Does anyone else get mistaken for being Irish?

I'm an American living in England with my husband, and everyone thinks I'm Irish! I'm not offended, but completely astounded. Not one person I've met at work and other places has thought that I was American until I informed them, just Irish. Even when I wasn't speaking at all, someone asked me if I was from Ireland. :3

Does any other American here get mistaken for being Irish?

I'm sure we've had this discussion before, you can probably find it if you dig a bit.  Basically, yes, this happens frequently.  The Northern Irish is one of the few UK accents that contains rhotic r's.  Take it as a compliment, is my advice. 

Ah. I do take it as a compliment.

Sorry if I'm repeating then! I do read some of the older topics, but it can take ages going through them all. :\

No. I have a Northern Irish  friend and we don't sound remotely alike.

Well, seeing as how there are various American and Irish accents......

I will say that I have heard some Irish accents to which I even had to strain my ears in order to tell if they were American or Irish..

Yes, but I think it's more because I look Irish.  I look like Ireland and a Scandinavian country got together and had a baby.  My husband has even had an Irish co-worker see a picture of me and ask if I was Irish.  Although I do have Irish ancestors, it's through my grandmother's mother, so it's not exactly the strongest of lines.

The r's may be what is throwing people off.  From a distance, in crowds or if you're not listening carefully, it's sometimes hard to tell the two accents apart especially if there is an element of a transatlantic influence to either.

Someone asked me if I was from Northern Ireland the last time I was over! I thought it was really strange at the time. The rhotic thing makes sense except I'm from the part of the Northeast that's supposed to have some non-rhotic accents. I don't really know what my accent is, though so I don't know if it's rhotic or not.

It's happened to me a couple of times.  I'm from the mid-atlantic region of the US (Philadelphia to be more exact).  Some of the more posh sounding Irish accents (certainly not a thick Northern Irish accent!) sound a bit east-coast American.  There is one young woman in particular that I thought was American at first, a presenter on Countryfile (a dark-haired very pretty, maybe mixed race Irish girl).

We had a discussion a while ago, not sure where it is or what thread, but it could be because of the Irish immigrants coming over to the US and settling in pockets on the east coast and that in turn influencing the accent of the people there.  Though that of course was not limited to the Irish.

Sorry if I'm repeating then! I do read some of the older topics, but it can take ages going through them all. :\

Don't worry, its always fun to bring up old discussions!! 


Never happened to me - I sound very generic American.   

I once got asked 5 times in one night by 5 different people if I was Irish! I get asked quite a bit actually.

People who ask, ask me if I'm Canadian. Most people make a polite, open ended statement that is most certainly not an intrusive question, no siree, about my not being a local.

Yes, I get mistaken for Irish all. the. time! Way more often than for American or Canadian, but I'm okay with that. Though more and more, people don't even ask where I'm from, and if they do, it's only after talking with me for ten minutes that they cotton on that I'm "not from round here"!

I do.. but I thought thats because we lived in Dublin for a year or so or asked if Im Canadian. A lot of people cant hear my American accent, but I have a feeling thats down to having a British/London accent until I was about 6 or so, and Ive now just regressed back to that (with a twinge of Yorkshire)

I think I've only gotten the Irish thing once, and it was from a ticket man at the train station.  I guess I say "Partick" with and Irish accent or something.  Otherwise, there's really just no hiding the fact that I'm North American. 

I do! its so funny!