Irish people with English accents

bobbyss

Shane Ross:He must have lived in England for a long time?
David Norris: Ditto?
Declan Ganly:Ditto?
There is a horse racing chap who does the racing, a Robert somebody?
Charles Mitchell:ex RTE newsreader had a touch of one I believe.
Martin Manserg;Former senator.
Brian Farrell RTE
Chris de Burgh
Brian O'Connell: Former RTE London correspondent.

Anyone else?

How long do you have to live in England to acquire and retain the accent I wonder?

myshirt

Trace the bloodline. Check the milkman.

jeanjolie

You don't have to live there...just fake it well enough.

Certainly better than hearing a rough accent tbh.

AllGunsBlazing

I have older Irish relations like Aunts and Uncles that lived in England since the 60's but only have the slightest trace of English accents while still sounding unmistakably Irish. Meanwhile my sister spends barely a few months in the States but comes back sounding like a cast member from Friends.....

jeanjolie

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

I have older Irish relations like Aunts and Uncles that lived in England since the 60's but only have the slightest trace of English accents while still sound unmistakably Irish. Meanwhile my sister spends a few months n the States but comes back sounding like a cast member from Friends.....

True but how do you explain Hugh Laurie? He can switch between a perfect English accent and American accent well past his mid-life crisis.

RayM

bobbyss wrote: »

Shane Ross:He must have lived in England for a long time?
David Norris: Ditto?
Declan Ganly:Ditto?
There is a horse racing chap who does the racing, a Robert somebody?
Charles Mitchell:ex RTE newsreader had a touch of one I believe.
Martin Manserg;Former senator.
Brian Farrell RTE
Chris de Burgh
Brian O'Connell: Former RTE London correspondent.

Anyone else?

How long do you have to live in England to acquire and retain the accent I wonder?

Most of them either grew up in England or went to school there, and simply never lost their accents.

Omackeral

And the kids have totally awesome American twangs.

buried

Hat da henduuvdaadaaaaaaaaaay Poot fahkin kettaaal ohhn m8

humberklog

Chris De Burgh is Argentinian.

gitzy16v

jeanjolie wrote: »

True but how do you explain Hugh Laurie? He can switch between a perfect English accent and American accent well past his mid-life crisis.

Actor?

stimpson

jeanjolie wrote: »

True but how do you explain Hugh Laurie? He can switch between a perfect English accent and American accent well past his mid-life crisis.

He can't. Apparently to a yank his accent is awful.

My missus spent her formative years in England but has spent most of her life here. I thought she was an Aussie when I met her.

Ipso

Fair play to Julio Geordio for keeping his accent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSXzRWlL7Z0

pickarooney

stimpson wrote: »

He can't. Apparently to a yank his accent is awful.

My missus spent her formative years in England but has spent most of her life here. I thought she was an Aussie when I met her.

To which yanks? I've only ever heard the opposite - that Americans are dumbfounded when they find out he's English.

dd972

buried wrote: »

Hat da henduuvdaadaaaaaaaaaay Poot fahkin kettaaal ohhn m8

Geordie?, Scouse?, Brummie? Yorkshire?

David Norris has a plummy, Irish accent, it's one of those ultra posh ones which sounds as English as possible whilst still being an Irish accent, Brian O'Connell probably spent years there mixing with U.K politico types and picked it up a bit, Declan Ganley, AFAIK was actually born and raised there to Irish parents, don't know about the others, accents are elastic anyway, The Edge out of U2 only sounds mildly Irish probably due to his Welsh parentage, ex Liverpool player Ronnie Whelan could probably pass for a Scouser as he's lived there for yonks, I knew of two brothers with English middle class parents, born and schooled here yet still don't sound completely Irish.

buried

dd972 wrote: »

Geordie?, Scouse?, Brummie? Yorkshire?

Brick top. Naaaaahhh poot fahhkin kettall ohhhnnnnnnn M8

dd972

buried wrote: »

Brick top. Naaaaahhh poot fahhkin kettall ohhhnnnnnnn M8

Still lost me, unless your saying approximately 60 million people in that country reside between Barking and Basildon, and the rest is all arable land.

buried

dd972 wrote: »

Still lost me, unless your saying approximately 60 million people in that country reside between Barking and Basildon, and the rest is all arable land.

Stay fahhkin lost m8, eye'lll poot fahhkin kettall ohhn mahohhnfahkinselllf

r93kaey5p2izun

pickarooney wrote: »

To which yanks? I've only ever heard the opposite - that Americans are dumbfounded when they find out he's English.

Same here. I had a housemate from Colorado who didn't believe me when I said he was English. (Also Idris Elba.)

mzungu

bobbyss wrote: »

Shane Ross:He must have lived in England for a long time?
David Norris: Ditto?
Declan Ganly:Ditto?
There is a horse racing chap who does the racing, a Robert somebody?
Charles Mitchell:ex RTE newsreader had a touch of one I believe.
Martin Manserg;Former senator.
Brian Farrell RTE
Chris de Burgh
Brian O'Connell: Former RTE London correspondent.

Anyone else?

How long do you have to live in England to acquire and retain the accent I wonder?

A fair chunk of Jackie's Army.

Lia_lia

Most of the hippie crowd down in West Cork have English accents. A parent/both parents would have been English but these people have lived in Ireland their whole lives and have proper English accents. It's a bit weird.

I was born in England and lived there for a few years. Had an English accent till I was about 11 but started putting on an Irish accent till it became my accent. Having an English accent in school in Kerry is bullying material!

Lia_lia

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

I have older Irish relations like Aunts and Uncles that lived in England since the 60's but only have the slightest trace of English accents while still sounding unmistakably Irish.

I was on a call at work the other day with a guy in the UK. He had a very distinctive Killarney accent... Not Kerry but Killarney! Could get it straight away. He'd been living in the UK for 40 or so years and when I asked where he was from he was indeed from Killarney. Went to the same school as my brother. Not a hint of an English accent.

andekwarhola

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

I have older Irish relations like Aunts and Uncles that lived in England since the 60's but only have the slightest trace of English accents while still sounding unmistakably Irish. Meanwhile my sister spends barely a few months in the States but comes back sounding like a cast member from Friends.....

My Da lived there nearly 30 years (mid teens to mid 40s) and never lost his strong culchie accent.

Likes of Norris presumably have English parents although he was an English professor so it's maybe also a career related affectation.

On a related point, one thing that always strikes me when watching old Irish media clips (like Reeling In The Years) is that we had our own Irish version of received pronunciation in the media and establishment here - an almost British-inflected (to my ears at least) Irish accent until, like Britain, you began to hear regional accents on the airwaves and television in more recent times.

Lia_lia wrote: »

I was born in England and lived there for a few years. Had an English accent till I was about 11 but started putting on an Irish accent till it became my accent. Having an English accent in school in Kerry is bullying material!

Same except replace Kerry with inner city Dublin at the height of the hunger strikes :pac:

Esel

It's all about the plums.

dd972

Lia_lia wrote: »

I was on a call at work the other day with a guy in the UK. He had a very distinctive Killarney accent... Not Kerry but Killarney! Could get it straight away. He'd been living in the UK for 40 or so years and when I asked where he was from he was indeed from Killarney. Went to the same school as my brother. Not a hint of an English accent.

I wouldn't go as far to say the chap harboured any anglophobic sentiments, however I do believe that most Irish people would sub-consciously resist any natural morphing or accent change that might naturally happen after being in a place for a length of time if that place is England, we don't want to be known as or thought of as English, whereas I've encountered Irish-born people who've lived in the U.S or Canada for years and they seem more relaxed about letting a twang from those places enter their voices, even if it's unintended.

An English accent is rejected as the antithesis of an Irish one, even if you had Irish parents, a gealicised name and spoke fluent Irish, anything to do with an English birthplace or accent automatically renders someone 'not Irish' and 'not one of our special tribe' for some.

guppy

bobbyss wrote: »

Shane Ross:He must have lived in England for a long time?
David Norris: Ditto?
Declan Ganly:Ditto?
There is a horse racing chap who does the racing, a Robert somebody?
Charles Mitchell:ex RTE newsreader had a touch of one I believe.
Martin Manserg;Former senator.
Brian Farrell RTE
Chris de Burgh
Brian O'Connell: Former RTE London correspondent.

Anyone else?

How long do you have to live in England to acquire and retain the accent I wonder?

I worked with a man, he retired 2 months ago, whom I would have said was English. He absolutely was not (he's Irish), but the accent on him was middle class British.

I'm not sure if the fact he's Jewish by birth (not in practice) had anything to do with his accent, as in, the people who educated him had that accent, or not.

My very English partner has been here for almost 20 years and has no trace of an Irish accent. In fact, his attempts at one are still appalling :-)

Esel

guppy wrote: »

My very English partner has been here for almost 20 years and has no trace of an Irish accent. In fact, his attempts at one are still appalling :-)

As in "Tap o' de marnin', Sir." ?

AllGunsBlazing

To be fair, I would have said that David Norris had more of a posh Irish accent - as opposed to an English one. I'd certainly struggle to pinpoint what part of England his tone of speech reflects.

He just pronounces everything very D-E-L-I-B-E-R-A-T-E-L-Y.

Lia_lia

Lia_lia wrote: »

I was on a call at work the other day with a guy in the UK. He had a very distinctive Killarney accent... Not Kerry but Killarney! Could get it straight away. He'd been living in the UK for 40 or so years and when I asked where he was from he was indeed from Killarney. Went to the same school as my brother. Not a hint of an English accent.

Not unlike Cork city...kinda...high pitched. Killarney accent is very distinct, that "hiya" that Killarney middle aged women say, give away every time.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Wouldn't bat an eye to it.

Love England and their diverse selection of accents.

Apart from the north crowd, Newcastle, Sunderland Middlesbrough. Good God Almighty. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Too much shipyard thug for me. I find it very hard to understand these creatures.

Maybe actually we the Irish and the English both have something in common. We both hate our nordies, and both were former ship building regions.

FTA69

jeanjolie wrote: »

You don't have to live there...just fake it well enough.

Certainly better than hearing a rough accent tbh.

Decolonise your mind.

DEFTLEFTHAND

FTA69 wrote: »

Decolonise your mind.

The title of my next album.

panda100

stimpson wrote:

My missus spent her formative years in England but has spent most of her life here. I thought she was an Aussie when I met her.

I get that all the time. I was born and raised by Irish parents in London and moved back here when I was 15. I still have a very strong English accent despite being here 20 years now. My brother was 18 when he moved over and picked up the irish accent very quickly.

heldel00

That "comedian" Alison Spittle really gets on my nerves. She has a midlands accent but lived/ was born in UK so pronounces everything beginning with a "th" as an "f". Beyond annoying.

"Ah shure ya know yorself me Mammy finks fat I'm hilarious so i fought I'd inflict myself on the nation!"

And TV/ radio presenters actually draw attention to it so it is now part of her schtick. Grrrrrrrrrr

steddyeddy

In fairness the examples in the OP aren't English accents. English accents describe something and nothing and somefing and nuffing.

Erik Shin

Lia_lia wrote: »

Most of the hippie crowd down in West Cork have English accents. A parent/both parents would have been English but these people have lived in Ireland their whole lives and have proper English accents. It's a bit weird.

I was born in England and lived there for a few years. Had an English accent till I was about 11 but started putting on an Irish accent till it became my accent. Having an English accent in school in Kerry is bullying material!

I agree completely....born in England, had a nice chelski accent and when I came to Tralee.... Wham... Brit go home time...had plenty of fights right up until 6th class, went home on a Friday Eve from school...came back Monday and had a big thick Kerry accent on me ...never had an ounce of bother after that

Teyla Emmagan

andekwarhola wrote:

On a related point, one thing that always strikes me when watching old Irish media clips (like Reeling In The Years) is that we had our own Irish version of received pronunciation in the media and establishment here - an almost British-inflected (to my ears at least) Irish accent until, like Britain, you began to hear regional accents on the airwaves and television in more recent times.

Yes, half the country seemed to talk like David Norris at one stage. It's amazing how much our national accent seems to have changed when you listen to the old clips. I think it was a hangover from colonialism, as if we all believed at one stage that to speak properly we had to sound English. But we seem to have relaxed now into realising our own accents are perfectly fine.

These are plenty of Anglo Irish families here that would always have sounded quite English, despite being born and raised and educated here. Maybe they wanted to distinguish themselves from their bogger neighbours and the accent was one way to do that.

It's very interesting anyway.

Dark Rabbit

I've made the very same observation too. Also I've had a lot of friends go live in Australia but never pick up the accent.

Nekarsulm

I think I heard once that David Norris had a severe speech impediment as a child and was sent to a speech therapist, (who must have been upper class British) and the speech patterns taught to him remain.

I know our four year old developed a real Manchester twang from her childminder after a few months. It disappeared about six months later.

darkdubh

I assumed for ages that Shane Ross was English, to me his accent sounds pure middle class English, it doesn't even sound posh Irish. According to his Wiki page he was educated in Trinity which I know is posh but people don't generally come out of there sounding like they're auditioning for Midsummer Murders. Did he make a conscious decision that he was going to speak like that?

Erik Shin

Erik Shin wrote: »

I agree completely....born in England, had a nice chelski accent and when I came to Tralee.... Wham... Brit go home time...had plenty of fights right up until 6th class, went home on a Friday Eve from school...came back Monday and had a big thick Kerry accent on me ...never had an ounce of bother after that

Ye should really have gone to school in South Kerry or West Cork. Lots of English accents...and the odd Dutch or German too...ah the hippies were great for extending our cultural horizons...

Lawros Tache

darkdubh wrote: »

I assumed for ages that Shane Ross was English, to me his accent sounds pure middle class English, it doesn't even sound posh Irish. According to his Wiki page he was educated in Trinity which I know is posh but people don't generally come out of there sounding like they're auditioning for Midsummer Murders. Did he make a conscious decision that he was going to speak like that?

Educated also in Rugby school, Warwickshire. Presumably he picked up the accent there during those formative teenage years and held onto it, either by accident or design.

Breaston Plants

Yer man that used to do the football show on Today f.m, Michael McMullen, hilarious accent.

P. Breathnach

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

...
These are plenty of Anglo Irish families here that would always have sounded quite English, despite being born and raised and educated here. Maybe they wanted to distinguish themselves from their bogger neighbours and the accent was one way to do that.

It's very interesting anyway.

The Anglo-Irish accent might sound quite English to many of us in Ireland, but sounds Irish to English people.

I'd consider it a hybrid, with the English component having its origins in plantation/settlement in the 16th and 17th centuries, and reinforced by contact with English upper-class society over the years.

It's strongly linked with wealth and social class. I suspect that some Irish people of more modest background have aped the accent over the years.

I quite like the television programme Lords and Ladles, where viewers get to see and hear the owners of castles and mansions around the country. They seem to see themselves as Irish. As their families have been here for hundreds of years, it seems a bit churlish to say that they are not.

nikkibikki

Dark Rabbit wrote:

I've made the very same observation too. Also I've had a lot of friends go live in Australia but never pick up the accent.

Yep my brother and his best friend moved 7yrs ago, they both have their Kilkenny accents! They've a few new words in their vocabulary is all. Like awesome!

Samaris

I find the "RTE Neutral" type pronunciation sounds English-influenced to me. It would certainly make sense even now that we would have modeled our "upper-class" pronunciation of the language on the upper-class pronunciation of the country where it's a native tongue, i.e. England (with some natural evolving along the way). It's mostly a matter of clipping the words tighter, diction and maybe a bit less sing-song in the words. I know various people brought up in places with strong accents that, for one reason or another, speak in a neutral accent regardless, and they tend to get asked are they English (am one of them myself, although I also have an English parent so..)

Thanks to constant media and foreign entertainment, some English influences get re-injected (in BBC English) and a lot of American influences.


My own experience is that I sound English to Irish people and Irish to English people so I long ago gave up caring

steddyeddy

Lawros Tache wrote: »

Educated also in Rugby school, Warwickshire. Presumably he picked up the accent there during those formative teenage years and held onto it, either by accident or design.

The Rugby accent is nothing like Shane's.

lazybones32

I know a lad who worked in London for the summer and came home with the accent. It used come out again after a few beers even 10 years on.

ThisRegard

steddyeddy wrote: »

In fairness the examples in the OP aren't English accents. English accents describe something and nothing and somefing and nuffing.

Yeah, I don't think anyone in the OPs list have English accents.

P. Breathnach

Samaris wrote: »

I find the "RTE Neutral" type pronunciation sounds English-influenced to me....

We might be thinking of different examples, but I don't have that impression.

There is, to my ear, a "neutral" Irish accent. By that, I mean an accent that is distinctively Irish, but not associated with any particular region in Ireland. It is generally spoken by educated middle-class people.

Terry Wogan had it, Gay Byrne has it.

[I have it. Nobody doubts that I am Irish but, unless given other clues, people cannot figure where in Ireland I come from.]

Yamanoto

bobbyss wrote: »

Shane Ross:He must have lived in England for a long time?
David Norris: Ditto?
Declan Ganly:Ditto?
There is a horse racing chap who does the racing, a Robert somebody?
Charles Mitchell:ex RTE newsreader had a touch of one I believe.
Martin Manserg;Former senator.
Brian Farrell RTE
Chris de Burgh
Brian O'Connell: Former RTE London correspondent.

Anyone else?

How long do you have to live in England to acquire and retain the accent I wonder?

Ganly, Mansergh & Brian Farrell were all born & raised in England.

Norris and De Burgh were both born out foreign, into families posted abroad for British diplomatic & military missions.

donegaLroad

Kenneth Brannagh, born and bred in Belfast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puOhV45B4A0

Eamon Mallie, born and bred in Armagh