Busted brogues: Five stage-Irish accents that made us cringe

As Circle of Friends star Minnie Driver reminisces on her return to Irish shores, we take a look at five ways that Hollywood has ráiméis'd our natural cadence and accents

FAR AND AWAY /Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman /Dingle Peninsula

While recent cinematic efforts like Wild Mountain Thyme have provoked comment and conversation, they're far from our first dance with the representation of Ireland and the huge range of Irish accents in Hollywood films over the years: here are five of the worst examples of bolshy brogues and cod-Irish cliché in cinema history. 

1) Julia Roberts, Michael Collins (1996) 

While the Michael Collins biopic helped bring the story of the Big Fella to worldwide attention, with the exception of some embellishments made for the sake of international audiences, according to director Neil Jordan, much of the film's subsequent discussion and legacy circles around casting choices. While Alan Rickman attracted controversy in his role as Éamon de Valera, it's specifically Julia Roberts as Kitty Kiernan, wrestling with a brogue as she negotiates her lines, that sticks in the memory.

2) Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Far and Away (1992) 

Directed by Hollywood legend Ron Howard, shot by Mikael Salomon and starring the then hot celebrity coupling of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, emigration tale Far and Awayhad all the ingredients necessary for success, as an Irish couple headed West to seek their fortune. And while it resonated at the box office after a slow start, the film itself is all but sapped of its charm by Cruise and Kidman's cringe-worthy stage Oirishness.

3) Minnie Driver, Circle of Friends (1995) 

 

She nearly does it, in fairness, and doesn't dip so obviously into codology as others in this film, but there's a condescending sing-songy quality to Minnie Driver's accent in this HBO-headed Maeve Binchy adaptation that makes it hard to get into the spirit of things. Also sighted: a young Aidan Gillen, whose native Irish accent would carry him to bigger and better things.

4) The entire cast, PS I Love You (2007)

While it's obviously churlish to go looking for moments of high art in an adaptation of Cecelia Ahern's unpretentious chick-lit standard, it's difficult to ignore the cast's execution and accent work, as well as the adaptation's indulgence in broad-stroke Irish stereotyping. It's a shame, because it's a wonderful concept that gets let down terribly by direction and immediately grating contortions of American cadences and tones.

5) Brad Pitt - The Devil's Own (1997), Snatch (2000) 

One of Hollywood's enduring cool-guy heartthrobs, whose chiselled good looks and assured aura have aged well and given his career longevity, Brad Pitt can't be blamed for wanting to escape typecasting throughout his career. However, we can't overlook both of Pitt's gravelly-mouthed strikes against Irish screen portrayals, either as a tortured ex-IRA man in 1997 thriller The Devil's Own, or as a frankly degrading caricature of Traveller people in 2000 gangster flick Snatch.