The Irish accent remains one of the hardest for non-natives to tackle.
It’s even been the undoing of some of our most beloved Hollywood stars, from Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Far and Away (1992), to Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York (2002).
Arguably, the unusual nature of DiCaprio’s accent was entirely intended, as his character was born in Ireland but raised in the United States, so his accent was designed to be a blend of both American and Irish.
Other notable failures are Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly (1996), Michael J Fox in Back to the Future III (1990), and Tommy Lee Jones in Blown Away (1994).
Even actors from Ireland’s global neighbours have stumbled over its gentle lilt, including Matthew Goode in Leap Year (2010), Gerard Butler in PSI Love You (2007), and Sean Connery in The Untouchables (1987).
There’s also Brad Pitt’s hotly debated accent in Snatch, which is meant to reflect the dialect of the Irish Traveller community, with some praising its accuracy and others claiming it falls flat in its imitation.
However, perhaps one of the worst offenders is ironically Pierce Brosnan, an actual Irishman who somehow still delivered a garbled version of the Ulster accent in 1988’s Taffin.
His cry of “Then maybe you shouldn’t be living heeeeeeeeeeeeere!” is now remembered in infamy.
We’ve collated some of the very worst offenders, with one honorary mention: Colin Farrell in Alexander (2004), who kept his natural Irish accent despite the fact he was playing an ancient Macedonian ruler.
