The Irish accent is considered to be one of the most attractive by many people across the world – but for one New Zealand man it is more than just pleasant on the ear.
Speaking in the accent actually helped him to over come a problem that ha troubled him his whole life.
Nick Prosser has always suffered with a stutter, but he found that speaking in an Irish accent helped him to eradicate the problem almost altogether.
He only made the discovery when he attempted the Irish brogue for a bit of fun.
He said: “I tried the accent and then next thing we are having a long conversation with no stuttering.
“I was like ‘woah, you just helped me stop stuttering’. I couldn’t believe it. I had been to so many speech therapists and doctors and they never suggested this technique.”
It has done wonders for Prosser’s confidence as he had often found that his stutter made him hold back in conversations and even affected his work.
Although he was never shy in social situations, he would become frustrated when he tried to speak but his words wouldn’t come out.
He said: “They would all be having their conversation and I would be by myself just not saying anything, because when I try to open a conversation it is a lot harder for me. But now that I’ve come across speaking in my new voice it’s made me a lot more confident.”
Prosser is of Irish descent through his mother but has never been to Ireland himself. He puts his ability to speak in an Irish accent down to his heritage.
He added that other people who struggle with a stutter might find it helpful to look into their genealogy and try speaking in the accent of their ancestors.
Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling