Some people say to me, 'You don't sound very Irish.' It's because I have this tendency to iron out my accent: not because I'm ashamed of it but because it makes my life easier if I don't keep having to repeat myself.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I don't feel I have to defend myself for being English or for being Irish, because, in a way, I don't feel either. And, in another way, of course, I'm both.
The way I see it is that all the ol' guff about being Irish is a kind of nonsense. I mean, I couldn't be anything else no matter what I tried to be. I couldn't be Chinese or Japanese.
I find being Irish quite a wearing thing. It takes so much work because it is a social construction. People think you are going to be this, this, and this.
I don't really go around feeling very Irish at all. I don't go to Irish pubs. I've lived so many places, and I'm still so curious about the bigger world. It's grand to be alive in a time when mobility is so accessible.
I'm proud to be Irish.
I'm a big fan of the Irish accent. After a couple of drinks, I start to get a bit of an Irish lilt, too.
My accent gets more pronounced when I've been talking to people from Derry.
The problem with being Irish... is having 'Riverdance' on your back. It's a burden at times.
Being Irish is very much a part of who I am. I take it everywhere with me.
I'm just a loud Irish guy.