Accents: Why are they so different here in short distances?

In Kildare we have 7 variations of the bogger accent ranging from posh bogger to bogger bogger.

I'm west Belfast and in north very rural Donegal they couldn't understand a word I was saying in the bar, the junior barman had to get his dad to translate. Vodka n coke, in my tongue it probably sounded like vadkaa n cogh. I have found when I get out to the stick and my guard drops I slow down how I speak, I become more relaxed and it's reflected in my speech and I can become a bit of a mimic. Instead of aye a hard aye it's ayyee.

A bit far fetched but maybe syntax as in how we speak and different accents are derived from our various environments.

It is mad alright. I was down seeing my sister recently and a local from the village where we both grew up was cleaning her chimney. Afterwards I said to her. I kinda know that guy, where's he from? I couldn't understand about 75% of what he was saying. She laughed, told me his name and he was from the same estate that we all grew up on- just the other side of it, a few hundred metres away from where we lived.

Our estate, being a council estate was a bit of an oddball. There was people like our family who might have sounded a little posh (our mother had notions) and then there was people like the chap mentioned who had a very strong thick accent. This is Kildare btw.

I forgot to add that my partner who's Polish has said many times that there isn't any real variation in the Polish accent until you go south and start heading into the mountains.

Travellers seem to keep their particular accent within whatever area they're in. Maybe they don't mix much or something.

Even small towns can have a distinguishable difference from one end to the other.

Reminds me of that scene from Hot Fuzz where he needed a translator for the translator.

It's common in all countries. Listen to the range of accents in England or even within London. In France a Parisian can have difficulty catching what a Bordelais. The Spanish accent in Barcelona is very different to that in Valencia. Highland and Lowland Scots have extremely different accents.

Accept when you are in Little Dublin, pronounced "Naaysse"

The posh people call it Neysse.

They'd probably just sound Irish to an Aussie in fairness.

In south county Antrim the accent changes as soon as you cross the county border.

I think most people are ignorant regarding the northern accents history. They assume it is different because of the plantations but how do you explain Donegal? West Donegal isn't a plantation stronghold yet they still don't have southern accents. It is because of the Ulster Irish language. Yes I agree that the County Antrim accents are heavily influenced by the plantations.