How to Do an Irish Accent aka Brogue | Accent Training

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Here are some tips for a general Irish accent. So the first thing we look at is that oral posture. When I start to talk in my Irish accent, there's a little bit tension in the back of my tongue. So it pulls it back just a little bit. But the tongue is very relaxed, so you get those little whistling sounds through the t's and the d's. So that might be your first sound change. I thought about it, and I read about it, turns into your Irish I thought about it, and I read about it. Hear that little whistling? I thought about it. And I read about it. The o (?), in American English, o ooh, it's two elements. It's a very pure and single element in your Irish accent.

So it's oh. I don't know. I don't know becomes I don't know. Or try the phrase, either ya come home or ya don't. Either ya come home, or ya don't. The r is retroflects [SP], meaning that you're pulling your tongue back like this, so it's more of your general American ruh, ruh. It's r, ruh, ruh. The western world. The western world. Instead of the western world. You get the western world. Give that a shot.

The th sound is so awesome in Irish. Because it's that very soft sound. So instead of thirty-three, you're getting a very soft t sound in tirtee-tree. The shwa sound, that a American sound, in Irish, becomes a little bit more rounded. So it's ohp. Abohve. Lohve. Instead of up. Above. Love. A little more rounded. Ohp. Abohve. Lohve.

So what's the musicality of the Irish accent? Well I think you can hear it for yourself. I know it sounds a little stereotypical, but people really talk like this. So don't take my word for it, though. Listen to some native speakers, and hear that beautiful Irish lilt for yourself. And get into the rhythm of it, by doing some Conscious mimicry.

[songbird]

Fascinating! You explain things in a fun, yet professional way. Thank you! I'm enjoying your videos and I use the articulator warm-up in my ESL Pron/Con Skills classes.

[talklikethat_com]

The high STRUT vowel (love, enough) is definitely true for the Dubin area. Andrea's awesome: I've learnt a lot from her.

[LogRamBry]

To Non-Irish, this sounds quite accurate. Native speakers never think non-native speakers are doing the accents right. Whether it's British, American South, etc.

[IrishChippy]

Well done. Very few non Irish people can do it correctly, because there are many different Irish accents. Around 0:15 it is Northern accent and 0:46 is a flat Midland accent. I suppose my accent would be considered a mixture or Midland and Dublin. 1:21 is how I say thirty-three, almost like turty-tree

[JudyCoyle]

I'm Irish and I loved this video :) usually I hate it when people try to do an Irish accent but I loved it. Also most counties have slightly different accents :D.

[yanaybolbachan]

Now i can properly sing "Drunken Sailor"

[WhitleyAKW]

Even if this accent isn't the most widely used, it's still very entertaining. XD She's stated in some of these videos that not every on in *said places* speaks like this, and that she usually goes with a general, stereotypical accent, and you're supposed to throttle it back and listen to native speakers. :)

[noahbell]

Good job I'm irish and you did good you did exaggerate those sounds a lot but overall not bad

[nicolewynne]

i am irish and you did a really good job lol

[belieberrrr]

well this is how everyone else hears it

[TimothyForbesXXI]

1:31 Sounds almost like a Liverpudlian (Liverpool) accent. Interesting.

[rebekahcrow]

This is so hard!!!! but I'm gonna do it

[JRMilward]

For those who are slating this woman's fine efforts, please - feel free to show off the same wide range of accents and produce a professional series on the matter yourself! If you can't be bothered or still think her work is grossly stereotypical, then I suggest you grow up and get out more. It's easy to pan others' work, less so to get off your bum and quit the career in trolling.

[Delinae]

My impression from living around Galway is that the consonant "t" at the end of words sound like "sh." Not sure if that applies to all regions?

[NLbabek]

We're not leprechauns and we don't talk like that.

[alexflanagan]

Every accent except for Dublin sound like that she's a dope

[leongashwig]

What about the thing that e.g. "How" or About" sounds like "Hoy" and "Aboyt"?

[avacx]

The way she said I don't know lol XD This is hilarious!

[TheMorganaic]

It's a nice attempt in fairness. For me, something which is never taken into account is the pace of the accent. You're on the right track there, but you're mixing 3 irish accents together (Northern, midlands and a bit of munster in places). Try specify it to one accent, and speed it up!

[lillitanguay]

Lol I'm Irish and this makes me laugh bc it's sooo overdone, my friend sent this to me