Caitriona Balfe Teaches Conan A Gaelic Phrase - CONAN on TBS

[@HyButchan]

Her Irish accent is very clear. She is just a well-spoken Irish person. Americans are expecting to hear an Irish accent from the bogs and are not used to a standard clear Irish accent.

[@markwaldron8954]

The exact opposite is true.

[@hyperrat12]

@@markwaldron8954 not at all.

[@bighands69]

It is not a strong irish accent and is very mild.

[@hyperrat12]

@@bighands69 I've just been around Irish people my whole life and the only person who's accent I can't detect is my ma. Other than her Irish accents are VERY obvious to me

[@bighands69]

@@hyperrat12 If you listen carefully you can hear many of the accents but when it comes to mild accents that are subtle it can be hard. I have mistakenly misidentified Scottish and Northern English accents for Irish. You can get people in Scotland that sound like they are from Northern Ireland.

[@melps2124]

She totally sounds Irish to me. Not thick accent but you can hear it.

[@ciarabyrne4952]

Exactly like my accent it's soft

[@jeffhegarty]

Her Irish accent, when speaking English, is still noticeable. If I remember my Wikipedia correctly, she's from Monaghan. The phrase she used is pure Ulster Irish, almost native-speaker standard. That's the part that impressed me.

[@Monaghan]

Up Monaghan. As someone from there myself I can barely hear her accent at all tbh.

[@jeffhegarty]

@@Monaghan It's not strong when she speaks English, that's for sure

[@moorenicola6264]

If she from Monaghan that definitely is not a Monaghan accent! She sounds like she has a neutral Dublin accent with a little American mixed in.

[@jeffhegarty]

@@moorenicola6264 She's been in the US a long time, but has remained true to her roots (insofar as that's possible). That's what the Outlander series is all about in the end

[@pio4362]

@@moorenicola6264 South (bourgeois to posh) Dublin to be precise, with standard American mixed in. The South Dublin is odd hearing on a Monaghan person, she must have spent a lot of time in the big smoke before going off to the States.

[@victorocallaghan6791]

She has a posh Irish accent. Upper class dublin accent

[@BlakieTT]

She is gorgeousssssssss!

[@Nickee_Sonicjinn]

I love listening to Caitriona Balfe's interview because she's such a great speaker who really has a plethora of knowledge and ideas about her work but this compiled version of the interview is just too short! Give us the full version of their conversation, Team Coco! 😏💚🧡💛

[@timfronimos459]

She's outta the box beautiful!

[@janewolfe9137]

She is so charming!

[@blackibex]

Conan is a Gaelic male name that is common mainly in England and Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic root word cú with a diminutive suffix and means "little wolf".

[@catsy26]

Not wolf. Hound. My surname is Conlon.

[@blackibex]

@@catsy26 You're right.

[@mytube001]

Irish spelling is actually very logical and highly regular. It might look daunting and strange to an English speaker, but it's far from the mess that is English spelling. Once you learn the rules of Irish spelling (they're not very complicated or numerous), you can read and speak just about any word or sentence you find, despite not understanding the meaning. There are a few, fairly rare exceptions that rely on knowledge of grammar to pronounce correctly, but apart from that, it's easy!

[@michaelcullen5308]

I would agree that it’s logical and regular. But I would also say it’s overdue the kind of spelling reform that English has undergone over the centuries. It might even attract more people to the language if, for instance, Leary wasn’t spelled “Laoghaire”. I know that’s an easy word for natives, but to foreigners it’s impenetrable.

[@mytube001]

@@michaelcullen5308 Irish spelling was last reformed (in a way) within living memory. English, on the other hand, has never undergone a formal spelling reform. English has simply evolved naturally, but due to the significant changes in pronunciation over 800 years, English spelling is no longer phonetic. It hasn't been close to phonetic since the 1300s! Irish is probably more phonetic now than it was 150-200 years ago, when it was still widely spoken natively (and monolingually by many), since the writing system today influences new learners.

[@donaloflynn]

@@michaelcullen5308 I'm all for reform of Irish spelling and grammar, but doing away with historically significant spellings is a terrible idea from a heritage perspective. My mother named me Donal O'Flynn, an Anglicised spelling of Domhnall Ó Floinn meaning "the ruler of the world descended from ruddy faced men" (cool I know!). I would never put Domhnall Ó Floinn on my passport or identity documents as speakers of American English can't even fathom the o apostrophe, but it is going to be on my business card as an Irish language journalist in the coming years.

[@SofiaBerruxSubs]

@@michaelcullen5308 English never had a spelling reform

[@willhqAUS]

Consider the words "daughter" vs. "laughter" or "ration" vs "nation" vs "cation" (last one out there a bit... negatively charged ion).

[@mircas1964]

She's stunning!

[@colmwhateveryoulike3240]

She sounds very much Irish with only a few hints here and there that she's lived in America for a while. What Conan doesn't understand is that there are multiple distinct accents for each of the 32 counties in the island of Ireland.

[@bighands69]

It is not a strong Irish accent and probably is her tv voice.

[@colmwhateveryoulike3240]

@@bighands69 Definitely a hint of the D4/RTE accent alright. I thought she sounded mainly Dublin with the odd hint of midlands at first but right enough now you mention it.

[@helenamcaree8352]

@@colmwhateveryoulike3240 I think the thing is that people rarely hear Monaghan accents in particular, and depending on the part of the county you either sound exactly like her or really, really Northern. Her vowels are still really flat though, which is a very distinctly Cavan/Monaghan/Louth I don't hear in the rest of the country as much.

[@colmwhateveryoulike3240]

@@helenamcaree8352 Ah is that it? That wouldn't be the first time I've been caught out by a Monaghan accent now you mention it.

[@Aaron-he3qd]

@Colm Whateveryoulike No I don’t think that is a Dublin sounding accent at all. I’ve always found Monaghan/ Cavan accents to have a bit of a twang which could be mistaken for American

[@Agoscastro98]

I’m so in love with her

[@harperwalsh9041]

For those wondering, the phrase she said is spelt "tá tú comh chamtha le cos deireadh madaidh"

[@DennisHecox]

omg i love her laughs

[@SweetCarolineBAMBAMBAM]

Finally an Irish celebrity that speaks Irish!! Woooh

[@oceantree5000]

Conor McGregor speaks some Irish as well; he went to bunscoil, I believe.

[@SweetCarolineBAMBAMBAM]

@@oceantree5000 oh yeah I forgot about that, thank you

[@oceantree5000]

@@SweetCarolineBAMBAMBAM tá fáilte romhat!

[@TheAyla2004]

@@oceantree5000 was he the one with the famous go amach phase

[@oceantree5000]

@@TheAyla2004 níl fhios agam!

[@michaelcullen5308]

I think she sounds completely Irish.

[@stargazer0480]

Nah, very anglicised. Just like Soirise Ronin

[@amritawhitman8112]

I agree. It's not very pronounced because she's obviously worked on developing a standard British English dialect which she uses well in Outlander, but I can definitely hear traces of the Irish accent during interviews.

[@oceantree5000]

@@stargazer0480 …whom one could immediately identify as Irish when hearing her speak naturally… 🤷‍♀️

[@oceantree5000]

@@trevoroconnor7133 Hm. Doesnt sound West Country to me, really. I heard her speaking and asked my wife, “who’s the Irish lady?”

[@rsvihla]

Sounds Irish to me.

[@hugostiglitz6914]

She sounds totally Irish. CoB has no idea what he's talking about. The irish accent changes from county to county.

[@bighands69]

Her accent is very mild and can be hard to pick up.

[@moorenicola6264]

Not just from county to county. You could go five miles in any county and the accent has changed.

[@peteowen3539]

Beautiful

[@Cork_UO]

You can clearly hear the Irish accent.

[@andreo.7633]

Dude what a beauty oh wow

[@mubashirlatif1479]

Love her!

[@vickie30]

She is so beautiful..

[@HaerinPaul]

Lovely posh Irish accent ❤

[@StoveyStoveTop]

“Gaelic” is Scottish. Irish is Irish. (Gaeilge is the OG name for the Irish language) Surprised Caitriona didn’t correct Conan, but she’s just so polite and graceful. And oh boyo, how graceful she was in Belfast. A fantastic film…Thank you, Kenneth Branagh!

[@glasgowbrian1469]

Both Irish and Scottish Gaelic are spelt the same in English, but the Scots pronounce it “Gallic”.

[@silverkitty2503]

@@glasgowbrian1469 no they are not ...im irish its GAEILGE for irish ...and gaelic or gallic ...for scots gallic ..and gaeilge is pronounced gwailge they are not spelt the same nor pronounced the same.

[@deaganachomarunacathasaigh4344]

We generally don't ad not to shame them

[@craigmorrison1353]

@@silverkitty2503 Gallic is the ancient Gaul language. We just pronounce Gaelic like that when referring to the language because our own word is Gàidhlig. The other pronunciation is usually used when talking generally about Gaelic languages and culture as a whole.

[@kascally]

Gaelic is a perfectly good word to describe the Irish language. Consider that the Gaelic Athletic Association is the official body in charge of indigenous Irish sports. There is Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic, also known as Erse.

[@abitofcraic]

In fact, Coinín actually means rabbit in Irish 😂

[@SuperFred001]

In Belgium we say konijn wich is pretty similar I never knew

[@Μαρίαπ-μ8β]

In Greek is "koniklos" or "kouneli"

[@killthemage5856]

In Filipino it's "Kuneho" which comes from the spanish "conejo". This thread is awesome

[@emidotcom.]

”Kanin” in swedish

[@MrKuriIIko]

In Russian it's krolik, probably an Indo-European root

[@solarblitzX]

DAE think she looks like Ellie Kemper? I swear I thought it was her!

[@thebrowneyedbrunette5275]

Same!! I thought it was her at first and I was like, is Erin Irish?!

[@liberty2308]

She is like an elongated Ellie Kemper!

[@erangaedirimanne1315]

You'r so breathtaking.. I can listen all day every day

[@AGAFilmsCine]

Very natural!!

[@georgemackenzie3676]

People think her accent sounds American? Sounds quite Irish to me actually...

[@-----REDACTED-----]

Oh she has without doubt a lovely and clearly noticeable Irish accent. The heck Conan?!

[@glasgowbrian1469]

To recognise accents properly, you need to have lived in the place the accent comes from. Then you will know the many variations that exist in society strata and place. My soft well spoken Glasgow accent is recognised by Glaswegians, but not the English where I’ve now lived for over 50 years. Some think I'm Irish, and I’ve made mistakes as well. Now I can recognise an accent from a village that’s only 6 miles away, because I worked part time in a bar there in a farming community. The farm labourers spoke quite differently to the London commuters who now live there. I once had an argument with an English person who refused to believe that Hardeep Singh Kholi, a turbaned Punjabi BBC presenter was from Glasgow. I love the Glasgow accents of male Punjabis and girls of Indian heritage. And the accent of a Scottish highland lassie just melts me. I found the soft Irish accent of a Kerry Irish doctor was so nice to listen to, when I visited Kerry. Just ignore political boundaries, it’s the people that matter.

[@moorenicola6264]

I hate the term "well spoken". It implies that those who do not have the same accent as you are poorly spoken and somehow lesser than you. Not nice.

[@kiltilly98]

The Language is IRISH (Gaeilge). Go order a book or audio to learn to speak GAELIC and you will be learning the Gaelic Language of Scotland. If you wish to learn the Gaelic language spoken in Ireland than you had better order books and audio on Irish.

[@fromireland8663]

@Mylie Doherty. "Gaelic" is a perfectly valid English adjective to describe anything associated with the Gaels, including the gaelic languages of Ireland and Scotland. Pedantic or what !!!

[@fromireland8663]

@patrick newton you're right.

[@moorenicola6264]

@@fromireland8663 no it is not valid. Gaelic is an adjective in Ireland not the name of our language.

[@AoifeNiBhraoin]

@@moorenicola6264 Fluent Irish speaker here. The language is referred to as Gaelainn in Munster, Gaeilge in Connacht and Leinster, AND Gaelic in Ulster.

[@AoifeNiBhraoin]

I am a fluent Irish speaker. Speakers of the Ulster-Irish dialect refer to Irish as Gaelic. So no, it's perfectly fine to say Gaelic, even if it also refers to the group of Celtic languages.

[@keysersoze5920]

Classy lady with terrific legs!

[@IosuamacaMhadaidh]

About the name Conan; Etymology. From Middle Irish Conán, from Primitive Irish (conann), a derivative of Proto-Celtic *kū (“dog”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ Interesting side note, in Welsh dog is Ci, and Scots Gaelic Cù.

[@Darraghcollins]

I'm Irish and iv never seen or heard of her. But she's extremely beautiful 😍

[@Aaron-he3qd]

I’ve always found the Monaghan accent and some northern accents have a bit of a twang which could be mistaken for American but I can still here the Irish in her accent.

[@chyl0764]

I love her so much. So does my wife.

[@MrSchizoid405]

She definitely has an Irish accent, the more the video goes on the clearer that becomes.

[@retrothingz]

O'Brien's Irish shtick at the 1.00 minute mark is hilarious

[@ABS-oh8jt]

And exaggerated....I'm Irish and sound just like Caitriona, not what Conan thinks!!!!

[@JK-ln5fo]

I miss conan

[@Jordothecat98]

As a giant Irish Conan fan, genuinely asking (not hating) why does Conan’s channel have way lower views then the other late night shows that suck? It seems so odd

[@TheMijman]

Because he's not political, and doesn't conform to normal late-night rules. They do their own thing.

[@lexiehua1457]

And he doesn’t pay for bots

[@owenmccord5078]

Unless something has changed, he’s also the only big one that’s on cable as opposed to one of the big networks.

[@SuperFred001]

Because people are to stupid now they like the bullshit

[@silverkitty2503]

@@owenmccord5078 I have heard he doesn't get on with people and is hard to work with.

[@S1L3NTG4M3R]

she's nice

[@Kp-pk9nl]

You know Conan was so into her

[@MedalionDS9]

Who can blame him

[@Agoscastro98]

@@MedalionDS9 yeah, she’s so gorgeous and hot

[@mm9773]

What? You can tell she’s Irish during the first sentence. When she says “ear”, at the very latest.

[@cr112784]

Bent as a dogs hind leg but sounds so so beautiful!

[@joseapsantos3633]

Boa noite, uma linda mulher, majestosa. Adorei o vídeo.

[@ceciliawallerstrom8666]

She is fantastisk 😍🤩

[@avatr7109]

she's pretty tho

[@rishabh3687]

Look at how huge Conan's head looks in comparsion to hers. Its crazy.

[@doriswaddington2418]

Claire!!

[@melvin4976]

Ellie Kempner’s Irish accent isn’t believable AT ALL

[@GayorgVonTrapp]

That woman is BOSS.

[@AmedBenlafkih]

Irish people speaking american accent it's normal for me but her english accent in outlander is so good i dont know how she do it

[@808zhu]

She's got legs... And knows how to use them. 👍

[@movieshortssociety]

I love everything Irish.

[@kimothemo]

I thought it was Kimmy Schmidt. Damn it!

[@jasperstuut]

Those leggs..🔥

[@borismuller86]

*BONK*

[@thatBroErick]

Those legs go to heaven, every time.

[@hindsightpov4218]

Those legs walked down the Victoria’s Secret runway.

[@HigherPlanes]

Your ripped the words right outta my mouth.

[@chess4072]

I don't know much about Irish but Conan O'Brien SCREAMS Irish to me. I searched it up to make sure and both names are of Irish origin 😭

[@sratus]

Well done Sherlock.

[@sonofJurell]

I knew a few Irish people. My manager was Irish and his accents was very light. A woman joined my company and for the first few weeks I spoke to her I thought she was Dutch until I asked her what part of Holland she was from and then told me she was from southern Ireland.

[@loeuvrededieu]

I think if you're used to Irish accents you can hear her Irish accent, otherwise it's not that obvious

[@foxman4455]

she's 37 here?!?!?!? WOW

[@thefaithisyours]

If Conan drinks alcohol probably his Irish accent will be back too, lol. WE MISS YOU GUYS!!!!

[@vinniegigante6810]

My name is Vincent... in Gaelic it’s Uinseann , crazy lol

[@jimmyburkeirishgoodfella5720]

We still use the Irish language a lot . The old timers use it in prison so the British gaurds can’t understand what they’re saying. Just another weapon against the British oppressors 🍀🇮🇪🥃🤣🤣🤣

[@ciaran6309]

Catriona is irish name itself. Meaning Catherine

[@SofiaBerruxSubs]

Gaelic is derived from the spelling of Gaelige so for American to call it Gaelic isn't wrong. We refer to it as Scottish and irish Gaelic two different versions but still Gaelic.

[@veronicadredd22]

she definitely has an Irish accent, No one calls the language Gaelic, Its called Irish or Gaeilge

[@MrSchizoid405]

In Ulster they do call it Gaelic, there's different regional dialects. very few irish people speak Irish or Irish Gaelic.

[@AoifeNiBhraoin]

Fluent Irish speaker here. It's called Gaelic in Ulster, Gaelainn in Munster, and Gaeilge in Connacht and Leinster.

[@steelydanlover1972]

I live in.Belfast. No one I know calls it Gaelic.

[@CrackaPackify]

She's just well spoken, like yeah she doesn't have a real culchie Monaghan accent, but she's very obviously Irish

[@JohnSmith-nf8bi]

“My wife and I love the name neev ore nev...”

[@moorenicola6264]

The proper spelling is Niamh.

[@robertroddy]

see Belfast

[@lauraisaacson6252]

Yes!

[@erinmalone2669]

I have no idea who she is, but she looks like if Jennifer Lawrence and Ellie Kemper were smooshed together in one person

[@BadDubII]

Her accent defo comes and goes

[@drewfromyay882]

She definitely sounds Irish, just an Americanized version of it. This is an older interview, she sounds even more American in 2024 but still has a slight Irish lilt.

[@DEvilParsnip]

Didnt know she was irish ... says an irish man..... niceeeeeeee

[@1920sBuffaloGuy]

Beautiful black Irish.

[@liberty2308]

English is my second language and I feel my accent shifting depending on the kind of English I’m exposed to at the moment. When I was watching crown, it shifted toward the British English and now that I’m in love with Moira from Schitt’s creek, it is just weird...

[@RojaJaneman]

Min switches to British to New Jersey to Standard American depending on the people I’m around. And I have zero control over it. Used to freak me out!!

[@nalajskrik6720]

English is my second language too, and I try to get rid of my norwegian accent, and I sound more british english now. I also try the scottish one, is so beautiful.

[@igotyouallday9483]

As a German: she definitely sounds Irish. It’s always the R

[@dubmait]

She clearly has an Irish accent it's just not very strong

[@johnathanbennett6260]

Awesome. Wish I could practice my Gaelic with her.

[@johnmc3862]

Conan loves the old stage Irish BS! 😂😂😂

[@PureChivalry]

Conan I spotted an Error!!!! When you said you looked up Conan in Gaelic, it meant "wide head." Well according to Google, Conan, actually is derived from Gaelic, and it means small wolf. Give yourself more credit brother. We share the same birthday too! Take care!! 😄

[@silverkitty2503]

it doesn't mean small wolf ....it can't possibly mean anything little if you know the grammar of irish ...every little ends in ín or een ....the diminutive sufix needs to be een or í like coinín which means rabbit completely different sound also slender vowels don't evolve into broad ones easily in irish wolf in irish is mac tíre ...literally son of the land ...Cu means hound or dog ...so it would be closer to hound or dog ..but not little

[@PureChivalry]

@@silverkitty2503 This name derives from the Irish name “Conán”, composed of two Gaelic elements: “cú” (wolf, hound) plus “diminutive suffix (nán)” (little). In turn the name means “little wolf, little hound”. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was the author who wrote the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. 1) Conan I †992) nicknamed “Le Tort” was the Duke of Brittany from 990 to his death. 2) Conan II of Rennes (~1033-1066) was Duke of Brittany, from 1040 to his death. 3) Conán mac Morna is a member of the fianna and an ally of Fionn mac Cumhail in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. You can't just take the first Google response that pops up. That's why you need to know the origin of the name and not the person. My parents could have named me kunte kinte, I still wouldn't be African.... lol

[@silverkitty2503]

@@PureChivalry im a native irish speaker ...dude stop it ...i know what it means its like saying john means god is gracious ....its just a catholic name now..its not even from ireland its from the isle of man...whatever language it came from evolved into something else

[@PureChivalry]

@@silverkitty2503 that's great that you speak Irish and still don't know the origin of the Scottish gaelic name. Good luck with your half hearted lessons on a language you don't speak lol

[@silverkitty2503]

@@PureChivalry The surname Conan comes from the Irish surname O Cuanain (O'Conein and MacConein) and is derived from the Irish Cuinin for "rabbit", son of Dugal. im a native speaker ..from the actual gaeltacht my parents speak irish and my grandparents speak it ..so ahem. The idea it comes from Cú makes no sense because Cú has always been an ancient word for hound or domestic dog not a wolfe. Wolf is mac tire ..literally son of the land. Cuinin and o Cuanain ..would sound VERY like conan to an english speaker ...whereas Cú nan ..or whatever sounds nothing like it and makes no sense. Im really quite astounded at the fact that several irish people have said it means rabbit ...and yet all the americans seem to think because they read some crap about a language they dont speak they understand it. Mac Conein ...to you would literally sound like Mc Conan....that is where the name comes from and it means rabbit ...

[@LokeshThakur]

shes an irish jennifer lawrence

[@dazza9859]

She has a middle class Dublin accent.Walk around Dundrum or Stillorgan and will hear women speak like her everywhere.

[@garfunkle5447]

Wooh, look at them legs. She gorgeous.

[@Eochaidh32]

It's "Irish"! I'm an American raised in an Irish Neighborhood in San Francisco and we had many Irish speakers and learned early that Gaelic was the language spoken in Scotland. She should have corrected the amadán!

[@Gonkawonga]

Her accent is D4 south dublin

[@Zetsuke4]

Nice

[@G-Fi-High]

I think she just sounds hot.

[@rockraprecords5198]

E is Silent in Gaelic

[@redearthpaul178]

She has an Irish accent the my ear

[@EmmaWismyhero]

She sounds sooo Irish to me as an American

[@AoifeNiBhraoin]

She sounds Irish to me as an Irish person 😂 Definitely has an American twang in places, but just a few words

[@user-jz2bm4wz1g]

Droughtlander 😣

[@lonelyone]

Legs

[@siofra3819]

Irish is the first and original Gaelic language, Scottish Gaelic and Manx, derived from Middle Irish. Irish is just called Irish

[@silverkitty2503]

goidelic was the first gaelic language ...irish came out of it..and the others yes you are correct.

[@solo1y]

We don't call it "Gaelic". We call it "Irish". It jars on the ear. I don't know why she didn't stop him. A lot of Irish people have this accent though. It's probably related to the standardising effect of television.

[@silverkitty2503]

She is sucking up...irish americans are gobshites and get over sensitive when you correct them....dunno why

[@moorenicola6264]

It's called Gaeilge but I do agree about the American influence on our accent via tv and media.

[@AoifeNiBhraoin]

She didn't stop him because Ulster-Irish speakers refer to it as Gaelic. And she herself is an Ulster woman.

[@moorenicola6264]

For the love of God, It's Gaeilge not Gaelic! Gaeilge is the language, Gaelic is the adjective.

[@dazza4345]

Her accent is 100 percent Irish.

[@andrewhooper5645]

Nice stems

[@Darraghcollins]

Good thing as Irish we aren't as easily offended as everyone else 🙂

[@eoinoconnor5783]

That doesn’t mean we all can’t find things offensive/ annoying. I have no issue with this but some things just aren’t amusing anymore.

[@keithlachtnain]

I wish people especially Americans to stop calling our language GAELIC, its Irish!!!

[@AoifeNiBhraoin]

Native Ulster-Irish speakers refer to it as Gaelic. Are you saying the native speakers are wrong?

[@eoinoconnor5783]

It’s like saying English people speak British.