What's the story with Saoirse Ronan's accent?

15-01-2016 10:25PM

If there's one thing this thread has thought me it's that after 25 years of living in Howth I'm yet to notice the difference in the general accents to that of everyone else in Dublin. Must look closer.

SEPT 23 1989 · 15-01-2016 10:36PM

Colin Farrel is a posh lad from Castleknock

ohmplate · 15-01-2016 10:42PM

brooke 2 wrote: »

Heard her on Colbert telling him how to pronounce various Irish names.
She managed to say Caoimhe perfectly, emphasising the 'Queeeev' part.
I cannot understand why she cannot pronounce Saoirse properly considering
the succession of vowels is the same as it is in Caoimhe.

Mind you, she pronounced Oisín as Ush-ee-an! I always thought there were
only two syllables in that name!!

Proper Queens pronunciation of Irish names in English?

maudgonner · 15-01-2016 11:00PM

Lia_lia wrote: »

Well we do in Cork (and Kerry), like!

Cork & Kerry people should be pronouncing it Sair-sha! :pac:

http://www.teanglann.ie/en/fuaim/saor

corny · 15-01-2016 11:30PM

Just watched a bunch of young American, sorry Dublin, girls on the Late Late. Seems endemic with kids these days.

Canadel · 15-01-2016 11:50PM

Ally Dick wrote: »

I think you need to. My god. I don't believe what you're saying

Not that hard to believe. No need to focus on her attractiveness anyway.

AtomicHorror · 15-01-2016 11:57PM

Is there anything more Irish than a youngster exaggerating or indeed fabricating their Dublin accent?

I don't think it matters. She can act, and more than well enough to justify her success. She has not, to my knowledge, lied or said unkind things in interviews. What's the problem? Why is there a "story" here?

Mars Bar · 16-01-2016 12:29AM

It's 'See-rsha' in Galway too. Although I've heard one mother call her child 'sore-sha'.

riffmongous · 16-01-2016 12:39AM

Mars Bar wrote: »

It's 'See-rsha' in Galway too. Although I've heard one mother call her child 'sore-sha'.

I knew someone with the name Sorcha,pronounced like the above, which is a different name

Ninap · 16-01-2016 04:24AM

Just to add that for me it's the voice as much as the accent that I find off-putting; it's particularly one-note, loud and grating. Then there's the "me mam" type locutions that emphasise the unattractiveness of the way she speaks.

16-01-2016 10:06AM

Regarding the pronunciation of her name - I would wonder whether this was done on purpose, to make it slightly easier for non-Irish to get her name. There's a Irish comedian doing the rounds on the BBC, appearing on things like 8 out of 10 cats, called Róisín, who pronounces her name as Rush-een.

LDN_Irish · 16-01-2016 10:17AM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Regarding the pronunciation of her name - I would wonder whether this was done on purpose, to make it slightly easier for non-Irish to get her name. There's a Irish comedian doing the rounds on the BBC, appearing on things like 8 out of 10 cats, called Róisín, who pronounces her name as Rush-een.

Of all the uncomfortable moments in that prank type show she's on, her name pronunciation is up there with the worst.

16-01-2016 10:24AM

You just know she got to a moment where she just realized it was pointless to keep correcting them and went along with it. Hell, even Dara Ó Briain, who is pretty much a gaeilgeoir has to put up with people butchering his name.

BoJack Horseman · 16-01-2016 10:33AM

Zayden Tiny Necktie wrote: »

It sounds like she's putting on a raw Dublin accent.

It isn't.

Her accent is more Wicklow.
Not southern Wicklow, but more Bray-ish.
Which people would assume is a Dublin accent, but it is a bit different.

I suppose it may make a bit of sense, being between Dublin & her native Carlow.

To me though, she sounds like a lot of us Wickla-heads.

Actually, just watched that rather patronising Colbert interview and unless I'm completely tin eared, she's a nailed on Wicklow accent.

thattequilagirl · 16-01-2016 10:58AM

When I lived abroad, I toned down my accent to be understood more easily and used more American slang than Irish.

When I'm home in Ireland, my accent comes back more strongly, and when I'm in Galway, culchie in me really comes out.

Nothing unusual about it.

Sam Kade · 16-01-2016 11:05AM

Ayden Mango Cook wrote: »

You wouldn't go near her then? Bobbins.

No Bobbins I wouldn't, why would I when there are plenty more better looking women around.

Sam Kade · 16-01-2016 11:11AM

Ally Dick wrote: »

I think you need to. My god. I don't believe what you're saying

You wouldn't need to travel far to find a better looking woman than her, maybe it's because you are star struck.

wingnut · 16-01-2016 11:12AM

Earthhorse wrote: »

I heard she bought her accent on e-bay.

Can anyone confirm?

I heard Donedeal

Wibbs · 16-01-2016 11:37AM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Colin Farrel is a posh lad from Castleknock

And he has a "posh" lad's accent from Castleknock/Northside Dublin(even when he's doing the working class accent it comes out). You can hear the toned down version of it in early Bono, before he went "Murican". That neck of the woods resisted the spread of the Dort mid atlantic drawl for longer than most. When I was growing up south of the Liffey his accent would have been the posher native Southside accent too, since replaced by the braying adenoidal "american" valley girl accent(particularly in younger women). The "stooooory bud" was much less exaggerated too.

I wonder if underneath the media influences it's also economic? The background cultural differences between a working class Dubliner and a lower middle class Dubliner were lesser I think and the money gap was lesser too, so there was a little less of the them and us tribalism going on and accents were less forced because of it?

Asaiah · 16-01-2016 01:53PM

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

It isn't.

Her accent is more Wicklow.
Not southern Wicklow, but more Bray-ish.
Which people would assume is a Dublin accent, but it is a bit different.

I suppose it may make a bit of sense, being between Dublin & her native Carlow.

To me though, she sounds like a lot of us Wickla-heads.

Actually, just watched that rather patronising Colbert interview and unless I'm completely tin eared, she's a nailed on Wicklow accent.

There are several Dublin accents. The Bray/Wicklow accent is pretty much identical to the Howth, Sutton / Fingal accent which I have myself.

Hammer89 · 16-01-2016 02:49PM

She's a ride.

Wibbs · 16-01-2016 02:59PM

Asaiah wrote: »

There are several Dublin accents. The Bray/Wicklow accent is pretty much identical to the Howth, Sutton / Fingal accent which I have myself.

There's also a strong and kinda odd sounding Bray accent I've encountered from time to time.

riffmongous · 16-01-2016 03:04PM

Can anyone tell me what sort of accent Colm Meaney has?

Wibbs · 16-01-2016 03:06PM

riffmongous wrote: »

Can anyone tell me what sort of accent Colm Meaney has?

At the basic level Dublin(older stylee) but with his long years in the States can sometimes have the American twang to it(minus the valley girl nasals).

Eugene Norman · 16-01-2016 03:08PM

Wibbs wrote: »

And he has a "posh" lad's accent from Castleknock/Northside Dublin(even when he's doing the working class accent it comes out). You can hear the toned down version of it in early Bono, before he went "Murican". That neck of the woods resisted the spread of the Dort mid atlantic drawl for longer than most. When I was growing up south of the Liffey his accent would have been the posher native Southside accent too, since replaced by the braying adenoidal "american" valley girl accent(particularly in younger women). The "stooooory bud" was much less exaggerated too.

I wonder if underneath the media influences it's also economic? The background cultural differences between a working class Dubliner and a lower middle class Dubliner were lesser I think and the money gap was lesser too, so there was a little less of the them and us tribalism going on and accents were less forced because of it?

Three of the lads in U2 have fairly pleasant middle class north side accents. Which isn't southside posh either.

As for Saorise that's not a Howth accent I recognise.

Rezident · 16-01-2016 05:11PM

Ninap wrote: »

According to Wikipedia she was born in New York, 'raised briefly' in Carlow, and then moved to Howth. But she's ended up with a particularly unpleasant and grating Dublin accent. Where did she get it? She sounds like a mixture of Joan Burton's monotone drone, and Mary Lou McDonald's fake working-class Dub accent............

"unpleasant and grating'? Oh dear, how terrible of her to offend you by the way she speaks. She should probably just stop speaking altogether.

Is there anything people on the internet are not offended by nowadays? Anything!?

Canadel · 16-01-2016 05:20PM

Rezident wrote: »

"unpleasant and grating'? Oh dear, how terrible of her to offend you by the way she speaks. She should probably just stop speaking altogether.

Is there anything people on the internet are not offended by nowadays? Anything!?

I think that poster was suggesting that she somewhat indulges in her accent. I suppose accentuate is the pertinent word. Having watched an interview of her I would agree. And I'd imagine that she was most likely coached to speak that way which is clever. Anyway, it's not the most annoying accent by a long stretch, but the fact that it seems affected can make it grating. Just an opinion like, ya know. Don't mean any disrespect to the woman or her defenders.

Azalea · 16-01-2016 05:56PM

Orangebrigade wrote: »

Nah. Clear bias.

Being on a wind-up works better when not pretending to be thick as sh1t.

Sam Kade wrote: »

She's a plain Jane, you might want to go to specsavers.

Sam Kade wrote: »

No Bobbins I wouldn't, why would I when there are plenty more better looking women around.

Sam Kade wrote: »

You wouldn't need to travel far to find a better looking woman than her, maybe it's because you are star struck.

You appear very angry about others finding her pretty when you don't fancy her.

Azalea · 16-01-2016 06:02PM

I don't buy the "begrudgery" thing a lot of the time - it isn't just Irish and it is often due to genuine and understandable dislike of a person rather than due to them being successful.

But it definitely exists at times - e.g. this thread. Literally nothing objectionable about her, so shyte gets made up.

Orangebrigade · 16-01-2016 06:16PM

Azalea wrote: »

Being on a wind-up works better when not pretending to be thick as sh1t.

You appear very angry about others finding her pretty when you don't fancy her.

No one cares about some boring actress Azalea. Just let it go.

What's the story with Saoirse Ronan's accent?

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