How to Speak English with Irish accent

Learning to speak a certain accent can be very convenient on a number of different occasions. Speaking English with a standard Irish accent will surprise your colleagues and friends with the sound of the “emerald” land and make them forget the accents of the Hplywood stars. You’ll sound like a Dubliner if you know how to speak properly.

Table of Contents

Pronunciation of vowels and consonants

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Pronounce the vowels very softly. Many people, especially Americans, often pronounce vowels clearly. For example, Americans pronounce the letter A as “ay”; and Irish speakers will pronounce it as “ah” or “aw”. Pay attention to this when pronouncing each word, but especially words with a vowel in the middle.

The sentence “How are you?” would normally be pronounced “Ha-ware-ya?”. The “au” (in “how”) and “oo” (in “you”) sounds in the pronunciation of the American accent usually don’t make a difference.
The sound in the words “night” ,”like” and “I” (I) sound like the “oi” in the word “oil”. The word “Ireland” is pronounced “Oireland”.
- Although this sound is very similar to “oi”, it is not exactly the same. You would make the ‘o’ sound a bit like a schwa sound (pronounced as /ə/). The diphthongs do not exist in American English and are pronounced the same way as the “Uh, I…” combination.
The sound schwa (cave river man’s cry) is the same as in the word “strut” (strut), different according to the accent. In the local Dublin accent the vowel day is pronounced as in the word “foot” and in the modern Dublin accent (popular among young people) it is pronounced as “bit”. ^{[1] X Research Source}
The sound /e/ (as in “end”) is pronounced like a vowel in “ash” (ash). The word “any” (any) is pronounced like “Annie”.
- There are many different Irish accents with countless minor differences. Therefore, some rules cannot be applied to certain accents.

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Emphasize consonants. As a general rule, Americans are often lazy to pronounce consonants while speaking. The words “ladder” and “latter” (finally) are pronounced the same in the US, but with the Irish there is a difference. You should pronounce each consonant clearly (except for the next rule).

When /d/ is the first sound, it is usually pronounced as /d͡ʒ/ or the J sound in most accents of English. Therefore, “due” will sound like “Jew” (Jew). The voiceless “t” is also similar, which will be pronounced as “ch”. The word “tube” is pronounced like “choob”.
There is a difference between the words “wine” (wine) and “whine” (complain). Words starting with “wh” are usually pronounced with the “h” sound first; try puffing before pronouncing the word – the pronunciation will sound a bit like “hwine”.
An Irish accent turns “think” and “that” into “tink” and “dat”. Try this pronunciation from time to time while speaking.

Practice writing style, grammar and vocabulary

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Speak quickly but clearly. You won’t see any Irishman saying “coulda, woulda, shoulda”. Every sound (unless omitted during pronunciation) needs to be pronounced. Your tongue and lips will be more active.

If you stop while speaking, you will use “em” to fill the gap. Avoid using “uh” or “um”; you will only use “em”. If you can use it naturally, your Irish accent will sound more like a native. The Irish always use this word, so when you have to think about how to pronounce a word, you already know what word to fill in the gap.

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Repeat verbs in yes/no questions. Usually yes/no questions get straight to the point, so we just answer “yes” or “no” (no). Sounds very reasonable, doesn’t it? But it’s not. This is not the answer in the land of saints and learned scholars. When asked, you will answer with subject and verb.

For example, “Are you going to Jane’s party tonight?” (Are you going to Jane’s party tonight?) — “I am.” (I have)
“Does Ireland have unicorns?” (Is there a unicorn in Ireland?)–”It doesn’t.” (Ireland does not).

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Use the ‘after’ structure. The after perfect (AFP) structure is a typical feature in Irish English, which has caused much debate and confusion. This structure is used to indicate that the property has just occurred in the following two situations:

In between two verbs of the past continuous (repeat, used to indicate an action that just happened): ‘Why did you go to the shop?’ (Why did you come to the store?)– “I was after running-out of potatoes.” (I just ran out of potatoes). Don’t confuse it with the use of the word “seeking” or “searching for” in English. You can’t “after buying potatoes” – otherwise you won’t go to the store.
In between two verbs of the present continuous (used as an exclamation): “I’m after performing on the West End!” (I just performed in the West End!)

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Use idioms and colloquial sentences. The Irish accent has many words and sentences that are different from other British accents. Many people won’t understand what you’re saying when you try to speak with an Irish accent but changing is required to sound like a native. Little by little, you’ll soon be imitating Irish speech with confidence! ^{[2] X Research Source}

Cheers : This word is not only used when the glass is empty, it is also used in casual communication and used a lot. The word cheers is used to thank someone or to say hello and goodbye. Use this word often because the Irish often use it.
Lad : A word used to refer to men but usually used for close people. An additional information is that “lads” also refers to a group of men and women.
C’mere : Actually, the word “come here” means the same in all accents. In Irish English, however, this is a catchphrase that means “listen” (listen to this) or simply “this” to get your attention. To start a common sentence, you can start with “C’mere”.
Right : This word can be substituted for “c’mere”. Right has many meanings but is often used to confirm. For example, “Right, we’re meeting at 7 o’clock by the watch tower then?” (Okay, so shall we meet at 7 o’clock at the clock tower?)
- Most English colloquialisms can be used when speaking with an Irish accent. However, avoid using “Top of the mornin’ to ya!” (roughly translated as good morning but Irish people no longer use this phrase but only used it for joking purposes) and “Blarney!” (a colloquial word for Irish) if you don’t want to upset people.

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Reminiscent of melancholy. The Irish accent is often said to be more ‘musical’ than the American accent. It has a distinct melodiousness that is not found in the variants of global languages. Practice saying sentences with a singing-like tone that is different from when you speak with a native accent.

You will raise your voice higher than your natural voice at the beginning of a sentence. Lower your voice slightly in the middle of a sentence and then raise your voice again.

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The Irish use some words differently than the Americans, such as:

Runners : commonly used to refer to running shoes or tennis shoes.
Jumper : is a simple shirt style; sweater.
Yoke : This word is a bit confusing. Yoke is used when you want to say something but can’t remember what it’s called. Example: “You know the yoke that you use to clean the dust off the stand?” (Do you know the thing (yoke) used to clean the dust from the stall?) It means something like Thingamajig or Thingamabob (person or thing whose name you have forgotten). However, it is also a colloquial term for the drug Ecstasy.
Boot : This word simply refers to the back door of a car. For example, “Put the food in the boot”.
Footpath : Sidewalk
Ride : Extremely attractive man or woman
Gum Boil/ Mouth Ulcer : mouth heat

Self-study

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Listen to the Irish accent. Searching on YouTube, watching movies, listening to interviews are all great ways to mimic the Irish accent. However, beware of the voice parodies – there must be a lot of people who do.

Brad Pitt, Richard Gere and Tom Cruise are not typical Irish speakers. Listen to native speakers; Irish news channels like RTÉ are best suited to learn. Note that countries in the North of Ireland will speak with a different accent, you can try looking for an Ulster accent.

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Explore Ireland. There is a correlation in language learning, you can’t be really good at a foreign language without living in that country, you won’t have the right accent if you don’t live with a local.

If traveling, try to experience the local sound. Go to small restaurants and listen to the people around you. Chat with vendors on the street. Hire a local tour guide to guide you around. Get exposure to an Irish accent as much as possible.

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Buy a book. Just as we have American and British English dictionaries, you can also look up Irish dictionaries. Furthermore, you should find sources for colloquialisms and idioms used when speaking with an Irish accent. Try to invest time and money in this endeavor if you really want to speak with a true Irish accent.

If looking at a dictionary seems overwhelming to you and you’ll leave the book dusting on the shelf instead of using it, buy a book on common sentences. Idioms and speaking styles will help you quickly pick up the pace with an Irish accent.

“Gawking” is used interchangeably with “staring”, for example: ¨She stood there gawking at the new car.¨ (She stood there gawking at the new car). However, the pronunciation would be “gaw-kin” with a silent /g/ sound.

Advice

Listen to interviews with Celtic Thunder lads and Niall Horan.
Don’t listen to Hplywood stars impersonating an Irish accent. You want to speak with a real Irish accent, not just to impress like Leonardo DiCaprio.
Note, in Ireland, some words are used with the same meaning as the American word but have a different spelling.
Get familiar with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). This makes it easier for you to understand the content of books and websites about phonetics. Knowing the relationship between symbols and sounds you don’t normally use will help you remember what they are and when to use them.
Listen to an interview with The Script. All 3 members have different accents and will help you know which accent you want to learn to speak.

Steps

Pronunciation of vowels and consonants

Practice writing style, grammar and vocabulary

Self-study

Advice

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