The worst Irish accents in Hollywood movies

Tom Cruise is a joke. Not only can he NOT do a brogue, but has anyone seen Valkerie? He played a German soldier and could not even do a German accent. How in the world can an "I-am-an-ACTOR" such as Cruise be so bad that they cannot even get to a dialect coach and even try to learn a brogue or accent. Same for Julia Roberts. Hollywood is a joke..my advice--if Hollywood is going to make films with Irishmen or women--might I suggest hiring Cillian Murphy, or Padriac Delaney, Orla Fitzgerald, Susan Lynch, John Lynch,James Nesbitt, Finoula Flannagin...there are so many wonderful actors from Ireland--use them!

Sad to say the Brouge is slowly dying in Ireland, with the great Education system in Ireland today the youth have no trace of it, but I still miss the musical lilt of the Brouge when I visit there as it is so unpretencious.

I noticed when Sons of Anarchy did several episodes in Northern Ireland, they actually did hire actors from Belfast. Most notable was Paula Malcomson. BTW, her American accent is very convincing. Only once on Caprica did I hear her say something that made me wonder where she was from. Until she played Maureen Ashby on Sons of Anarchy, I had no idea she was from Northern Ireland.

Slow day?

I could never understand the rational of going to the trouble of making a movie about Ireland, or any other country for that matter, and not bothering to do a decent accent. Here's a thought, If an actor can't do it, hire an actual Irish actor to do it! After all, a person's accent in a picture is part of the over all role they are playing. So it is fitting that Sean Connery didn't win for "The Untouchables". The accent was so bad it distracted from his performance, in my opinion, just like his role in "Red October". He always sounds the same. Daniel Day Lewis and Cate Blanchette have the whole package

Donal1951 is right. I am a real Kentucky hillbilly and Liam Neeson nailed the accent. I have a friend who says that people who grow up in isolated areas only depending on each other form a kinship with other people who grew up the same way, so in my friend's theory, the Irish and the Hillbillies are all brothers of the spirit, being fiercely independent, addicted to having a good time, and watchful of outsiders. My friend sometimes throws mountain Italians and Jamaicans into the same kinship category. Maybe that explains Liam's accent..

How about the accents they horribly attempted and failed at in Boondock Saints I & II

Switching the topic around a bit, Liam Neeson is the master of accents. I saw him in an early film where he played a Kentucky hillbilly. I have friends who are real Kentucky hillbillies. He sounded just like them.

Groan! Carrickcourt: Wayne wasn't doing an Irish accent in The Quiet Man. He was playing an American. Bogsidebunny: Barry Fitzgerald was born and raised in Dublin. It's hardly surprising he did a good Irish accent.

Good thing Schwarzenegger never attempted one!

Why don't they just hire Irish actors? Problem solved.

I never heard Sean Connery do an accent. He always sounds the same to me. Matthew Goode did a passable accent in Leap Year..just. Gerard Butler is of Irish heritage but his accent was dire. Tom Cruise's was just embarrassing.

To Bogsidebunny - just an FYI - - Barry Fitzgerald was born in Dublin. That might explain his authentic accent.

Sean Connery is from Scotland, so I doubt if he was actually trying to do an Irish accent. Hollywood has a basic theory that if you can get close it's good enough because the public will be too busy watching the movie to worry about the accent. (I guess that didn't apply to you.) Sean did not receive his Academy Awards for his accent - he received them for his acting. Apparently, you were not interested enough in Sean's movie content because your focus was not on the acting. As for Julia, well, there is no valid argument for that one. It was just bad. Sorry.

Now why am I not suprised that Hollywood can't get this right? I think it is more about laziness than ignorance, but then again, with Hollywood, one really never knows for sure do they now?