Derry Girls | How To Do Michelle's Derry Accent

In this video, we're going to analyse Jamie-Lee O'Donnell's Derry accent as she plays Michelle Mallon in Derry Girls.
#northernirishaccent #derryaccent #derrygirls
My Northern Irish accent is a Belfast accent.
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Derry Girls
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[@AlsActionEnglish]

What's your favourite Michelle moment?😀

[@trinaq]

Probably "We've got the gist, they ran out of spuds, everyone was raging"!😅

[@AlsActionEnglish]

Brilliant quote, I should've featured it, especially with her supreme pronunciation of "raging" 🙃

[@trinaq]

@@AlsActionEnglish Thanks, that line always makes me laugh every time I hear it!😅😊

[@carmijar71]

-Her dancing at Fionnula’s -Thinking she’ll become a celebrity by announcing she’s the wee lezzer. -ditto what Trina Q said.

[@AlsActionEnglish]

Fine choices indeed! Dancing is mine, hence it was the intro 💃

[@AwkwardGuyInJapan]

My favorite moment is when she describes the movie Pulp Fiction in the best way possible.

[@AlsActionEnglish]

What an opening to the entire series! At first glance many miss this reference...

[@EvelynQKelly]

It's wild to me that _Derry Girls_ exists. To think a show so specific to Northern Ireland but still resonates with people in other cultures is just a testament to the quality of the show. My two favorite characters are Michelle and Sister Michael - Michelle has great comedic chemistry with the whole cast!

[@sih2566]

*Me from Derry trying to do a Derry accent and finding it Easy* hmm wonder why

[@bubblegumblood8995]

me hahaha

[@beafbuger]

you're a derry girl, james 😭

[@trinaq]

Cheers for this video on the fabulous Michelle! She's definitely the girl that we all secretly wished we could be: mouthy, sassy and daring!😆

[@AlsActionEnglish]

On occasion she could certainly do with a bar of soap, mind.

[@bethmccoolxxx]

Al's Action English SHES my auntie

[@FelineFurKin]

It’s amazing to go into all these details. I haven’t used my Spanish and linguistics degree much since an attempt (valiant, but failed) at primary school teaching a long time ago. I just love how she describes Pulp Fiction, but doesn’t name it.

[@AlsActionEnglish]

Any attempt at primary school teaching is certainly valiant! Is the Pulp Fiction moment her entry in the series?

[@huub1989]

That’s a real Derry City accent.

[@AlsActionEnglish]

Absolutely, Jamie-Lee is from the city so this is as authentic as it comes...

[@huub1989]

Al's Action English I’m from Derry originally although after 14 years away I now have a slight tinge of Canada 🇨🇦. To be understood I’ve tried making that “ow” sound you describe, that’s hard for a Derry people, the way I pronounce poor, train, pain, Jane causes total confusion. Your channel actually helped me identify patterns that I couldn’t previously describe.

[@AlsActionEnglish]

Anyone from NI who has lived or moved abroad totally hears you. I've had to significantly amend certain things I say which have kinda led to a messed up, mish-mash way of speaking nowadays. Where are you based in Canada?

[@huub1989]

Al's Action English Montreal, they do like my French accent though when I occasionally speak French!

[@AlsActionEnglish]

@@huub1989 A beautiful part of the world, definitely my favourite Canadian city I've visited!

[@whatsyournameson7208]

That dancing though ! 0:09 I can’t really say anything, my dancing is sooooooo bad 😂

[@AlsActionEnglish]

What do you mean? Michelle's dancin' is the the living embodiment of EPIC!

[@profoundprocrastinator]

Film. As someone with northeast English accent. Film also has two syllables.

[@AlsActionEnglish]

Really? Does it?

[@profoundprocrastinator]

@@AlsActionEnglish Aye. I found a lot of similarities with that accent and my own (teesside) after meeting people from there. It's probably got something to do with irish and Scottish settlement in my area over the years but it is certainly fascinating.

[@OrangeCat1992]

Oh, that’s where else I’ve heard it. I was trying to remember who else I’ve heard pronounce film that way... I’ve been watching a KZbinr from Middlesbrough. She definitely stretches it out into two syllables.

[@jamesegerton7178]

You make my Mondays

[@AlsActionEnglish]

A good bit of Derry Girls craic makes my Mondays! A fine way to start the working week 👌

[@ferdinandportland8563]

I just discovered this and I love it. I do hear the difference, but it's a matter of practice to produce the sounds. I love Irish, Scottish and Welsh accents. I hope to travel there some day.

[@fishyfanni8047]

lad where yeh from anyway

[@ferdinandportland8563]

@@fishyfanni8047 I'm from Mexico. Why? And you, where are you from?

[@fishyfanni8047]

@@ferdinandportland8563 im from the norht of ireland myself

[@ferdinandportland8563]

@@fishyfanni8047 Awesome! You send me pictures later, if you can. 😃

[@deaconsmom2000]

I love your videos. I'm from a very special place in Pennsylvania where film is fil-um; half is pronounced the same way Michelle does it; -ing is always -in; "sure" is just for decoration; ach happens a lot; and more. A little piece of Northern Ireland (Areland) here in the US.

[@AlsActionEnglish]

I love your comment. This place sounds amazing indeed - where exactly is it and when am I coming to fil-um the accent!?

[@kepajoy]

I'm from Philadelphia area, and I'm going to guess poster is from somewhere between Lancaster and Pittsburgh 😊

[@AlsActionEnglish]

First time someone reckoned I was from the states! I'm from Belfast, NI.

[@karenhenry1313]

They are truly amazing actor Michelle Orla fair play to the derry girls when will there be any other serous they make you laugh in stitch

[@bradmclean4988]

Northern Ontario here. Quite a few people say filum.

[@tarmaco]

My favourite line is when she says fanny at the start of the second episode.

[@carmijar71]

Are all ‘lm’ ending words like: realm, qualm and whelm pronounced with two syllables? Also I watched Star Trek:NG and DS9 for years mispronouncing actor Colm Meaney’s name wrong...until Derry Girls. So when Uncle Colm was introduced into the show I thought...so thATS how it’s pronounced...awesome! Video🤜🤛👍

[@AlsActionEnglish]

What an insightful question! No, they aren't: the three examples you give all have one syllable in a Derry accent - which makes film having two even more odd! You could take a record of all words ending in 'lm' and see if any others have 2 syllables. I'm delighted that with the help of Derry Girls you now know the correct pronunciation!

[@jeffbenefiel2676]

Yeah, listen to Americans from various regions, some of that managed to survive in local accents, especially the short "a" vowel sound.

[@calisteoksnevad1497]

This is interesting, in my area of Appalachia where it's common for people to be in relatively isolated communities and have Irish and Scottish ancestry, it would always be pronounced " pinnin' " unless you're trying to hide your accent.

[@peterdunlop7691]

We say fil-um in Liverpool too. I didn’t realise there was a difference until someone mentioned it. Saying it with one syllable sounds strange.

[@bearduckmadre2575]

When she says “Throw water on him James, he’ll melt like a motherf!”

[@echolot]

when is series 3 coming out ffs

[@el2007_]

I'm from derry

[@elizabethelliott3175]

Would Jamie Lee O'Donnell be considered Black Irish? She is so dark-featured with light eyes.

[@davidhines68]

Do Jamie-Lee and Saoirse-Monica use their own accents in Derry Girls, or do they affect different accents? I know they're from Derry, but I gather there are different Derry accents based on location and community.

[@AlsActionEnglish]

What a great question! You'd likely have to ask someone who knows them personally or has seen more of their performances than I have. My hunch would be a 'yes'.

[@kingdollop-head743]

Great video!

[@AlsActionEnglish]

Thanks!

[@lss74]

When she said "Film" 🎞🎥📽🎬 she says "Fillum".... omg 🥰🥰🥰

[@Ricardo_Foster1985]

If i ask u to analyze scottish accent, will be an easy task?

[@michaelcollins9698]

Would a native Derry speaker say filumin when constructing a gerund of filum- they are filumin a documentary over there? And filumed for the past participle instead of filmed? A Derry speaker would say Columin as a verbal noun to describe a person who is droning on like uncle Colm? Please a bit of help?

[@meganpantrey2676]

Im from westmeath and I say filuhm but idk if that's just a me thing ahha

[@leah.p.6687]

How do you pronounce the "-ow-" and "-ou-" sounds in words so quickly ? I find it really hard to do, could you help?

[@AlsActionEnglish]

Absolutely, I'd love to. Shoot me an email if you are interested in dialect coaching 👌

[@entityeyes]

You don't say the /au/ sound, but you say /oi/

[@jinurajan1105]

Hi

[@gavin637]

😘

[@thomasconboy4636]

I thi in Geordie accent it filum

[@kathleengonzales2729]

Goodness, now I am not sure I even know how to speak in my own American accent.

[@AlsActionEnglish]

Why not?

[@natureclips5849]

Her Accent is still not as true Derry as Nadine Coyle it’s more Ulster

[@DeliveryMcGee]

Northern Irish is Valley Girl with weird vowels, it's kinda unsettling to Americans.

[@AlsActionEnglish]

Why unsettling?

[@garyhutton2654]

You went to school to learn that ffs

[@sall76d]

Struggling to give a shit