Quite possibly the most
lovely thing to fall on my
ears. While living in
Dublin, I had occasion to make several
business trips to
Northern Ireland, primarily
Belfast, which has become one of my favourite cities in the
world.
I'm not sure how much of this is due to the
accents of the city's women. They do not possess the typical
Irish accent that crops up in
Hollywood movies, but then nobody does. Their accent is quite different from those found in the
South, combining somewhat of the
Irish Lilt with a
poshly
British overtone.
The end result: a wonderfully
modulated accent that I could spend hours listening to. Much of it seems to arise from just above the
throat, and the words flow together with incredible varations in
tone. The overall
cadence is absolutely
enchanting.
When I leave
Ireland for
Canada, I might miss those accents more than the scenery of
Kilrush or even the
perfect pint.