"That's not an Irish Accent!"

cactusgal

bubblypop wrote: »

Ah seriously?
No big deal, I grew up in Yorkshire until I was 11, people still say, you don't have the accent !
So what, it's just chatting!

Nope. After nearly 15 years of it, I find it extremely irritating.
Different strokes.

John_Rambo

There's a nice way and a not so nice way of commenting on peoples accents and there's a time frame, you don't do it seconds in to the conversation. You wait till you know the person and are sure they'd be comfortable with it.

Best nice way - Shut up and wait till they tell you or it comes up in conversation.

Other nice way (date night) - politely compliment the accent.

Not so nice way - That's not an Irish accent.

I witness a lot of nasty insinuations when it comes to accents like "blow-in", "just off the ferry", "you're not from around here then?" or purposefully talking about historical issues that the person would not be familiar with or be uncomfortable with. Or worse, railroading a conversation down an avenue that only locals would understand. It's rude.

You're going to get this with people that lack maturity and confidence and see an accent as something they can lord over and single you out on.

I'm good pals lots of people that aren't from Ireland, but pay big taxes and make the place a better place to be in. Things move on and we go to each others houses, share food and fun. The kids are completely accent deaf and, although they're kids, they could teach a lesson to the gobshltes.

Charles Babbage

it is just another way of saying, what class of foreigner are you?

fergiesfolly

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

why do i feel guilty to the stage where I have to mention that my wife is Irish ... and my grandmother was Irish and that I like the odd pint of Guinness and that we came over on holidays to Ireland and decided to settle down and have children here when they say "what are you doing over here" - I mean it shouldnt really matter I suppose , but I feel guilty sometimes - maybe I should have let the Irish stay in Ireland? ... how dare I come over here and dare to live in this beautiful country!

But you're not Irish Andy, are you?
No. You're an Englishman living in Ireland ( and most welcome too)with an English accent. And whether it's 25 minutes or 25 years, that's what you'll always be.
In the same way hundreds of thousands of Irish people live in England and America and so on and get on with being a foreigner in a foreign land without bleating on about a bit of banter with the locals.
Get the feck over yourself lad.

Edward Hopper

I've been called a blow in, just off the ferry and told that's not an irish accent. The last of those just today at work. Not the slightest bit offended by any of them, all a light hearted way of asking where you're from, they usually follow up with I lived in such and such in the UK or I have a cousin who lives in this place in the UK and do I know it.

Harmless, and a not bad way to start a chat about my country of birth and some of the things people know or think they know about England.

I'll always be English too, and happy that people can spot it. I don't want to lose my accent.

Andy From Sligo

old people / older generations could be forgiven eh if they comment on thats not a local accent or call you a blow-in no? cause they are like that, I suppose they did grow up in a time where everyone knew everyone and people who was born in the area stayed in the area and I should imagine hardly anyone from anywhere else moved into the area.

But these days its a totally different scenario - people around the world move about and settle down in different places

fergiesfolly

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

old people / older generations could be forgiven eh if they comment on thats not a local accent or call you a blow-in no? cause they are like that, I suppose they did grow up in a time where everyone knew everyone and people who was born in the area stayed in the area and I should imagine hardly anyone from anywhere else moved into the area.

But these days its a totally different scenario - people around the world move about and settle down in different places

Yes. They do indeed.
And one way of breaking the ice is to say
" That's not an Irish accent, is it?"

Jesus Andy, what's so difficult.
You're here 25 years.
Let it go.

Andy From Sligo

fergiesfolly wrote: »

But you're not Irish Andy, are you?
No. You're an Englishman living in Ireland ( and most welcome too)with an English accent. And whether it's 25 minutes or 25 years, that's what you'll always be.
In the same way hundreds of thousands of Irish people live in England and America and so on and get on with being a foreigner in a foreign land without bleating on about a bit of banter with the locals.
Get the feck over yourself lad.

oh well I have had it said a lot over the years, and I can look with how the question is said and what the follow up is - of course if its said in banter and they say do you know paddy o'brien and so and so from London thats OK

however, I have come across on a few occasion its not said in that way and i know exactly what the person is getting at - walk in my shoes if you had it said to you on a regular basis and sometimes in a nastily way which i feel by strangers as I have in the past and quite a few times, you see if it dont rile you up a bit

Andy From Sligo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

old people / older generations could be forgiven eh if they comment on thats not a local accent or call you a blow-in no? cause they are like that, I suppose they did grow up in a time where everyone knew everyone and people who was born in the area stayed in the area and I should imagine hardly anyone from anywhere else moved into the area.

But these days its a totally different scenario - people around the world move about and settle down in different places

Older generations?
Seriously?
If you meet someone in a social setting & they are clearly not Irish, would you not ask them where they are from?

I ask people, who are obviously not Irish, by their accents, where they are from !
I'm not ' from' Ireland either,been here over 30 years though

Andy From Sligo

bubblypop wrote: »

Older generations?
Seriously?
If you meet someone in a social setting & they are clearly not Irish, would you not ask them where they are from?

I ask people, who are obviously not Irish, by their accents, where they are from !
I'm not ' from' Ireland either,been here over 30 years though

what ? - with strangers, straight after they utter the first words out of their mouth?

cause thats what im talking about, sometimes it will be straight after you start talking - without even striking up a conversation or getting to know the person .

Andy From Sligo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

what ? - with strangers, straight after they utter the first words out of their mouth?

cause thats what im talking about, sometimes it will be straight after you start talking - without even striking up a conversation or getting to know the person .

Yup.
Meet someone out, get introduced, hear their accent, ask them where they are from.
Seems like normal interaction to me.

Am I missing something?

Donald Trump

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

the well used term "that's not an Irish Accent!" - is that a Ireland countrywide term or is it only used in Rural areas of Ireland?

Is it A.) Stating the obvious?

B.) as if to say "what the feck are you doing in Ireland?" - with animosity?

Does it really matter at the end of the day?

When people ask "what brought you to Ireland?" I have to refrain from saying "The Ferry"

Been here 25 years and still get asked the question! - however when I have worked with numerous Irish people in the UK I never once said "Thats not a British Accent!"

And I would like to set the record straight, I was not in charge of anything when the famine was'nt around I wasnt even born and I dont agree with how the Irish were treated, I was never ever part of the British army either

Feckin' Mexicans. You just wait 'til I build my wall ya rapey little divils

Andy From Sligo

bubblypop wrote: »

Yup.
Meet someone out, get introduced, hear their accent, ask them where they are from.
Seems like normal interaction to me.

Am I missing something?

do you say it with a smile?

Andy From Sligo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

do you say it with a smile?

I just ask, like a normal person

Andy From Sligo

I know a conversation killer , this will kill the conversation dead in the water.

Next time someone says to me "Thats not an Irish accent!" - im gonna say "your right!" .... and then just leave a long silence ... that will fox them haha,

Andy From Sligo

bubblypop wrote: »

I just ask, like a normal person

ah see thats the point - there are at least 5 ways of saying it / stating it / asking it ... and i believe I have experienced all over the years

Andy From Sligo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

ah see thats the point - there are at least 5 ways of saying it / stating it / asking it ... and i believe I have experienced all over the years

Maybe you're just paranoid

Clampdown

When I first moved back a lot of people would, for some reason, guess Canadian or Australian instead of American, which is what my accent actually is. I quickly worked out that the Canadians and Australians were hated far less than Yanks, and people enjoyed it if they were told they guessed correctly, so I would just go with whatever they guessed.

One night I was pretending to be Australian and the Irish fella asked me was I upset to hear about Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter (who had just been killed). I replied that I was gutted and the sympathy and free pints I received to help me get over the loss convinced me to pretend to be Australian for several weeks. I don't do this anymore but I still find myself saying 'Crikey!' and 'mate' from time to time.

Andy From Sligo

I like it when it works in your favour - went to a little cake/coffee shop few years ago might have been longford or somewhere like that. the owner said is that a British accent, I said yes thats right, "where from" london I said , Good she said , it was quiet and she sat down and chatted with us. "You over for long?" - only a few days "would you like to live in Ireland" - Oh yeah id love to I said (haha all this time we had been living in Sligo for years by this time) anyway after another top up of tea and another bit of cake we went to pay and found out afterwards she didnt charge for the cake and the extra top up of tea - had we said we been living in sligo for years might have been a different outcome

fergiesfolly

There's a guy at work who has an English accent and when I first met him, I asked where in England he was from. Turns out, he's Dutch born to Canadian/Dutch parents, but spent most of his childhood in England. It was a good icebreaker and we had a good chat after. No malice or premeditated reason to ask the question on my part except as a way of getting to know someone. He's been asked it several times at work and never in a negative way.
And we're all turf chewing culchies here.

Speedwell

spammer wrote: »

Americans are hated in Ireland? I thought Ireland was probably the only European country that didn't dislike them.

Yes, I am familiar with being called Canadian out of politeness and because "you're too nice to be an American". Which is possible; I often come across as the kind of person people spontaneously strike up conversations with, which I both like and dislike but mostly consider flattering.

It occurs to me that comments about my accent here are better, at least, than the monumentally annoying American equivalent, "oh I just LOOOOOOOVE your accent; where are you from" along with a cringeworthy attempt to imitate the accent in question and an irritating claim to share the same ancestry. I sometimes get asked if I have Irish ancestors. Sorry, folks, if an Irish person is in my ancestry, it's because they got carried off by the Mongols or Turks.

Andy From Sligo

Speedwell wrote: »

Yes, I am familiar with being called Canadian out of politeness and because "you're too nice to be an American". Which is possible; I often come across as the kind of person people spontaneously strike up conversations with, which I both like and dislike but mostly consider flattering.

It occurs to me that comments about my accent here are better, at least, than the monumentally annoying American equivalent, "oh I just LOOOOOOOVE your accent; where are you from" along with a cringeworthy attempt to imitate the accent in question and an irritating claim to share the same ancestry. I sometimes get asked if I have Irish ancestors. Sorry, folks, if an Irish person is in my ancestry, it's because they got carried off by the Mongols or Turks.

im pretty enlightened that you say some of the Irish dont like Americans , I thought all the Irish loved Americans... well a lot better than the English

What is it you reckon some dont like about americans?

Speedwell

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

im pretty enlightened that you say some of the Irish dont like Americans , I thought all the Irish loved Americans... well a lot better than the English

What is it you reckon some dont like about americans?

Well, this is what I've gleaned from foreign friends and co-workers: Arrogant in a puppyish, well meaning way (most of the time). Overemotional, forward, and violent. Selfish/self-indulgent and fat. Somewhat undereducated and not inclined to be terribly intellectual on the whole. Annoyingly illiberal. Substitute "fun" for culture. Attach too much importance to money without a proper regard for class divisions.

dd972

The thing is Andy, if you're born and reared here and you have the accent and birth cert to prove it then you're elevated to belonging to a mythical and magical breed of people, the wittiest, earthiest, most authentic people on the planet.

All emigrants are 'not one of us' anymore, especially if they're an hour away in the UK and their offspring are all 'tans' and 'brits' even if they're Irish passport holders with names like Eoghan McCarthaigh, you see they'd never understand what it is to be Oiirishh like we are.

Btw, if you're English, all English people are Cockneys who live between Barking and Basildon and talk like Arthur Mullard.

If your parents brought you here before you were able to talk and walk, you're still not 'really Irish' and you're just putting that cod-accent on to sound like super-us.

Everybody wants to be us, look like us and sound like us and if you don't live in Ireland then you're not really living a real life.

All complete B.S of course but this OP gives you an insight into the mindset of the people you're encountering.

Galwayguy35

Was in Salthill yesterday and for a minute I thought I was in D4 with all the posh accents around me, it doesn't even sound like an Irish accent anymore.

Clampdown

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

im pretty enlightened that you say some of the Irish dont like Americans , I thought all the Irish loved Americans... well a lot better than the English

What is it you reckon some dont like about americans?

I was exaggerating a bit. They're generally only disliked if they fall into the typical stereotypes, though unfortunately many of the ones who can afford to travel over here do. But even then they're only disliked in an eye-rolling kind of way. Where I grew up in America people didn't seem anywhere near as corny as the typical American tourist you tend to meet here, for whatever reason the ones you see over here are often so stereotypical I even have to laugh.

And in fairness most people have only ever called me Yank, etc after they knew me and wanted to take the p!ss. Which I guess means I have been accepted now.

bodice ripper

dd972 wrote: »

The thing is Andy, if you're born and reared here and you have the accent and birth cert to prove it then you're elevated to belonging to a mythical and magical breed of people, the wittiest, earthiest, most authentic people on the planet.

All emigrants are 'not one of us' anymore, especially if they're an hour away in the UK and their offspring are all 'tans' and 'brits' even if they're Irish passport holders with names like Eoghan McCarthaigh, you see they'd never understand what it is to be Oiirishh like we are.

Btw, if you're English, all English people are Cockneys who live between Barking and Basildon and talk like Arthur Mullard.

If your parents brought you here before you were able to talk and walk, you're still not 'really Irish' and you're just putting that cod-accent on to sound like super-us.

Everybody wants to be us, look like us and sound like us and if you don't live in Ireland then you're not really living a real life.

All complete B.S of course but this OP gives you an insight into the mindset of the people you're encountering.

Word.

bodice ripper

Americans: because even Irish people need someone to look down on.

Lt Dan

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

Was in Salthill yesterday and for a minute I thought I was in D4 with all the posh accents around me, it doesn't even sound like an Irish accent anymore.

You were in G4. Embrace it

riclad

10 Per cent of people living here are non nationals ,
maybe in some rural area,s most people have an irish accent .
In most towns theres at least a few hundred non nationals living there .
In some area,s of dublin ,
the upper class accent is very close to an english accent .