Irish Accents

SprostonGreen · 16-09-2005 07:59PM

The only time the Waterford accent has annoyed me, was from "Mossy" the Gift Grub character. I dont know if everyone from down there speaks like that, but this particular guy is irritating. That said, the place itself if great.

My Sligo town accent has worn away over the years, since moving to Dublin, but since the rise of Westlife, I'm kinda glad. However when I go back there, it comes out of the closet for a dust down, its weird.

The Cork accent on a girl is sexy.

Exit · 16-09-2005 08:30PM

Skud wrote:

some parts of the country could esaily be explained by the invasions in history, the ulster plantation, the influx of the scots (mainly) is why that accent evolved so differently than the south. Then the different dialects with Irish clans and chieftans, however the introduction of T.V. might make people lose their accents. It sad but they'll possibly become very similar and less toned down over the years. Let's hope that doesnt happen but it certainly wont in our lifetime

Television can't affect someone's accent (unless they voluntarily choose to speak like someone on television). It can introduce new words and phrases to your lexicon, but it can't change your accent. The reason for this is because your accent is determined by the people you speak to, not the people you hear on TV. Basically, accents come from conversation, hence why if you're brought up in Donegal then you have a Donegal accent, etc.

sleepingbeauty · 16-09-2005 09:56PM

Kennett wrote:

I've had people ask if I was from America the odd time, a lot of people think I'm from D4 as well, though I thought it was because I retained some English in my accent, despite living ere for 17 years. Oddly enough, while Londoners think I'm Irish, I have people from Manchester thiking I'm from Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire, yet I was originally from Brighton. Funnier again, an American friend of mine thinks I sound similar to a guy from Leixlip (I've lived in Naas pretty much most of my life, asides from 4 years in the UK), then some think I have a neutral East Coast accent...

yeah ive got the EXACT same thing. i born in england but moved to naas when i was 6, lived here for 14years, so ive got an irish accent with slight bits of english (think thats because my parents have english accents so being around them a lot ive probably kept some of it). sometimes apparently ive got a bit of an american twang because of the mixture between english and irish pronunciations. my accent confuses people a lot lol, everyone time i meet someone new im just waiting for them to ask me about it- i know they will and they always do :rolleyes:

agreeing with CathyMoran northern accent in guy is lovely, dead sexy

Lemlin · 16-09-2005 10:07PM

I'm from Cavan and have a Cavan accent. Near the Meath border but its not as strong as people who live on the other side of Cavan near Leitrim.

I've never heard anyone describe it as sexy though. If anything, people tell me that Cavan people sound like we are singing the words because we drag them out!

vector · 17-09-2005 01:01AM

I think some irish accents sound a bit gay, for example there was a program called DIY dad on RTE a few days ago with a skinny guy from the midlands he was married and I'm not making personal comments but that type of accent whereever it is from sounds a bit g

Nightwish · 17-09-2005 01:02AM

Lemlin wrote:

I've never heard anyone describe it as sexy though. If anything, people tell me that Cavan people sound like we are singing the words because we drag them out!

I know someone from Cootehill and its the sexiest accent ever

simu · 17-09-2005 01:03AM

Nightwish wrote:

I know someone from Cootehill and its the sexiest accent ever

Ew! Coote-hies!

Nightwish · 17-09-2005 01:04AM

simu wrote:

Ew! Coote-hies!

lol

up for anything · 17-09-2005 01:12AM

Bard wrote:

It's not hard to imagine that some accents actually make you question the intelligence of the person speaking... even the D4 one.

Surely you meant to say especially the D4 one.

scojones · 17-09-2005 04:07AM

A chick with a northern ireland accent is a big turn on for me. mmmhmmm.

20 Times 20 Times · 17-09-2005 04:08AM

The dundalk accent is terrible when you hear it on radio/tv

The Bollox · 17-09-2005 05:08AM

the Dundalk accent does my nut! I hate it

Ravage1616 · 17-09-2005 09:09AM

I from kilkenny, was in cork last year talkin to these girls and they knew i was from kilkenny from my accent!

I don't think kilkenny really has an accent!!

deisedevil · 17-09-2005 11:07AM

Ravage1616 wrote:

I from kilkenny, was in cork last year talkin to these girls and they knew i was from kilkenny from my accent!

I don't think kilkenny really has an accent!!

Ye don't, ye just robbed Waterfords one,lol !

Lemlin · 17-09-2005 11:31AM

The Drogheda accent is minging. I remember watching that show filmed there, Love Is The Drug, and there was a girl in it with a really thick Drogheda accent.

She was terrible looking anyway but it made her so much more ugly. I remember her turning to the young fella she was about to ride and saying "Weeeeell, do you wannaaaa or whaaaaa!?".

I shudder to even think of it.

NineMoons · 17-09-2005 12:15PM

I've always had a problem hanging onto an accent. Neither of my parents are from Sligo and I don't think any of us kids picked up the Sligo accent too strongly. (Sidebar - I never thought the Sligo accent was madly distinctive but it's hard to judge when that's where you're from. Any thoughts?) People used to think I was American when I was a child. When I got to college, I hated that and started concentrating on having some sort of accent that was recognisably Irish in some way, except for when I had to speak in front of the class or for work, when I wanted to make sure people could understand me. After a year in Scotland (valiantly trying not to pick up an Edinburgh accent, which is extra hard cos it's sounds so nice!), I had de-accented myself again because my friends there weren't native English-speakers so I was always pronouncing stuff carefully so they'd have an easier time understanding.

Both my sister and I pick up accents from people we spend a lot of time with. This terrifies me because not only is my long-term boyfriend from outside Dhraaaaawda, but I now live there. He spent 6 years in Dublin and didn't have too strong an accent but his mother and one of his brothers have horrible accents! And now that we live here, not only do I find myself saying "no bodder" but I hear him saying "aw hee-arh" (that's ah, here!) sometimes and I have visions of me 20 years down the road with a brood of children speaking like their tongues are swollen, telling them to "chome in for thuh dhinn-ayer".

Regarding Love is the Drug, I watched a bit cos I was living here after all and I noticed that none of the main cast bothered to have Drawda accents. Just some of the minor characters. I just thought if they were going to set the series outside Dublin, they could have made a bit more effort. Although maybe the main family in it had moved from Dublin? I didn't watch enough of it to know.

ergo · 17-09-2005 01:26PM

yeah I'd probably be in the "neutral" category

grew up not far from Arklow but not in the town so didn't pick up the strong Arklow accent ("thank feck" some might say but I don't find it too offensive, and yeah, it definitely has a northern twang), another reason for this probably cos my Dad's from Kildare

but haven't lived at home for nearly 10 years so have probably been neutralised a bit since, last time I was at home for a month or so it was commentd that I was thowing out the Arklow twang when I got back to Dub

some people from WX said I had a wexford town accent at one point but most people might think Dub (but never been accused of D4 thank feck!)

so yeah, am neutral, the accent gets a great response in Australia and the US, can be a great ice-breaker,

I remember being in a bar with a guy from Donegal and he had a really strong hardcore Donegal accent, so strong the Aussie girl was convinced he had to be putting it on, he was fairly bemused at that! she believed me cos I suppose she thought an aussie guy wouldn't be able to put on a less-strong Irish accent like my one but just wouldn't believe him!

and I think, along with globalisation, the accents will change, and TV will have a lot to do with it but not in our lifetime

all the D4 heads soundling like americans "hello" "shut up" etc and the raised intonation at the end of every sentence, not good

I wonder how many accents there are in Ireland, I know Ray D'arcy's show was picking from 12 irish accents to decide the nicest one, duno how that ended up

I've met girls from Kerry and one from Roscommon (of all places) with accents you would nearly marry just for the accent but I suppose everyone's different

CuLT · 17-09-2005 02:05PM

I've got the neutral (but distinctively Irish to foreigners) accent (from Dublin). I think a lot of it comes from little colloquialisms that most Irish people have without even realising it.

"Thanks a million" or "thanks a mil' " are normal expressions but I've actually gotten the odd American snicker at it. I think putting "Sure" as a prefix to a sentence marks you out as Irish straight off the bat

deisedevil · 17-09-2005 02:09PM

CuLT wrote:

I've got the neutral (but distinctively Irish to foreigners) accent (from Dublin). I think a lot of it comes from little colloquialisms that most Irish people have without even realising it.

"Thanks a million" or "thanks a mil' " are normal expressions but I've actually gotten the odd American snicker at it. I think putting "Sure" as a prefix to a sentence marks you out as Irish straight off the bat

Sure to be sure to be sure,lol.

snickerpuss · 17-09-2005 03:25PM

Exit wrote:

The reason for this is because your accent is determined by the people you speak to, not the people you hear on TV. Basically, accents come from conversation, hence why if you're brought up in Donegal then you have a Donegal accent, etc.

I don't think thats necessarily true, i'm from coolock on the northside and so really i should have a dodgey northside accent but somehow i ended up being "well-spoken" and got SO much abuse about it when i was a kid, the years of being "the posh one". I'm not even sure how that happened.

muckwarrior · 17-09-2005 06:50PM

It seems to be pretty much love it or hate it with the Cavan accent. I have a relatively strong Cavan accent and i've had a few girls say they really like it but i've also received a hell of a lot of slagging for it in Dubland.

I've been living in dub for 5 years now but i don't think my accent has really faded that much. Some people move up to dubland from boggerland and actually try to loose their accents. I think this is pretty sad really tbh. It's like they think they sound more sophisticated with a d4 accent or somethin.

Personally I think the Tipp accent is sexy.

Sauron · 17-09-2005 06:54PM

I have to say I think the Donegal accent pretty damn sexy.. when spoken by a female of course..

Nightwish · 17-09-2005 07:09PM

Ravage1616 wrote:

I from kilkenny, was in cork last year talkin to these girls and they knew i was from kilkenny from my accent!

I don't think kilkenny really has an accent!!

I dont think Kilkenny has an accent, although down near Waterford, they do. No one can tell where I'm from my accent

mike65 · 17-09-2005 07:23PM

Gorey is the town to hear the 'Norn Iron' accent without risking injurey!

God I hate that place (the traffic, honest!).

Mike.

Laguna · 18-09-2005 01:51AM

I personally can't stand the d4 accent. The pronounciation of some words in d4 has to be heard to be believed, I mean, where did "Right" become "Roooooooooooight", they sound completely nasal when they speak as if they're trying on a neutral London accent (and believe me, when you're actually from London like myself, it sounds quite retarded).

stormkeeper · 18-09-2005 02:24AM

sleepingbeauty wrote:

yeah ive got the EXACT same thing. i born in england but moved to naas when i was 6, lived here for 14years, so ive got an irish accent with slight bits of english (think thats because my parents have english accents so being around them a lot ive probably kept some of it). sometimes apparently ive got a bit of an american twang because of the mixture between english and irish pronunciations. my accent confuses people a lot lol, everyone time i meet someone new im just waiting for them to ask me about it- i know they will and they always do :rolleyes:

agreeing with CathyMoran northern accent in guy is lovely, dead sexy

Jaysus, you lived in Naas? That's where I lived, for 17 years... up until 8 months ago! That's nuts! What part of England were you born/did you live in before you moved over?

I kinda hung around my mum, who was born in Brighton, which was where I was born. Oddly enough, to most people she sounds English, but to others she sounds Irish, only because she says "Ireland" as opposed to "I'land" which people over here say.

Tiffany · 18-09-2005 02:45AM

I have to say I can't stand Northern Ireland accents.

There are three types of accents in Dublin:
1 - The posh Dublin accent, which everyone stereotypes Dublin 4 with. I grew up in D4 and from my experience there is just as much a mixture of accents there as anywhere else.
2 - The 50/50 accent (i.e. posh accent with a twist of Skangerian) - very common with teens and young adults. My family didn't grow up in D4 but have posh accents, which I developed. But from hanging out with others from my area and others from school my posh accent loosened and remains like that (and probably will).
3 - Skangerian (i.e 'de tick dublin accent') - very common in rougher areas of Dublin. Well I don't really need to explain this one.

Just my observation...

embee · 18-09-2005 03:01AM

I'm from Ardee, Co Louth,which generally speaking has a very distinctive accent, but I don't really have a strong Ardee accent compared to others around here, mainly because I haven't lived here all my life, and my parents are from outside Ardee. When I lived in Cork, I used to have locals asking me if I was from either Scotland or Tipperary, which I found a bit strange. When I came back to Ardee after living in Cork, I was speaking with a slight Cork twinge, which I quickly got rid of.

I really, really can't stand the D4 accent because in most cases, I think its put on.

Exit · 18-09-2005 03:58AM

snickerpuss wrote:

I don't think thats necessarily true, i'm from coolock on the northside and so really i should have a dodgey northside accent but somehow i ended up being "well-spoken" and got SO much abuse about it when i was a kid, the years of being "the posh one". I'm not even sure how that happened.

It is true. I remember reading something about some linguist saying it.

As for your other part, I'm also from Coolock (well, Clonshaugh) and I don't have the skanger accent, and I know lots of people from there who don't. I guess there's enough people there who don't speak skangerly, that not everyone happens to pick up the skanger accent.

*MmmPie* · 18-09-2005 11:04AM

embee wrote:

I'm from Ardee, Co Louth,which generally speaking has a very distinctive accent, but I don't really have a strong Ardee accent compared to others around here, mainly because I haven't lived here all my life, and my parents are from outside Ardee. When I lived in Cork, I used to have locals asking me if I was from either Scotland or Tipperary, which I found a bit strange. When I came back to Ardee after living in Cork, I was speaking with a slight Cork twinge, which I quickly got rid of.

I really, really can't stand the D4 accent because in most cases, I think its put on.

The Ardee accent's hilarious! My friend's from Ardee, and she pronounces the word park, for example, like 'paaayyyyyyyyrrrk', and car like 'caaare'...teehee...

Irish Accents

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