Need Help Writing Irish Accent? (We Got The Best Tips)

Writing Irish accent is a fascinating variety of English full of outlandish slang and flowing, musical intonations. In the wrong hands, the language may sound unique vowels, distinctive stress patterns, and potentially mispronounced consonants.

But what if there is a way to alter your awful accent into a good Irish accent? Read on and see how we describe the tips to write an Irish accent with examples. Furthermore, we also collected a list of some books and movie recommendations to learn the Irish accent.

How to Describe an Irish Accent In Writing?

A typical Irish accent is described as Hiberno-English or a brogue, which often sounds melodic and musical. With a rolling R sound, soft vowels, and pronounced consonants such as “t” and “d,” this accent gives a characteristic lilt and rhythm.

This accent is also known for its unique pronunciation of certain vowels, which makes the word ‘are’ sound more like “air.”

Here are some key features that better describe the Irish accent to non-natives.

1. “Th” to “d” substitution: “Things” might sound like ‘ting” or “din.”
2. Upspeak: An occasional tendency to raise the pitch slightly at the end of a sentence.
3. “I” pronunciation: The sound of the “I” is pronounced with the back of the tongue and may sound a little bit different from standard English.
4. Rhoticity: Raising the “r” sounds with a trilled or tapped sound.
5. Vowel quality: Open-mouth pronunciation of soft vowels, especially in words like “day” and “hair.”

How To Write An Irish Accent That Sounds Like a Native

In the above descriptions of Irish English, we have given you a brief overview of its basic features. Now, follow the 15 effective tips for writing an Irish accent dialogue.

Irish Response to Questions: Not Just Yes/No

In Irish English, there is no such question that directly answers ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ ‘Tá’ and ‘Níl’ mean ‘it/there is’ and ‘it/there isn’t.’ They usually respond to questions like:

• Are you angry? ‘I am’
• Is it raining? ‘it isn’t.’
• Will she be arriving? ‘She will.’

Possession in the Irish language: A new approach

The Irish language in writing doesn’t use the verb ‘to have’ because they consider you don’t own anything. Things are simply present alongside you. Below, we have three example constructions:

• ‘I have a bus ticket’ that says, ‘I have a bus ticket with me.’
• He’s drunk, becomes ‘he has a drink in him.’
• She has bright eyes, and becomes ‘she has bright eyes on her.’

How actions are described in writing In Irish

In Irish English, when you do an action, let’s say ‘action x’ to ‘thing y’; in Irish, you’re not carrying out ‘action x.’ But instead, you’re bringing ‘thing y’ to a state where ‘action x’ has been done to it. For example:

• ‘I’ve eaten a sandwich,’ changes to the state, ‘I have a sandwich eaten.’
• I broke my leg, and it became ‘I have my leg broken.’

Talking About the Past in Irish

Another interesting fact to remember while practicing the writing Irish accent is that When talking about the past, had or has gets replaced by ‘after.’ Here’s how to do it.

• ‘He has written the commemorative speech,’ which becomes ‘He’s after writing the commemorative speech.’
• I had my lunch, which became ‘I’m after my lunch.’

Using ‘Any’ and ‘Ye’ in Irish

In the Irish writing accent, “Any” gets replaced by at all and sometimes it is duplicated to form at all at all. Let’s look at the Irish accent example to understand it better.

• Do you have any pencils? Becomes, ‘Do you have pencils at all at all?’

Secondly, ‘Ye in the Irish accent is used instead of you.

• Are you all not graduating? Becomes ‘Are ye all not graduating?’
• Were you riding or walking? Becomes ‘Was it all of ye or just riding or walking?’

Himself/Herself in Irish Phrasing

Himself/herself usually took the place of him and her in writing Irish accent, or even he/she in some cases. Here are some example of an Irish accent for more clear understanding.

• ‘I punished him about that’ becomes ‘I punished himself about that.’
• Here she is, becomes ‘Here’s herself.’
• What about you? Becomes ‘What about yourself?’

Dropping ‘If’ and ‘To’ in Irish Sentences

There are certain cases when Irish people tend to drop the word ‘if.’ Here’s how they speak or write by removing ‘if’ in sentences

• I don’t know if it will understand, it becomes ‘I don’t know will it understand.’
• He threatens me if I do the job, which becomes, ‘He threatens did I do the job.’

Furthermore, Irish people accent also habitually drop the ‘to’ out of many phrases. Here’s how to do it the right way.

• You’re not allowed to see her, becomes ‘You’re not allowed see her.’
• He is working down to the hospital, becomes ‘He’s working down the hospital.

The Irish ‘Take’ vs. ‘Bring’

In the Irish language in writing, the word ‘take’ is not a synonym for ‘bring.’ but it means to snatch or remove something. There’s a stronger emphasis on possession changing between people, so it only applies if you’re just carrying your own possession somewhere new.

• I took my daughter with me, and it would become ‘I brang my daughter with me.’

Here, the ‘brang’ is used as a past form of bring ‘ in place of ‘brought.’

The Two Present Tenses in Irish

While writing Irish accent, remember that there are two present tenses used at one time. One is for things that are currently true at the moment, and the second is for things that are generally true but not necessarily happening right now.

Let’s pick an Irish accent example; when a black American person might say ‘I be lying,’ an Irish person will say ‘I do be lying,’ typically contracted to form ‘I d’be lying.’

Common Irish Sentence Endings: ‘Now,’ ‘So,’ and ‘Sure’

Attaching words at the end of sentences is common in Irish English, such as ‘now,’ ‘so,’ and ‘sure.’

• ‘There we fight now.’
• ‘That’s fine so.’
• ‘There she is sure.’

The Role of ‘Sorry’ in Irish Conversations

The word ‘sorry’ is sprinkle in every conversation or writing irish accent. We know it may seem to confuse non-native listeners more than anything else, but saying sorry is just a casual way of being polite.

Let’s say you ask an Irish person to give you a pen so you can write essay starters, and as they hand it to you, they’ll say, ‘Oh, sorry, just a sec. Sorry, there it is.’

Asking for Things in Irish: The Use of ‘Us’ and ‘We’

Another way to speak and write subconscious politeness is that Irish people avoid referring to themselves when asking for something. Instead of using me or I, they used ‘us’ or ‘we.’ Let’s say you visit a shop, and here’s how you will ask for a specific thing: ‘Give us two dozen eggs/ Can we get two dozen eggs?’

Reversing the Order of ‘X Said’ Statements in Irish

When recalling an event from past conversations, Irish people will reverse the order of ‘X said’ statements. Such as:

• ‘Look over here, says he.
• Look where? says I.
• Here in my hand, says he.’

Definite Statements Phrased as Rhetorical Questions in Irish

It’s also common in writing Irish accent to phrase definite statements into rhetorical questions. Below are examples of Irish accent sentences to understand.

• That won’t happen, becomes ‘that’ll happen, so will it?’
• She’s good at it, becomes ‘Isn’t she good at it?’
• ‘I was late, and he scolded me, and I got the day off,’ changes to ‘Sure, wasn’t I late, and didn’t he scold me, and didn’t I get the day off?’

The Irish Way of Greeting ‘Dia Duit’

An interesting fact here is that, unlike other languages, Irish did not originally have a greeting that referred to god or gods. This concerned the catholic church, and so they imposed the phrase ‘Dia Duit,’ which means ‘God with you.’ Dia Duit is now the official way of greeting and is currently used in Irish culture.

How Writing Irish Accent Dialogue Looks Like

If you ask an Irish person if they would like something, especially something nice, they are trained to say no three times before they can accept. Here is an Irish accent sample dialogue that a native speaker shared with us.

In this way, a simple request becomes a long conversation and who does not love conversation? That is the heart of Irish dialogue.

Best Movie/TV Show to Learn an Irish Accent

In addition to learning different tips to write an Irish accent, we have provided an example dialogue for you to practice. Now it’s time to offer you the best Irish movies and TV shows that will strengthen your dialogue writing, grammar functions, daily conversations and pronunciation.

• Mickybo and Me
• Hunger,
• The Boxer and In the Name of the Father.
• The Fall
• Fifty Dead Men Walking
• Give My Head Peace

Best Books to Learn Writing Irish Accent

“Learning Irish” by Mícheál Ó Siadhail is the best course you should learn to ace writing Irish accent. Once you finish “Learning Irish,” you can try Connacht and Connemara literature. Here are some recommended books by Connacht authors:

• Taidhgín by Tomás Ó Duinnshléibhe.
• Bóithrín na hAille Báine by Micheál Ó Raighne.
• Brídín by Colm Ó Ceallaigh.
• All books by Joe Steve Ó Neachtain.

You may also want to read An Béal Bocht by Myles na gCopaleen (Flann Ó Briain). It is basically a parody, but it is very good to learn how to write an Irish accent.

Concluding Thoughts

This piece of content will help you in writing Irish accent dialogue. However, always strike a balance between capturing key phonetic elements like vowel sounds and “r” pronunciation while avoiding over-exaggeration that could come across as stereotypical or comical.

No doubt, writing with such an accent takes time, so patience and practice daily to improve your accent. Only time will tell the future of Irish language, but in the meantime, we can keep enjoying accents in all their shapes and sizes.