowwddimean? Best spoken when you're spaced out on yer methadone.

Grawned? What is the origin of that? Is it anythign to do with Gurranabraher, or Gurrán' as it's known locally.

partyguinness · 24-06-2020 12:46PM

valoren wrote: »

Coveney does speak with a Cork accent. It's not particularly strong but it's a Cork accent. I grew up in the Northside in Cork City. With all my fellow feens, beoirs and langer dans. When you speak properly people will say you're being "very grawned" i.e. you're not talking with Cork slang and/or you've toned down the classic lilt and are speaking grandly. As such, Coveney is being "grawned".

When Cork people work in an environment where you're expected to speak in a way which is comprehensible then you figure out how to tone down the lilt and use proper language to articulate yourself. To put this into context, I've worked with a litany of people from various backgrounds. In the team I work with currently, an IT role, I work with an American, a Brazilian, a Croatian, two people from Limerick, three people from India and two people from Greece. You can't talk to them in the "aw now sham, story boyz, chalk it down, happenin’ feen, pure daycent like" Cork accent. You tone it down, speak articulately and over time the pace also slows down to find a mutual equilibrium between us all. It would be on a much larger scale for Coveney interacting with Politicans from a multitude of countries.

On occasion when my father cannot get me on the mobile he rings my workplace (in England). It has happened a few times that the receptionist was not at her desk and I have answered and my father has asked for me.

Basically he did not recognise it was me. You have to tone down if you want to be understood- know your audience.

About 70-80% of the people I deal with are of South Asian background. It's like some bad joke all of us in a room trying to understand each other but it is essential that we all understand each other.

Most assume I am Scottish- one African guy that I was German for some reason.

When I head back to Cork now maybe 1-2 a year I will actually struggle to understand a few of the lads back home as I have to get used to the accent again. A good few pints sorts that out. My wife says she can always tell when I have been back as I come back with a stronger accent.

Randy Archer · 24-06-2020 01:05PM

jimgoose wrote: »

Strictly speaking, Clongowes Wood College is in the Earldom of Kildare. Coveney was suspended and eventually even expelled for boozing and partying. Fair focks! :cool:

Really ? Is he that much of a boyo ? I thought butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth

Total ledge bag

Randy Archer · 24-06-2020 01:12PM

jimgoose wrote: »

At times like these I remember the motto of Mount Anville secondary school for young ladies in South Dublin: Let them Hate, so long as they Fear.

That is an outstanding motto for life

Randy Archer · 24-06-2020 01:15PM

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Only poor people with strong regional accents should be allowed get involved in politics.

Perish the thought

John Doe1 · 24-06-2020 01:18PM

I am from Donegal and lived in Cork for about 5 years.

Quite a few people in Cork have very neutral accents. This has probably been exacerbated by the Celtic Tiger. But the majority still sound like they are lepreuchans having a seizure while trying to selling you something.

And my god, do Cork people love Cork (its not that amazing in reality)

*Also, nice bit of sectarianiam a few pages back, as someone raised in COI i didnt realise my ancestors were plotting against the state.

valoren · 24-06-2020 01:49PM

TheBoyConor wrote: »

Correct. There is a cork city accent which is very sing song, a rural cork accent which is that but a bit more, i dunno, country; and then there is the northside city accent - kinda nasal speaking through your nose, dyaknowwddimean? Best spoken when you're spaced out on yer methadone.

Grawned? What is the origin of that? Is it anythign to do with Gurranabraher, or Gurrán' as it's known locally.

Derives from a shortening of Grandiose to the "grand" part but affected with a mocking posh accent.

puppieperson1 · 24-06-2020 05:07PM

Hes a west brit hunting shooting fishing & yachting type, has to speak like the brits in order to assert himself & fit in with the elitist crowd he hangs with in the destruction of ireland.

JupiterKid · 24-06-2020 05:30PM

Wow...like so many others before it, this thread is bringing out the headerballs, freaks, armchair alcoholic foaming-in-the-mouth republicans who think it’s still 1956 and that anyone who attended a private school, or is a non-Catholic (or both) and who doesn’t speak with an extremely nasal, salt-of-the-earth tenement accent is a traitorous ivory tower West Brit with outrageous notions who should be put up against a wall and shot...

...they would feel rather at home in Pol Pot’s Kampuchea circa 1976.

Why doesn't Simon Coveney have a Cork accent ?

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