Outrage as Rose of Tralee rejected by job agency in London due to strong Irish accent
Harley Street agency said they couldn't find Donegal woman any jobs because she didn't have a “BBC accent”
Published Saturday, March 23, 2013, 7:09 AM
Updated Saturday, March 23, 2013, 7:47 AM
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Former Rose of Dubai Grainne Boyle was rejected by London job agency due to her strong Donegal accent
Photo by Kieran Harnett
A woman from Gartan, County Donegal, was told by a London job agency that they could not find her employment anywhere due to her strong Irish accent.
Grainne Boyle, a former Rose of Tralee finalist completed a Skype interview with the Bonne International Nanny Agency. The 25-year-old, with a Masters degree in Education, was told that while she was qualified the position as live-in nanny with a Russian family she was turned down due to her Donegal accent.
Now Boyle has had six job offers since she went public with her story.
She told the Irish Times “Two of them are people I have worked for before including one in Dubai and four others heard about my story.
"I have to say I am overwhelmed by the response. I am just considering things at the moment and I won't rush into anything"
The London agency admitted in a letter that most of their clients are looking for a “BBC accent”.
Boyle said she will not be applying to any more agencies who have issues with her accent.
She said “I am still trying to get over the fact that it was ever an issue in the first place.
"A lot of people still can't believe that this kind of things still goes on in this day and age.”
"I said it already - I'm proud of my accent and where I come from and I certainly won't be changing that for anyone."
Here's audio of Boyle speaking to Donegal:
128 Comments
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Seanmor | Mar 27, 2013, 06:06 PM EDT
In my opinion, Margret Thatcher had a very good English accent, and Meryl Streep does a great in imitating this accent in the film in which she plays the Iron Lady. When it comes to Thatcher's many admires, one may reasonably expect a few staunch supporters of the Provos in their ranks. The reason for this is because during their campaign against the British occupation forces in the corner of Ireland which is still under the control of G.B., Thatcher was the Provos' best recruiting officer. By firmly refusing to make the slightest concession to the downtrodden Nationalists, Thatcher unwittingly ensured that the Provos would never be short of recruits and that Republicans would get elected to offices, including hunger stricker BobbyShands, who won a seat in the British Parliament.
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Sparklet | Mar 27, 2013, 05:01 PM EDT
@Scouse Tony: One of my favorite stories from my time working in the US was when my line manager congratulated me on how well I spoke English. If you've got a Scouse accent, Tony, this isn't surprising. ;)
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IrelandNorth | Mar 27, 2013, 03:46 PM EDT
ancavker! The only anti-American antipathy in Ireland is probably reducible to a minority anglophilic element which also happens to be an upper middle-class east coast phenomenon. Americans and America generally tend to command respect amongst the more historically literate, progressive and unapologetic Irishry, like me.
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ancavker | Mar 27, 2013, 03:16 PM EDT
Seanmor: I am an Irish nationalist, and I know all that Irish-Americans have done over the years to help the peace process. I did not support the Provo's as their campaign set back the cause of Irish unity, and degenerated into a tit for tat killing war. And violence for the sake of violence.
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STEVENSTAR | Mar 27, 2013, 01:10 PM EDT
NO NO NO NO IRISH CENTRAL YOUR TWISTING THINGS !!! IM IRISH MYSELF AND SOMETIMES I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND SOME IRISH ACCENTS... I HAVE ALOS LIVED AND WORKED IN LONDON AND OF ALL THE PLACES I HAVE BEEN TO INCLUDING AMERICA AND FRANCE ENGLAND IS BY FAR THE MOST ACCOMADATING.. WE HAVE 700,000 IRISH CITIZENS WORKING AND LIVING IN ENGLAND AT THE MOMENT THATS NEARLY 1 IN 6 IRISH CITIZENS LIVING IN ENGLAND.. SO IF THE ENGLISH WERE IN ANY WAY ANTI IRISH '''''LIKE WHAT ''' YOUR TRYING TO SAY IN YOUR AMERICAN NEWSPAPER THEN ID DOUBT VERY MUCH THERE WOULDNT BE SO MANY IRISH LIVING AND WORKING IN ENGLAND AND EARNING A LIVING... !!
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Scouse Tony | Mar 27, 2013, 02:02 AM EDT
Sparklet | Mar 26, 2013, 04:25 PM EDT
Ancavker - you're way too reasonable for IC. :) Stevenstar - I'm not a man. :) I think the American people are amongst the kindest, most generous, on the planet. But I do think that the Irish - and the Brits come to that - often feel patronised.
One of my favorite stories from my time working in the US was when my line manager congratulated me on how well I spoke English
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Smyrnian | Mar 26, 2013, 06:45 PM EDT
STEVENSTAR - Glad I amuse you. At least you figured out I am not always trying to be serious!
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Seanmor | Mar 26, 2013, 06:13 PM EDT
ancanker: Let me respond to your post below (3:44). Yes, G.F.A. which brought to the North of Ireland and improved security to the rest of my homeland was "brokered by ... Bill Clinton through the efforts led by Irish Americans". One of these Irish Americans is Congressman Peter King who was honored as Grand Marshal of the 1985 NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade. This parade was offically boycotted by the gov't of the Southern Irish state on account of King's strong support for the victimized Nationalists in the North. Thirteen and a half years before this boycott, 21 Oct. of 1971) Stormount M.P. Paddy Kennedy attempted to say a few words in the Dáil when the North was being discussed. But the elected representative from Belfast was rudely ejected from the chamber on orders of the Ceann Cohmairle (speaker). Four monts later British Paras shot dead 13 civil rights marchers in Derry, killings that were "unjustified and unjustifiabl" accoding to British P. M. Cameron. Irish residents, North and South, owe a deep debt of gratitude to Bill Clinton, Perter King and many others whose tireless efforts helped to bring the 40 years of 'Troubles' to an end.
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Sparklet | Mar 26, 2013, 04:25 PM EDT
Ancavker - you're way too reasonable for IC. :)
Stevenstar - I'm not a man. :)
I think the American people are amongst the kindest, most generous, on the planet. But I do think that the Irish - and the Brits come to that - often feel patronised.
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STEVENSTAR | Mar 26, 2013, 04:07 PM EDT
@@Smyrnian | Mar 26, 2013, 12:17 PM EDT >>>>OF ALL THE COMMENTS ON HERE, I FIND YOURS THE MOST AMUSING ... EVERYTIME I READ THEM ,, ITS LIKE THEY COME STRAIGHT OUT OF A DISNEY MOVIE .. ALL FANTASY AND NO TRUTH .. PROBABLY A BIT LIKE YOUR PERSONALIT :) haha KEEP IT UP !!!
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STEVENSTAR | Mar 26, 2013, 04:05 PM EDT
@@@@@@@Sparklet | Mar 26, 2013, 01:00 PM EDT >>>>>>>>>WELL SAID MY FELLOW IRISH COUNTRY MAN..!!! WE NEED MORE IRISH PEOPLE ON HERE FROM IRELAND. .. I DONT HATE AMERICANS AT ALL .. BUT ITS TRUE I THINK IRISH AMERICANS ARE ANNOYING BUT I DONT HATE THEM .. HATE IS A VERY STRONG WORD... I JUST FIND THEM ANNOYING AND ARROGANT!!
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ancavker | Mar 26, 2013, 03:44 PM EDT
Sparkelet: The ongoing conversation with STEVEN has nothing to do with any one trying to being Irish people back generations. STEVENS comments have been that Irish-Americans have no right to claim any connection with Ireland, and that because many are involved in the culture, they are stealing it from those in Ireland (many of course who have nothing but contempt for it), so my point whiech STEVEN never addresses is simply this. Why is it OK for Irish people to copy, and mimic, and obsess over English and American culture, yet Irish- Americans cannot have any affinity for Irish culture. Very few Irish-Americans go on about the British and the north and all of that. The overwhelming majority are glad that there is peace. A peace ironically brokered in lare part by Bill Clinton throught the efforts led by Irish-Americans.
As for the English people, they are lovely, and the ones with an Irish background are absoultely wonderful! Always a welcome for you, and none of this tiresome anti-Americanism that one finds so often in Ireland.
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IrelandNorth | Mar 26, 2013, 03:25 PM EDT
STEVENSTAR/RÉALTASTÍOFÁN! DÁ M'BEACH DÓ NÁISÍUNTANÁCH ÉIREANNACH, CÉN FÁTH NÁCH RAIBH TÚ AG CÚIR DÓ THEACHTARÁCHT ÁS GÁEILGE AR AN ÁIT SEO? NÁCH BHFÚIL DÓ PHRÍOMHTHEÁNGA ÁGAT FÓS? TÁ AITHEANNA AGÁM DÁ MBÉACH TÚ ÁS AN TUARSCIRT ÉIREANN, (AS CHÓNTAE THÍR ÉOGHAN), AGÚS TÁ TÚ AG ÓBAIR AGÚS Í DO G'CONAI SA SHÁNSANA DHEISCEART.
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Sparklet | Mar 26, 2013, 01:39 PM EDT
That's an interesting point Ancavker...so why is it then that the vast majority of foreigners who visit Ireland are welcomed warmly, including Brits? Could it be that the Irish resent people who try to drag them back a few generations? Because it seems to me that the Irish have moved on, but the predecessors of those who left either don't realise this, and are totally out of touch with the reality of the situation these days - or else they feel some kind of historical guilt for their ancestors leaving? Not that they should.I'm just trying to work out why Irish Americans are so vastly different to Irish Irish.
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