View Full Version : Caithness/Northern Ireland Accents nearly the same
Anonymous
14-Mar-02, 13:13
Did anyone see Billy Connolys programme the other night? He interviewed a Man who lived on the North East Coast of Northern Ireland and I was struck by how similar his accent was to a typical Caithness accent.
Isn't it strange that two sets of people who live in the most northern part of their islands should sound so similar.
I myself have been mistaken many times for being an Irishman (probably because they've never heard of Caithness) have any of you had similar experiences?
Anonymous
14-Mar-02, 13:43
well i am originally from edinburgh and moved up here 2 years ago, however i did used to come up here on holiday well for 5 years, and i not being from the north noticed the similarity in accents, i cant say i notice now, but when i had my strong edinburgh one i certainly did
I now have been in Edinburgh for about 14 years and still get called Irish - I have even been asked by an Irishman were in Ireland I was from.
Anonymous
14-Mar-02, 16:20
I've always been amazed by the similarity, myself! However, I would say that the Londonderry, Northern Ireland accent is a lot stronger than the Caithness one. The Caithness accent is softer. In 1977, the US Naval Communication Station in Ireland was closed, and moved up and combined with the US Naval Radio Station at Forss, near Thurso. Quite a few of the navy personnel transferred to Forss were married to women from Londonderry. Although their accent was similar to the Caithness one, it was definitely stronger.
When I worked at Dounreay, several of my colleagues were from Wick. One particular guy was sent down to England for a course, and everyone there thought he was Irish! On his last evening, he was at pub with the other folk from the course, none of whom were from Caithness. They were trying to get him to own up to being Irish, under the influence of a few drinks! They were not convinced that he was Scottish at all! They simply could not believe that this chiel had never set foot in Ireland before! He told them they should visit Caithness sometime, if they needed proof of the accent up there! :)
ŠAmethyst
14-Mar-02, 18:15
Well...
I can put on a relatively convincing Irish accent... but I sound TOTALLY different to what they do here in Caithness!
[lol]
As the original poster pointed out the Ulster accent - especially in the Co Down farming area and the Ards peninsula - is remarkably similiar to that of Caithness. I spent a lot of time there some years ago and the farmer mannies were so like their Caithness counterparts it was unbelievable. However in the city of Belfast the accent is totally different again - a bit like a muted Ian Paisley caricature. [para] [para]
Anonymous
14-Mar-02, 20:24
Was in a Bar in Ayr whilst at college once, and was 'herded' out and on to a bus along with a bunch of folk from Belfast that were over for the horse racing. I protested as much as I could and was let out after about 3 miles! [evil]
Anonymous
15-Mar-02, 00:21
Poor Milkman! :lol:
One way of testing this interesting hypothesis is to attempt a Dr. Ian Paisley impersonation.
You might like to wait until the house is empty before attempting this as you might scare the dog or your mother-in-law.
I find it helps to stand in front of a full length mirror because the gestures are an important fillip to the accent.
Warm up by a couple of thundering "Absolutely disgracefuls" You should aim for "DUSSSGRRRRACEFUL!!!!! - increasing in volume. Cut the FUL real short so that it sounds like the vocal equivalent of being slapped in the chops with a dead haddock.
After that you should be ready for a couple of rousing "YEES ARE AAAALL GOING TO HELLL"
By this time you will be ready to rush to the web site of the Democratic Unionist Party to download the manifesto.
Good luck!
Anonymous
15-Mar-02, 18:05
Do you think on a community website of some county in Northern Ireland they are discussing how much their accents are similar to the folk in Caithness?
;)
I am intrigued that several people should equate the northen Irish accent to Caithness.Yes I did pick up the similarities between Big Yin and some of the people he met.I can equate Glasgow where he was born to Northern Ireland both having something of the gutteral in their tone of speech.What struck me about the Caithness accent was it's softness and lilt which I had only heard in Nordic languages before..maybe my ears on a different wavelength!
Anonymous
16-Mar-02, 12:38
Interesting you bring up the Nordic similarities, I was watching a documentary on Vikings on BBC2 a while back, which traced the routes / landings of Viking settlers. There was a comparison of colloquial terms done between an area of Cumbria and the Norwegian area the Vikings came from. Not only were there similair usage of words between Norway and Cumbria, the intonation and slang terms used were the double of a strong Caithnesian accent. They even used dreich, haha.
Anonymous
17-Mar-02, 01:04
I have been oota Thirsa over 20 years and folk in Canada still think I am Irish :eek:
I think the problem with folk mistaking where we are from has to do with the fact that they think ALL Scots have a "Glasgae" or "Edinburgie" accent, when they hear my beautiful twang they think I canna possibly be from Scotland :grin:
BUT I always assure them that indeed I am frae Scotland..in fact I am from the Bonniest county on Gods earth :grin:
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: WeeGili on 17-Mar-2002 12:05am ]</font>
Anonymous
28-Nov-02, 23:35
:eek: Our accent in Caithness is similar to Irish mostly on the Thurso side and it's because of the way we pronounce our "R"s.
It can also be seen that Orkney and North-West Sutherland are very similar to basic Welsh.
highlander
29-Nov-02, 20:08
I was reading through this posts and having a wee laugh, yes i have been mistaken for sounding irish, but i could not help have a wee giggle, and thinking, not all caithness people sound the same, you only need to go as far as Bettyhill, and think how they sound, like... "I cam fram bettiehell," lol well thats how it sounds like to me, so can anyone honestly say that an irish man sounds like that. [lol] [lol]
This Caithness / Northern Irish accent thing is nothing new. I can remember my Dad who had his Caithness tongue till his dying day and he was 83 when he died, but had spent most of his working life on farms in Pethshire mainly in the Carse o Gowrie area between Perth & Dundee, where lots of Irish intinerant workers came to pick berries and seasonal farm work. Nothing used till make my Dad wilder than being asked if he was Irish, he was so proud o being Caithness.
I came down from Thurso with my Dad & Mum in 1946 so I lost my "tongue" I went to sea and came home with various accents depending which area of the country the majority of the crew came from, but give me two minutes on the phone till a cousin up north and my accent is back wi a vengance. It used to make me quite proud when holidaying up in Thurso that my youngest son came back to sunny Leith with a Caithness accent.
And since coming on to this web site I am glad till say I am startin till type in Katness dialect
And golach .......we love it
Anonymous
30-Nov-02, 01:33
I was reading through this posts and having a wee laugh, yes i have been mistaken for sounding irish, but i could not help have a wee giggle, and thinking, not all caithness people sound the same, you only need to go as far as Bettyhill, and think how they sound, like... "I cam fram bettiehell," lol well thats how it sounds like to me, so can anyone honestly say that an irish man sounds like that. [lol] [lol]
Dear Highlander
Bettyhill is i Sutherlandshire. :D
highlander
30-Nov-02, 15:49
[lol] Well done mystery-man, i did know that, just wondering if anyone else had noted the slip of the tongue [lol] but i still think that it sounds funny :p [lol]
Well mistery one as ye are being so picky SUTHERLANDSHIRE is no a place it is the county of Sutherland
Golach
Anonymous
03-Dec-02, 12:35
When I was in Australia last year on holiday everyone thought I was Irish! :confused Even the Irish themselves! I didn't realise we sounded anything like the them until then. I was telling people at work and they have had the same experiences. One work colleague phoned his phone company with a problem and the operator was a northern Irish person so he asked her where he thought she was from and she couldn't believe that he was from the north of Scotland! I love the Irish accent, but I just can't hear the similarity myself.
i have to agree the accents are very similar.I am originally from REAL gods country Ayrshire but have lived up here since i was 7.I quickly picked up the accent and spoke like a natural!
However i then joined the army and then my problems began,They all though i was from Ulster even 1 guy who was from larne!.My accent then changed so that my comrades could understand me as its quite hard to speak in a caithness tongue when theres only 2 folk out of 300 who are Scottish!(though my CSM was originally from castletown).Then lo and behold i'm posted to ulster!The place i went to was a place called belleek on the border at County Fermanagh.It was an RUC station which was having building work done on it by local guys so it was full of ulster locals and you can guess what happened next [lol] Yes the caithness tongue returned to my rather bland posh jock!!!.
Funnily enough when i visit "home" in ayrshire my ayrshire accent comes out!
Maybe i just mimic the place i am in :lol:
Dont think iv'e ever met an Englishman or Foreigner that wasnt convinced that i was Irish however much i try and convince them other wise, nothing wrong with being mistaken for an Irishman though, a seriously nice breed they are, better than being mistaken for an englishman anyway haha......just kidding
Giz
Dont think iv'e ever met an Englishman or Foreigner that wasnt convinced that i was Irish however much i try and convince them other wise, nothing wrong with being mistaken for an Irishman though, a seriously nice breed they are, better than being mistaken for an englishman anyway haha......just kidding
Giz
If yer not sure that you might be Oirish, I'll start telling me jokes a wee bit slower when yer around :lol:
Anonymous
05-Dec-02, 14:40
I find this whole language subject fascinating.
I go to N.I a lot, and the first time I heard the late great Joey Dunlop speaking I thought he sounded just like my Dad.
It is not just the accent either. They speak about "going for a sail in the car" and "driving up the banking" as we did when I was kid in the 50s.
However, how about this too, is there a French connection?...peedie / petit. The Dachan/ The Dauphin?
Cattachs are such a cosmopolitan lot!
And since coming on to this web site I am glad till say I am startin till type in Katness dialect
Good for you Golach - I had noticed! I have done a little of it on this board too but probably the best is in the Reunion topic: http://www.caithness.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=317
A number of the posters used Caithness dialect - notably Colin Bruce and Madame Butterfly. Unfortunately they no longer seem to inhabit this message board and its the poorer for it!
If you haven't already seen it there is a fine piece of Caithness dialect prose at: www.caithness.org/community/caithnessexiles/londoncaithness/londoncaithnesshistory/margueritetwalshatkins.htm Try reading it out loud!
Jenny Stewart's Caithness poems in this site are well worth a visit if you haven't been there.
Look forward to your next Caithness dialect piece.
Partan
Anonymous
09-Dec-02, 14:12
as far as i can tell there is a place in north ireland called ballamena(dont know if i spelt that right)
thier ament to be the same as us :roll: dont ask me though
Two weeks out of every month there are fine examples of Caithness Dialectt o be seen on the Chat Room as our friend Zappster ties us in knots and makes us smile with his typed word.
Interesting once he returns after his two week break I always find it takes me a minute or two to decipher what he is saying and then i am away.
Glad you are back zappy pal
Hi Highlander
I do actually come from Bettyhill and can't honestly say i've ever in my entire time living there heard anyone speak in an accent that would be written like "I cam Fram Bettiehill" maybe in Colin Campbells mind however.
And ive actually been asked by Northern Irish people where abouts in Northern Ireland i come from before.
Maybe the people you overheard werent actually from Bettyhill. And, bettyhill isnt even in Caithness, Its in Sutherland. Caithness stops before Melvich!!!!!!!!
and Northern Ireland is aka Ulster....and we have Ulbster.
moonlightshadow
12-May-04, 15:36
[quote
Dear Highlander
Bettyhill is i Sutherlandshire. :D[/quote]
Yes well Bettyhill may be in Sutherland now, however at one time it was classed as Caithness before they shifted the border.
I am from Sutherland and the odd person thinks I am Irish however most folk do know the difference, it just tends to be the ones that have got used to hearing a Glasgow accent that tend to make that mistake.
Linda
I travel the country a lot and I must say that 80-90% of people I meet ask me what part of Ireland I come from, with one guy a few years ago absolutely convinced that I was from a Paramililtary group over in England to finish him off.
He refused to believe that I was from Thurso !! :lol:
Brizer2k2
12-May-04, 16:04
This is very true.
It has happened to me during trips to England and my brother says the same as he has stayed in London for 8 years now.
His best mates and flatmates are all Irish (Eire)
:D
Caithness and Irish accents only sound the same to the DEAF
girniegoe
12-May-04, 21:03
Come on, Chester, all Irish aren't deaf and I've been regularly mistaken for coming from N.I. when holidaying in Eire over the years. The "owld" and "cowld" are good examples I think of what causes the confusion. Anyway who really cares - all natural accents are better than false Queen's English!!
Pardon Chester, will 'e shout up please.
If you think that the caithness and Irish accent are close ,try standing next to Iain Sutherland from Wick next time the TV camaras are in Caithness. Now that's the Proper way to speak it .
Yes it,s very true that many southerners think it,s strange
If you get two Caithness folk it Edinburgh having a chat ,them Edinburgh folk hav a hard time making out the subject .
Is the Caithness tongue more a mix for Norse and English than we think???
There was a footballer from Northern Ireland who played for Hibs, John o' Neil I think his name was (Golach will confirm/correct me!). He was interviewed after a game and I could have sworn he was a Caithnessian. My parents could not get over the likeness in accents either, and this was spotted by several other folk. We have so many words alike with our Celtic neighbours it is uncanny. Also on the subject of accents, I know of many people from outwith Caithness when hearing an Orcadian accent think they are Welsh! Spooky or what!! :D :D :D :D
The Loafer
DannyThe Manny
16-May-04, 20:23
It's more than just accents. Many years ago a workmate of mine told me about a wee incident when she was on holiday in Northern Ireland. She needed some thread and when she went into a shop to buy some, she wasn't sure what the 'proper' word was when asking for thread wound on a round bit of wood or plastic, not wanting to use the Caithness word that they wouldn't know. After trying things like 'spool' and 'bobbin' she was pleasantly surprised when the shop assistant said ' Oh you mean a pirn'.
Of course their dialect is called 'Ulster Scots' not 'Ulster English' :D .
And if anybody wants to see the definition of 'pirn' try the dictionary of the Scots Language at http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/
didn't u know the people in the north of scotland origonally came from ireland? go to Ballymena, they talk just like us.
This sounds like a daft question but if people in Ballymena sound like Caithness people why don't all the intervening counties also have Caithness accents?
Why don't the folk from Midlothian or, come to that, Liverpool or London or anywhere in the British isles have Caithness accents?
Why should there be one pocket of Caithness talk in Caithness and one in Ballymena?
Does this suggest that Caithness accents drop from the skies over certain priveleged venues?
Another question. Has anyone disproved the theory that there is no such thing as a Caithness accent - only a Ballymena accent?
In which case you are all talking Ballynese?
And where should the search for Caithness accents stop? Has anyone really listened to a Wisconsin accent or the odd variety of English they speak in New Orleans? Or Ottawa?
Or is it just possible that some of the visitors to this site have wrecked their hearing due to excessive exposure to overamplified popular music.....
Greetings from a first time participant.
First, three cheers for Colin who seems to have come up with the technical resolution to keep my posts from disappearing into the etherworld.
In March I was offered the opportunity to work in Caithness for the summer. From my home in Burlington, Ontario I explored your delightful county through this website. In time I became aware of the forum and have learned many valuable bits and pieces from your conversations. Thank you to all who have posted comments over these last several months.
Now that I am here, I am continually awed by the scenery. It looks like I am going to escape a hot, miserable southern Ontario summer. But I was warned, and I brought a suitcase of thermals and woollies to keep back the brisk Caithness winds.
One of my major fears was the accent. I wondered if the Caithness sound would be something I could translate in my Canadian brain. I am delighted to report that the people I have met in Reay and Thurso have, to my ear, very little accent. And I would be thrilled if at the end September I went home with a Caithnessian melody to my voice.
In his last posting, Rich mentions "the odd variety of English they speak in New Orleans or Ottawa." Those cities would reflect a distinctive French influence, so there is a bit of a different flow to it. I am wondering, given the federal elections happening in both the US and in Canada, if his "odd variety of English" does not refer to political speak.
I look forward to August when we can do some discussion around the Olympics. I cannot comment on the World Cup, and whether one should cheer for England or not. Canada's team usually looses in the first round. But you need teams to beat to have a competition, so we hang in there!
Thank you again for all the personalities I have come to know through this forum.
Canuck 2
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