Read more: A guide to how to understand Irish speak or slang
Read more: The worst Irish accents in Hollywood movies
Okay so you're not going to sound like an true blue Dub (Dubliner) by the end of this article you might just get closer than Tom Cruise in "Far and Away" or God forbid Sean Connery in the "Untouchables"
This brilliant guide to top tips for an Irish accent will have you sounding more like "The Commitments" than "Darby O'Gill" and that has to be a good thing.
1. Learn the Irish vocabulary
This is by far and away the most important thing to learn when pulling off a good Irish impression. Vocab is paramount and I don't mean begorrah and diddly-eye. Irish people have a whole different dictionary.
One of the most obvious is the Irish people's use of the word “grand”. The question "How are you?" is generally answered with "Grand, thanks" which doesn't mean $1,000 or a big piano it does in fact me "fine".
Here's some other examples -
Em - This is generally used by the Irish instead of "um" or "uh" while pausing to think. This is definitely one of the most commonly used noises. Remember this one.
Cheers - Although this is a drinking toast it is also a aloha-like multi-purpose word which can mean hello, goodbye and thank you.
Lad - this means any male and when pluralized means any group of females or males.
C'mere - literally this means "come here" but it also means "listen" and just a friendly "hey". It can be used to get someone's attention or just start a sentence.
Right - This is another multi-purpose word. Used like 'C'mere'. For example "Right, yours was a pint?", "Right, I'm off home".
Bollocks - this literally means testicles but has become a word with which to express anger. For example if you missed your train you might exclaim "Bollocks". It can also mean rubbish. For example "That lad is talking utter bollocks".
Bastard - Although this literally means a child born out of wedlock it can also be used to express anger and as an exclamation. For example "where's my bastard coat?"
Eejit - Idiot, but harsher.
Knacker - This can be used to describe an undesirable person or being exhausted. For example "Jaysus look at that knacker" or "I'm bleeding knackered, I need a kip".
Food 101
Chips = French fries
Crisps = chips
Biscuits = cookies
2. The Irish sound
It's impossible to say what an Irish person sounds like as there are 32 different accents and dialects to boot in this small country. Although there's only 4.5 million people in the Emerald Isle the variety of accents is baffling. The most obvious difference is that between Northern Irish people (think Gerry Adams) and southern (think Bono).
Soft vowels
The Irish generally make fun of how the Americans elongate their vowels in the same manner that Americans usually make fun of Texans.
Here some phrases to show you the difference.
Americans say "How are you?" Irish say "Ha-ware-ya?" / "Hawareya?"
The response to this question is not "good" or "fine", by the way, it is "grand" or "grand altogether".
Hard consonants
Enunciate, this is the most important thing. Americans have a habit of slurring constants, while Irish though they run words together tend to enunciate their consonants. For example Americans tend to say coulda, woulda, wanna instead of pronouncing the whole phrase.
Lyricize your inflection
This is probably the most difficult thing to learn - the rhythm and tone of the accent. This has a lot to do with having an ear for it. Varying pitch accounts for the different feel of the Irish accent and its commonly described as lyrical. This means that a sentence sounds more musical or sing-songy than American English.
Drilling
The best way to learn is to practice. Although you could hire your very own dialogue coach a better solution might be to watch some Irish movies and try to focus on their accents and mimicking them. Some great movies to watch are "The Butcher Boy", "Circle of Friends" and "The Commitments"
Try to copy some of these lines. Record yourself saying them and you should be able to find the faults in your own accent.
Warning you will be lousy at first but keep trying it can be quite fun.
3. The Irish spelling
If you're really going for the all Irish experience you'd better change your spellings too. Although mostly spellings in American English and the English from across the pond are the same there are some differences.
Add the U
For some very odd reason the Irish and English use extra u's. Just some examples being armour, behavior, colour, favour, honour, humour, parlour and savour.
Change the Z
Another difference is that the English and Irish use "s" more often that "z". For example crystallized, industrialized, memorise realized, recognised and specialized.
Read more: A guide to how to understand Irish speak or slang
Read more: The worst Irish accents in Hollywood movies
Here's an eHow video on how to pick it up:
19 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.nanny2sorli | Apr 14, 2011, 10:22 AM EDT
People do not believe me when I say I'm Irish as I cannot speak with an Irish accent for toffee (somehow I sound Welsh when I try)despite being born in Dublin, Ireland. My daughter thinks this is hilarous. (Oh look, I used an extra u)
Gearoid4 | Apr 13, 2011, 03:50 PM EDT
''..Begorrah, sorr!, Would ye loike a drop o' da craythur''
ancavker | Apr 13, 2011, 01:15 PM EDT
The write is mistaken about 32 counties equals 32 accents. There are distinctive accents such as Cork and Kerry, and of course the Dublin accent; which I find harsh. Also the Donegal accent is distinctive. In much of the rest of the country the accents in my opinion are more regional. The northwest Cavan, and northwest Leitrim Sligo accent in may opinion are the same. And the northwest Cavan accent is different than the Cavan accent in the areas of Cavan close to Monaghan, The monaghan accent has much more north of Ireland accent if you will.
Trealach | Apr 13, 2011, 09:39 AM EDT
C'mere to me, that's the greatest load of ould bollix I've heard. Just because the Yanks can't spell or speak proper English, like dropping the 'u' or replacing the 's' with 'z' or 'ovah theah' doesn't mean diddly squat. Y'all need to learn the Queen's English, not a bastardisation of it!! sheeeeeshhhh then you could try with better effect, learning the Irish accent ..... bleedin furriners!!
downunder | Apr 12, 2011, 09:15 PM EDT
LOL LOL LOVED IT ..
Sean | Apr 12, 2011, 08:43 PM EDT
Grand altogether!
ellenfromcork | Apr 12, 2011, 08:00 PM EDT
Gentlemen,gentlemen, arrah c'mere now, give over woudya?(GD, anto &sirpeter, I mean you, Dr T, Tx) Such verbal abuse is totally unnecessary in this intellectual debate.To develop a genuine Irish accent it is merely necessary to listen to The Late Late Show and/ or The Saturday Night Show on RTE.ie on a regular basis. Listen to the guests and not the hosts. You'll hear hear every accent from South to North over time and you can pick and choose who you'd like to sound like.
GeorgeDillon | Apr 12, 2011, 02:57 PM EDT
The best practice is to do what our resident fool sirpeter does. Ten or twenty times a day say "I'm a wacist, I'm a wacist'. Or better yet, say "I'm sirpeter, and I'm wacist scum"!
danielleryan | Apr 12, 2011, 01:24 PM EDT
You forgot to mention the most annoying, irritating habit of saying T-sounds like "shhh". For example, it's not great, it's graysh!
momof7kdz | Apr 12, 2011, 10:27 AM EDT
What about the use of the word "craic"? Hear that one all the time!
mamaginnty | Apr 12, 2011, 10:20 AM EDT
Thanks Sirpeter, cheered me up, no end today...hehehe
CitizenWhy | Apr 12, 2011, 10:04 AM EDT
You left out the use of "Brilliant." Absolutely essential. ... Many of us Americans - not all of Irish descent - use "Cheers" and "Right" (var: "Right there") in the way you describe. .. The Cheers thing seems to mutate abroad. As a child I used to look forward to the Christmas card from my Irish aunt in Australia: "Cheery Christmas Greetings," with a big bowl of summer flowers.
Borderboy | Apr 12, 2011, 10:02 AM EDT
C'mere, emigration must be more prevalent than we thought if the population of the Emerald Isle has dropped to 4.5 million. Does this mean the 1.6 million living in Northern Ireland have all baled out or is the loss on both sides of the border? You must have been knackered when you did the headcount!
CitizenWhy | Apr 12, 2011, 09:56 AM EDT
My relatives from the West or Midlands of Ireland speak English in a clear, well articulated, well modulated, and yes, lyrical way. They would never want to speak with a Dublin accent. Too foreign altogether. The Dublin cousins talk like their relatives in the West or the Midlands. ... The funniest experience I had in ireland was translating, for my Clare-Limerick uncle, the speech of our waiter in Kerry. My uncle was shocked and asked how I could possibly understand what he was saying. He said that he had some trouble with the Kerry accent but normally could understand what people were saying, so he was truly puzzled. I told him that we had that accent on my block in New York, plus many others. Only afterwards did I tell my uncle that the waiter also had a speech defect, making it truly hard for an outsider to understand him. Of course someone on my NYC block from Kerry also had the same speech defect.
DrTrelawney | Apr 12, 2011, 09:50 AM EDT
Em... Knacker -- an offensive euphemism for traveller -- is not a word you'll find used on in any respectable Irish publication.
carrickcourt | Apr 12, 2011, 09:42 AM EDT
I thought I could understand most Irish people but one has to listen hard at times. When I visited my third cousin Jimmy and his family in southwest Co. Monaghan last October I was at a loss trying to understand them a good part of the time. If they slowed down I could follow them. Talking to a cousin who grew up in southeast Co. Cavan for the first time I was amazed how his accent reminded me of another cousin who grew up in southwest Co. Monaghan. Regional accents are interesting in Ireland.
Jonskipop | Apr 12, 2011, 09:25 AM EDT
Very entertaining! I think it is inadvisable to suggest people use the word 'knacker' in general conversation though - it can cause extreme offence, especially if inadvertently directed at a member of the travelling community.
sirpeter | Apr 12, 2011, 09:18 AM EDT
That lad is talking utter bollocks: Used alot by sirpeter when assessing the intellectual capacity of certain posters on IC....That lad IS an utter bollocks: Used alot by sirpeter and many many others solely in connection with Georgy boy/Woundedbollix.
antoman | Apr 12, 2011, 08:24 AM EDT
To imitate the Irish accent simply put a piece of raw potato under your tongue and keep it there.Then recite "the wain in fane walls mossly on de lane".Do that several times a day for three weeks.