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They love our Irish accents
By Fiona Audley
DUBLIN-BORN celebrities Ronan Keating and Annie Mac have been voted among
the sexiest voices heard in Britain.
But Mayo-man Louis Walsh hits a bum note — with his distinctive
tones deemed the most irritating.
A survey by Cupidbay.com saw London men rank Ms Mac, a Radio One DJ whose
Dublin twang is broadcast across the country every weekend, as one of
the sexiest celebrity voices currently on offer.
She joins the likes of Nicole Kidman, Céline Dion and Naomi Campbell,
who also top the ranks, while Jade Goody, Amy Winehouse and Jordan wallow
among those with an unattractive drawl.
For female participants ex-Boyzone star Ronan Keating continues to hit
the right notes — regarded a top talker alongside Jeremy Clarkson,
Simon Cowell and former-newsreader Trevor MacDonald.
X-factor judges also surface once more in the surveys findings but unfortunate
Louis Walsh finds himself on the receiving end of a ‘no’ vote
— with London women slating his Irish intonation as one of the most
irritating around.
Yet the success of the Irish isn’t scuppered for long as, in a combined
vote of men and women, the country’s accent polls sexier than all
the British regions.
Scooping nearly a third of the votes, 29 per cent, Irish speakers beat
eight other dialects to steal the sexy-sounding crown.
And for voice coach Majella Hurley these findings brought little surprise,
as she explained: “There is definitely something attractive about
the Irish accent, it is a popular choice for voice-overs and other television
roles.
“I think most people appreciate its softness, lilting tones and
specific colouring.
“It has a melody to it which is not found in many other accents
and tends to give an immediate sense of friendliness.”
She added: “I do however, believe people’s attraction to the
sound of the accent goes hand-in-hand which their perception of Irish
people as being good fun, easy-going and friendly.”
The Belfast-born voice and dialect coach grew up in Cobh, Co. Cork and
now lives in Bedfordshire.
She has worked with many British and American actors in London’s
theatre district and on major films, including Sleepy Hollow and Wimbledon.
She said: “I get a lot of requests for accents from regions all
over Ireland.
“Dublin, Donegal and Sligo accents are the most popular along
with Galway and Belfast.”
Sexiest voice poll…
How the regional accents fared in the ‘sexiest’ stakes: (percentage
of votes)
Irish: 29%
Geordie (Tyneside):18%
Scottish: 17%
London: 12.5%
Yorkshire: 9%
Durham: 5.5%
Cumbrian: 4%
Welsh: 3%
Mancunian: 2%
How to speak with an Irish accent:
A beginner’s guide on How to speak with an Irish accent, available
on the The eHow: How To Do Just About Everything website, offers the following
easy steps to get you lilting with the sexiest sounds around:
- Step 1: Think about how you speak and how you use your words: Then
you will be better equipped to change it.
- Step 2: Soften your vowels: Someone with an Irish accent would pronounce
the letter A to sound like ‘ah’.
- Step 3: Focus on your consonants: Harden their sound so you cannot
enunciate better.
- Step 4: Make your speech more musical: An Irish person speaks with
a musical tone and inflection so watch a few movies and listen for the
vocal patterns.
- Step 5: Practice: The more you try to mimic an Irish accent, the better
you will get at it.
Access the guide at www.ehow.com
Majella’s teaching tips:
Listen or watch authentic Irish speakers to get a feel for the accent.
Get the body language right.
Understand how the colouring of the accent is made by the placement of
the tongue in the mouth.
Perfect the colouring of the ‘r’ sound, which is the basis
for any good Irish accent.
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