The Internet is Going Wild Over French Rugby Star’s Thick Irish Accent
Recently, a video of former France under 20s captain Daniel Brennan has gone viral on TikTok and the internet can’t get enough. The clip, which was posted by Welsh content creator Andrew Forde who is renowned for his rugby compilations on YouTube, has been viewed over 630,000 times in just four days and was the highest-trending rugby video on TikTok.
In the interview, Brennan is asked about his reaction to beating New Zealand and advancing to the World Championship final in 2018. His response? “I can’t say…absolutely bloody delighted!” – delivered in a thick Irish accent, of course!
It turns out that Brennan’s father was former Ireland and Leinster second-row Trevor Brennan, who moved to France in 2002 to play for Toulouse in the Top 14. This explains why Daniel ended up representing Les Bleus despite his strong Irish dialect.
The reaction was a mix of confusion and humour. Some viewers thought he was the Irish captain with a swapped shirt. Another joked that his accent sounded “Parisian, with just a small hint of Dublin, (barely detectable)”.
Brennan would go on to captain France to glory in 2018, as they won the under-20s World Championships 33-25 against England. It was a tournament that featured many future stars of international rugby, including Romain Ntamack, Louis Carbonel and Marcus Smith.
All in all, it’s a fascinating story and one people are still talking about weeks later. We’ll be keeping an eye on what Brennan does next!
How to detect an Irish accent
The Irish accent is one of the most distinctive and beautiful accents in the English language. An Irish accent can be identified by its unique pronunciation of vowels, certain consonants, intonation patterns, and use of slang terms.
To detect an Irish accent, listen closely to how words are pronounced. Irish speakers tend to pronounce vowels differently from other English speakers. For example, the vowel in “boat” is pronounced differently than the same vowel in British English.
Listen for consonants that are more often softened or dropped entirely, such as a tendency to omit the letter T at the end of words (e.g. “lettin”). Also, listen for the pronunciation of some words as if they were two syllables, such as “have” pronounced as “hav-ah”. Slang terms are another way to detect an Irish accent. Common Irish slang terms include “grand” (for “good”), “feck” (for “throw” or “mess up”), and “yoke” (for “thing”).
In addition to pronunciation, the Irish accent is also characterized by a distinctive intonation pattern. The pitch of words can be higher and more exaggerated than in other dialects. And while there may not be a clear cut-off point between Irish and other dialects, there are certain patterns that can help you identify an Irish accent.
Finally, the Irish accent is often associated with a certain charm or charisma. The speaker may incorporate humour or friendly banter into their speech when communicating with others. With practice and some familiarity with common slang terms, you can easily detect an Irish accent.
Good luck!