Irish in Jamaica?
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Nadine White, "What a viral speech in Ireland reveals about colonial history and Caribbean English", The Guardian 3/4/2026:
Linguists say reaction to Irish TD’s remarks reflects shared regional English roots and enduring impact of empire
When the politician Thomas Gould rose to speak in the Irish parliament recently, few expected a lesson in colonial linguistics.
Yet clips of his speech began circulating online last week, with some viewers saying he sounded unmistakably Jamaican. The reaction was animated, particularly among Jamaican heritage communities.
Responding to the Cork politician’s viral moment, one person wrote online: “The influence the Irish have on the Jamaican accent is uncanny.”
Here's the clip:
But the linguistic history is more complicated, as the Guardian article explains:
For Hubert Devonish, professor emeritus of linguistics at the University of the West Indies, the popular narrative needs careful correction. “There are four main sources of English from the British Isles that potentially affected Jamaican speech,” he says, pointing to the speech of indentured servants in St Kitts and Barbados in the period before the English captured Jamaica in 1655; that of indentured servants from south-west England and from Monmouthshire in the 17th century; and the later recruitment of Scots overseers.
He says: “There is no record of significant numbers of Irish coming to Jamaica in these formative periods that I know of.”
The linguistic evidence, he adds, “points to a concentration of regional features from Somersetshire, East Anglia and Monmouthshire, in that order”. […]
With that said, Devonish does not deny that similarities can be heard. “The features Jamaicans pick up as similar are vowels, notably that in ‘cake’, the vowel in ‘cut’ and sentence intonation, with sentence endings not having the falling pitch normal in other varieties of English,” he says.
The more intriguing question, he suggests, is why these comparisons resurface so powerfully. “One version of the Jamaican mythology is that of ‘out of many, one’, and a disproportionate desire to connect with the European part of their heritage,” he says. […]
“Both Ireland and the English Caribbean were settled disproportionately by people of south-west and western England,” Devonish says, adding: “The similarities in vowels and intonation may be a result of that shared origin.”
Mr. Gould is happy to feel the bond — Brian Pitter, "‘I feel loved’: Irish MP overwhelmed by Jamaican response to viral speech", Jamaica Observer 2/25/2026:
Thomas Gould, the Irish politician who recently captured global attention because of his distinctive accent, says he has been overwhelmed by the volume of messages received from social media users worldwide, particularly from Jamaica.
Gould, a member of Sinn Féin, went viral after a speech he delivered in the Irish parliament in early January began circulating across social media platforms.
And the accompanying video:
Similarly, Gould's comments to an Irish publication were less concerned about linguistic history, focusing on the social-media vibe:
Mr Gould told he was delighted to see people learning about history and the ties between countries through similar dialects.
“The Cork accent is the greatest in the world, probably followed closely by the Jamaican one,” he said.
“As a lover of Bob Marley, it’s great to be reminded of the close ties between our accents although he might beat me on the singing.
“The northside of Cork has a distinct accent and as a proud Norrie, I’m delighted to see it’s gone global.”
The accent similarity has been noted before.
[h/t Barbara Phillips Long]
Philip Taylor said,
March 5, 2026 @ 6:16 am
“The northside of Cork has a distinct accent" — that may well be the case (I am not in a position to know) but what I can say is that the people of Cork are amongst the most friendly and welcoming in the world. I had the great pleasure of staying at the Arbutus Lodge when it was under the ownership of Declan Ryan in or around 1990, and despite the fact that I was a complete stranger, Declan invited me to exercise his hunters when I said I was looking for somewhere to ride. He then went on to refer me to various horse-riding friends, with each of whom I later rode. One was Austrian Cavalry trained, and I watched him keep a horse on the bit for two hours without a single protest from the horse — he explained "Unfortunately the client who rode him yesterday let him get away with some bad behaviour — today he needs to be reminded how to behave".
Chris Button said,
March 5, 2026 @ 5:25 pm
Isn't the Irish connection in the Caribbean usually made with Montserrat rather than Jamaica?
Having said that, John Wells (the world's preeminent expert on accents of English around the world), says in vol.3 of his "Accents of English" that there is no justification for the claim that Montserratians speak with an Irish accent.
Pedro said,
March 6, 2026 @ 8:29 am
This TD is not just speaking with a Cork accent; he's using Cork dialect. The most noticeable feature to my mind is the word ye meaning "you" (plural), which is particular to the South West of Ireland. In the rest of Ireland (as in Scotland, Liverpool, New York and other places) the second person plural pronoun is youse.
And of course TDs usually don't speak regional dialect at all; they normally conduct debates in Standard English (or in Irish).
Philip Taylor said,
March 6, 2026 @ 3:06 pm
If there is anyone apart from myself who does not know what a "TD" is, they may wish to know that a quick search has just disclosed that it is a Teachta Dála.
ajay said,
March 9, 2026 @ 4:52 am
“Both Ireland and the English Caribbean were settled disproportionately by people of south-west and western England,” Devonish says, adding: “The similarities in vowels and intonation may be a result of that shared origin.”
This statement was a bit startling. I'm prepared to believe it of the English Caribbean, but West Country settlers in Ireland? In numbers sufficient to affect the development of the Irish accent?
Barbara Phillips Long said,
March 9, 2026 @ 2:33 pm
@ ajay —
Ireland is sometimes cited by historians as England’s first colony. Wikipedia has a synopsis of Ireland’s history, which included invasions from Scandinavia, invasions from descendants of Scandinavian invaders (Normans descended from Vikings), and repeated actions by England to control the Irish through military, political, and religious coercion. It reached back a long way:
“In 1177, Prince John Lackland was made Lord of Ireland by his father Henry II of England at the Council of Oxford.
“… When John unexpectedly succeeded his brother as King John of England, the "Lordship of Ireland" fell directly under the English Crown.“
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ireland
See also:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordship_of_Ireland
I can’t speak to whether the English influenced Irish accents, but given the history ofI Ireland, it sounds plausible to me.
ajay said,
March 10, 2026 @ 5:35 am
Barbara, thank you for the yanksplanation, but my surprise was directed at the assertion that enough settlers had come to Ireland from the West Country specifically to produce an Irish accent (when speaking English) that was derived from the West Country. The plantations in question were late – 16th and early 17th century – as the older Plantagenet-era plantations did not produce an enduring Anglophone society in Ireland, and the Tudor plantations were not as far as I know drawn from the West Country in particular. The Ulster plantation was mainly drawn from Scotland (and from London, hence Londonderry), and the others from across England. Some of the leaders of the Munster plantation were West Countrymen (such as Raleigh), but others were not, and I can't find any indication that the settlers themselves were predominantly from the West Country.
Barbara Phillips Long said,
March 10, 2026 @ 3:32 pm
@ ajay —
Thank you for the clarifications. That will keep me from being overly helpful — at least until I forget and assume again that a brief comment doesn’t actually imply lack of knowledge. Sorry.
Rodger C said,
March 11, 2026 @ 9:33 am
Isn't this sometimes explained by asserting that 16th/17th-century English had features now associated with the West Country more widespread across England?
Philip Taylor said,
March 14, 2026 @ 9:00 am
Well, since the West Country has come up, let me ask an (off-topic) question that has bothered me ever since moving here none years ago. Not too far from where I live, there are two settlements, less than 2km apart, called "Dobwalls" and "Doublebois". Now to my mind, an Englishman (or Cornishman), lacking any familiarity with spoken French but hearing Doublebois pronunced in the French manner, might well think that what he heard was "Dobwalls". Yet those who live in Dobwalls are convinced that the name comes from "daub[ed] walls", which they tell me were and are present in the settlement. An enquiry to the Royal Cornwall Museum as to whether the two were etymologically related cast no additional light on the matter. What do others think ?
Ray O'Leary said,
March 14, 2026 @ 11:55 am
It does appear that English settlers in Munster of the 17th century (Cromwellian and Williamite) were disproportionately from the Southwest of England or the Welsh borders, according to a couple of accounts I have read and also in looking at specific families. This probably reflects geographical proximity and familiarity. Often, they replaced those originally planted (for example, Cromwellian soldiers) by purchasing their allocation. So some influence on Hiberno-English in Munster is reasonable.
A West Cork man's take, if that's useful!
ajay said,
March 16, 2026 @ 7:10 am
Ray: thank you!
HS said,
March 16, 2026 @ 6:05 pm
For comparison to Thomas Gould's Cork accent, here's a link to one of my favourite examples of the Jamaican accent: https://www.favoritepoem.org/poems/the-song-of-the-banana-man/
Philip Taylor said,
March 17, 2026 @ 3:23 am
Thank you, HS — I really enjoyed George Scott’s narration of that poem (and the poem itself, of course).
niamh said,
March 18, 2026 @ 2:20 pm
@Pedro –
"the word ye meaning "you" (plural), which is particular to the South West of Ireland. In the rest of Ireland (as in Scotland, Liverpool, New York and other places) the second person plural pronoun is youse."
Being from Galway, I can assure you that "ye" is the standard 2PL all around the west of Ireland as well as the midlands. "youse" is specifically east coast (incl. Dublin) and northern.
Philip Taylor said,
March 19, 2026 @ 7:33 am
"youse" with a /z/, Niamh, or "youse" with an /s/ ?
niamh said,
March 19, 2026 @ 12:21 pm
@Philip Taylor
With a /z/ any time I've heard it here!
Philip Taylor said,
March 19, 2026 @ 2:31 pm
That was what I thought, Niamh, but as one who has only had the pleasure of visiting Ireland I thought it better to ask than to assume …
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March 20, 2026 @ 4:43 pm
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