Understanding Irish Accents

Who are the actors the speaker mentions, and what is his reaction to their attempts?

• Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan – He praises them for their authenticity.

• Tom Cruise, Gerard Butler, Julia Roberts – He sarcastically thanks them and shudders.

• Pierce Brosnan, Cillian Murphy, Maureen O'Hara – He critiques them for not trying.

• Brad Pitt, Daniel Day-Lewis, Kate Winslet – He is neutral about their attempts.

Drag the correct features of the North Dublin and South Dublin accents into the correct categories.

• North Dublin Accent: ​ (a)   ​ (b)   ​ (c)  

• South Dublin Accent: ​ ​ ​ (d)   ​ (e)  

• Elongate + softens vowels ("yah, yuh" + "o" and "o
• Replaces "th" with "d" (dis, dat, dese)
• Nasal tone
• Stretches out syllables
• Sharp, clipped sounds

In the South Dublin accent, words such as 'totally' are pronounced differently ('toh-tally'), because some vowels are elongated.

• True

• False

What two features of the Cork accent does he emphasize, and how does it differ from other Irish accents?

2 min audio

Answer explanation

The speaker emphasizes that the Cork accent is higher-pitched and has a sing-song, melodic quality. He also notes that the word "boy" is frequently added for emphasis. This accent differs from other Irish accents in its musical rhythm and higher tone.

Why does the speaker suggest that even Irish people might find the Kerry accent difficult to understand?

• It uses a lot of Gaelic words.

• It includes many 'sh' sounds, even where they don’t belong.

• It has a lot of slang that is unique to the region.

• It is spoken in a very low, mumbling tone.

In the Belfast accent, the word 'no' is pronounced 'nyh' and 'yes' is pronounced 'aye'. That's Scottish.

• True

• False

Categorize the Irish accents mentionned in the video as 'Easy to understand' or 'Challenging to understand'.

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What does the phrase 'we're only having the craic' mean in Irish slang?

• A type of traditional Irish food

• A joke or playful conversation

• An important historical event

• A common Irish greeting