Irish by name Irish by nature


The Great Company of Cork People

The people of Cork have developed their own distinctive accent, that can be quite incomprehensible to first time visitors.

The speed of the speech , its intonations, and slang, is quite unique. Some say it's a legacy of Shakespearian English (the centre of Cork was once an English garrison town), others say that Carribean patois has had a major influence - Cork has been a major shipping port for over a thousand years.

Cork also has a very strong French influence , thanks to the Huegenot French refugees who settled in Cork in the 17th century - some say that the characteristic stubborness and independent spirit of Corkonians is a legacy of this.

I'll part with some Corkonian slang:

"G'wan boy , ya langer like" - "No. I really do not believe what you are saying"

"See dat beor over dere like - she's a right flah like" - "Look at that beautiful girl over there"

"I got completely slaughtered last night like" -"I was very drunk last night"

"Dat club was rockin' like" -"That night club played some very good dance music"

"C'mere boy, du know ya wan like?" -"Excuse me, but do you know that girl?"

"He's a hard sham like" - "You would not want to get into a fight with that male"