The beautiful coastline of north County DonegalTrek Earth

People from County Donegal in the northwest of Ireland have the sexiest accent in the country, according to recently published research.

Around 42% of Irish women and 39% of Irish men have admitted they go weak at the knees listening to the north-west accent.

The survey, undertaken by the personals service Parship.ie which caters to both heterosexual and gay members, also discovered that one-in-five Irish women believe accents are an important consideration when choosing a partner.

'We all know the distinctive voice of our favorite celebrities,' the company's dating expert Avril Mulcahy told the Belfast Telegraph. 'They have a way of drawing you in and holding you. It might sound assertive, confident, powerful or just downright sexy.'

And if Donegal gets pulses racing, poor country Tipperary has a long, long way to go faring worst of all with just 1% of women and 5% of men describing it as the sexiest accent.

Galway-born television presenter Grainne Seoige was chosen as Ireland's sexiest female celebrity voice, getting 48.7% of the male vote.

Peter O'Toole topped the poll with a third of Irish women voting his the sexiest male celebrity voice.