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From:
Subject: [NIR-DOWN] Accents
Date: Mon, 9 Sep 2002 21:02:19 EDT

Nora wrote<<are there parts of County
Down where someone who lived in the Hilltown area would think the accent was
more difficult to understand?>>

I don't know. But my G-Grandfather from N'ards and Ballyhay and my
G-Grandmother from Ballymurphy have descendants that say you could not
understand what they were saying. The Scots brogue was that thick! And I
found that amazing. I know they were all in Co. Down from at least the 18th
century. My G-Grands immigrated to Chicago in 1881. In 1910, they still
spoke with the thick brogue.

I have a book titled "Across the Fields of Y

esterday" by Hugh Robinson. Mr. Robinson was raised in Newtownards and
Ballyhay. He wrote the book in the Ullans language that he grew up with.
Here is an excerpt:

"Ah cannae weel min the wye o it, but there cam a time whun the valiant Mr.
Ward hud tae lave the schuil, an that wus the enn o us haein a resident
teacher. It micht be haird tae believe, but there wus a wheen o times efter
that nae teacher ava boathered tae show up at the schuil. We wud hing aboot
fer a while an then dander oan hame, hopin fer mair o the same the nixt day."


It is just very interesting to read this book and try to "translate" the
passages.

Sandra

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