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Metro
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Pierce Brosnan addresses criticism of his 'offensive' accent in new TV series
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Pierce Brosnan has spoken out over the criticism he received of his Irish accent in gritty drama MobLand, sharing that he just went 'full tilt' with it. The James Bond icon returned to our screens as mobster Conrad Harrigan in Guy Ritchie's new Paramount+ drama, also starring Tom Hardy, Dame Helen Mirren and Joanne Froggatt. The 72-year-old, who was born in Ireland, is clearly having the time of his life as head of the Harrigan crime family, with the acclaimed show focusing their feud with the Stevenson crew based in London. However, many were left baffled over his choices for the Irish kingpin's accent when the first episodes dropped earlier, and branded his efforts 'offensive' on social media. Having his say on the comments in a new interview, the Drogheda-native told Radio Times: 'My own accent is very soft, Conrad's accent is a million miles away from me.' Shedding light on his inspiration for the accent, Pierce explained that it was taken from someone suggested by his dialect coach. 'I told him that I needed a Kerry accent, so he gave me the name of a man and I googled the guy and that was it,' he added. 'It was a Kerry accent and so, I just gave it full tilt.' Pierce was born in Drogheda, County Louth, before making the move to Navan in County Meath – where he lived for over a decade. He then swapped Navan for Scotland with his mother and stepfather, until they eventually settled in London. Appearing on Today FM, the star – who also appeared in Mrs Doubtfire and the hit Mamma Mia films – shared that he had been nervous about his use of an accent, as his own as 'dissipated' over the years. In fact, he voiced his concerns to director Guy, after reading some of the initial scripts, but the filmmaker told him 'not to worry' about it. 'Last summer I spoke to Guy for the first time about it and having read the five episodes he said not to worry about it,' he revealed. '[He said] 'We'll just do it 15 minutes on the day, clear your mind, we'll sort it out, don't worry about it'. 'Of course, I put the phone down and did worry about it! Five weeks later I was on the set with Tom Hardy and Guy, first day, important dialogue, important information and he just said, 'more Irish, more Irish'. 'My Irish accent has dissipated into the midst of time. It's somewhat Californian and everything. So, I asked myself, 'What kind of accent would he have?' It was Kerry.' Unfortunately, Pierce's accent hasn't translated well for those watching from home, as viewers flocked to social media to rave about the show – but call out Conrad's voice. Twitter user Mike slammed: 'Pierce Brosnan accent in #Mobland is utterly ridiculous. #Paramount.' '#Mobland is excellent…….if you have not watched it get on it now…,' Colm said. 'OK yes Pierce's fake Irish accent is silly but it's grand.' More Trending Paddy agreed: 'MobLand is a great show but Pierce Brosnans accent is possibly the worst accent since tv started,,,, 'It's like nettles in my ears every time he speaks #mobland [sic].' As Angela added: 'Pierce Brosnan's accent is the only let down #MobLand.' View More » MobLand is available to stream on Paramount+ now. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
The Irish Sun
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘We're making it work' – Virgin Media star opens up on challenges of long distance marriage to Limerick hurler
VIRGIN Media star Louise Cantillon has opened up on the "challenges" of having a long distance marriage. The popular presenter is a frequent host on both Ireland AM and The Six O'Clock Show. 2 Louise Cantillon has opened up about her relationship to her husband Credit: Instagram 2 Louise is married to Declan Hannon, who is a Limerick hurler Credit: Instagram Outside of her on-screen duties, Louise also hosts a hugely popular podcast called How to Gael and has her own show on Today FM. Outside of her life in the public eye, Louise is married to Limerick hurler Declan Hannon. Due to their wavering work commitments, the pair have a long distance marriage during the week. Both of them come from Limerick, where Declan lives full time and where Louise goes on the weekend - she lives in Dublin on weekdays. Read more on Today FM Louise and Declan have , having initially met at a local teenage disco when they were 15 and 16. They got engaged in 2020 in the picturesque setting of Slea Head beach in Dingle. The happy couple Since Louise took up her job in Today FM 18 months ago she admitted there have been "more struggles" in their relationship. MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Speaking to RSVP she said: "It's definitely not conventional, but we've found our rhythm. We're very motivated people and we're still really young. Ireland AM star left unimpressed after Alan Hughes makes blunder on air "We've been together since we were 18 and we've lived so much of our lives together, but now at ages 31 and 32 it feels like we're back in college again and meeting up on the weekends. "There were more struggles last year, but we don't have kids and we don't own a house just yet. "We're making it work and Declan is so supportive." Louise also admitted that when the call came from Today FM it seemed like a no brainer decision. She explained: "I wish I could say more thought went into it, I jumped at the opportunity. There's a great phrase as Gaeilge, 'Tapaigh an deis', which means jump on the opportunity, and I'm a big believer in that. HAPPY COUPLE "When a chance presents itself to take a job that so many people want to be in, you have to take it. I didn't think twice." Recently, one of Louise's Virgin Media co stars Ireland AM's Muireann O'Connell finally got the keys to her own house after a four year search. The Limerick beauty took to Instagram earlier this month to share the happy news with her fans. Muireann posed for a quick snap at the window in her stunning sitting room with the view of palm trees and other homes in the estate behind her.
Sunday World
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Ireland's rising country star aiming high after becoming radio hit
Singer and Today FM country music presenter Clodagh Lawlor says she's ready for anything and now has her sights set on a television music show. Rising star Clodagh Lawlor reveals how landing her own country music show on Today FM has given her career a massive boost — and introduced her to one of her idols. Singer and now radio presenter Clodagh, who is a native of Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare, first shot to fame when she won The Late Late Show search for a country star in 2019 and landed the opportunity to tour with Nathan Carter. But she tells Magazine+ that her new Wednesday night country music show on Today FM has taken her to another level. Clodagh says: 'I just love that people know my name now and tell me 'oh, we listen to you on the radio.' 'I'm manifesting that I'll have a music show on RTE television next. That's what I'd love, something like The Kelly Clarkson Show… The Clodagh Lawlor Show. 'I have my boots on now and I said it at the start of the year that this year is going to be my year. When I was in Nashville with my mother we met a guy who was working in the Boot Barn store… we were chatting away and he said he was also a songwriter, adding: 'I just wrote a song for Tim McGraw and he's going to hopefully cut [record] it.' He said to my mam, 'When preparation meets opportunity nothing can stop ya.' Clodagh with Lainey Wilson 'You are prepared so much in your lifetime for these things to happen. Now I'm like, throw anything at me and I'll be ready because I'm finally comfortable in my own skin.' A fan of America's contemporary country music stars, Clodagh is now getting the opportunity to meet and interview them thanks to her Today FM show. 'I'm now getting to meet my idols on a huge scale,' she tells me. 'I was so excited meeting Lainey Wilson when she headlined the C2C festival in Belfast recently. They always say never meet your idols, but she was so incredible. Clodagh takes the mic at Today FM on Wednesday nights News in 90 Seconds - May 17th 'She was also so encouraging to me. Lainey herself didn't have overnight success and that's what I love as well. She said, 'Girl, I should have given up a hell of a long time ago. I'm 15 years in Nashville and I should have left after year two and I didn't.' She just kept the head down. 'She was asking me how long I was doing the radio job and I told her 'two months!' She said, 'You're a natural.' 'I was 30 at the weekend and she said, 'when I was 30 things just started to happen. I was doing a lot before that but nobody really saw me.' 'In the Irish country music scene I was trying to figure out what I really want to look like and sound like and what kind of artist I want to be. 'But I'm getting the idea of who I want to be now and that's exciting for me, that I finally know what I want to do and I know I can do it and I can sit there with the likes of Lainey Wilson and not be so starstruck that it's written all over my face. Put me in any situation now and I can do it. Country singer and Today FM country music presenter Clodagh Lawlor 'I absolutely love the radio, it's such a different side of things. I always said when I was growing up that I want to be in the entertainment business, regardless of what I do. Once it revolves around country music that's what I'd be happy with. I live, breathe and eat it. I just love it so much. 'Country music is getting so big as you know. Now nightclubs are tapping into it and playing country nights. It's so commercial nowadays that all kinds of people are now embracing it. 'I recently got my first DJ job where I'm playing country music for four hours in a nightclub. Never in my life did I think I was going to be behind the decks. I have a month to get my DJ skills in order before I do it. It's the radio that opened that door for me as well.' Despite being in a good place career-wise, Clodagh admits that she still panics about the future. 'I'm an awful panicker,' she admits. 'When I turned 30 at the weekend I was crying the whole time because it just hit me with emotion that life has to begin now. I feel so bad about it because at the same time I feel that there's nothing that can stop me really.' Clodagh has weathered many storms in her career. Her star was shining in 2019 after winning the Late Late Show search for a new country star, but then Covid shut down the live entertainment business. 'That was a shock because I was worried about people forgetting me,' she admits. 'I was only getting started, introducing myself to people and getting my name established and I was afraid that people wouldn't remember who I was when the pandemic was over. I'd only had my 15 minutes of fame on the Late Late Show the previous year. 'But, looking back today, I'm thankful that Covid actually gave me the chance to figure out the type of artist I wanted to be. I wouldn't be the type of performer I am today doing concerts and shows if it wasn't for that time. 'I found what I want to do looking back on the records Mum and Dad had at home and reliving the '90s country music with women like [American stars] Martina McBride, Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood… and that helped me to figure out where I was going with my music.' Clodagh, who once worked as ground staff with Aer Lingus in Shannon Airport — 'I remember people like Jamie Dornan, Tommy Tiernan and Shaggy checking in' — adds that whatever happens in her career, Ireland will always be her home. 'Ireland is a beautiful country and I am so fortunate that there is a great country music scene here,' she says. Tune in to Country Hits with Clodagh Lawlor on Today FM every Wednesday from 10pm to 12am.
Irish Examiner
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
RTÉ's Oliver Callan adds 25,000 listeners to show, according to JNLR survey
Oliver Callan was the big winner in the latest radio listenership figures, adding 25,000 in the space of a year to his weekday show on RTÉ Radio 1. The Joint National Listenership Survey (JNLR) report suggested that 3.94m people in Ireland are listening to radio every week which is the highest weekly listenership ever recorded, as 90% of all adults are tuning in. More than two million people are tuning into RTÉ radio with Morning Ireland the most listened to show in the country with 471,000 listeners, up 2,000 on the previous year. The show that follows it, Oliver Callan, has 355,000 listeners while Today with Claire Byrne has 348,000 listeners each day, up 7,000 year-on-year. Meanwhile, as he prepares for retirement, Joe Duffy can be satisfied as Liveline added 6,000 listeners year-on-year to add up to a listenership of 307,000. Brendan O'Connor has 369,000 listeners. On the weekend, Brendan O'Connor on Saturday also added listeners by the thousands, up 14,000 on Sundays year-on-year to 369,000. Patricia Monahan, director of audio at RTÉ, said: 'RTÉ 2FM retains its position as the most-listened-to by 15–34-year-olds, now reaching 714,000 listeners every week. 'RTÉ lyric fm builds on a consistent period of growth, reaching 320,000 listeners every week. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta also sees an increase in its share of audience now reaching 97,000 listeners every week as it continues to play a crucial role in supporting our language and culture.' Top 20 shows RTÉ enjoys 17 of the top 20 most-listened to programmes in the country, with Pat Kenny on Newstalk, The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show and Dave Moore on Today FM also making the top 20. Ian Dempsey has 204,000 listeners to his morning show while Dave Moore has an audience of 193,000. 'It's no surprise that one of Ireland's most loved broadcasters continues to dominate mornings,' Today FM's managing editor of music and entertainment James Brownlow said. 'Even in a challenging market, the Today FM team's ability to deliver big for its partners and audiences is unique.' Although Pat Kenny makes the top 20, his show has lost 5,000 listeners year on year with 224,000 tuning in. There was better news for Kieran Cuddihy as the Hard Shoulder added 5,000 listeners to 153,000. Newstalk also singled out Off The Ball and The Anton Savage Show at weekends as recording growth. 'Both Saturday and Sunday are proving audience winners throughout the day,' its managing editor Eric Moylan said. Elsewhere in the survey, it found 20% of 15-34 year olds are doing their radio listening through a connected device with a smart speaker. Furthermore, over 70% of people listening to radio in Ireland tune into independent local, regional or national stations. Read More Gardaí investigate viral horse cruelty video after searching farmland in Co Tipperary
Irish Independent
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Cash Machine pays out €251,000 to Wicklow man who wins biggest radio giveaway ever
South Wicklow man Carl Bergin was one of thousands to enter the Go Loud network of stations' competition, which sees an amount announced each day before a lucky entrant receives a call they must answer within five rings, then reply with the exact amount in euro and cents. Shortly before 4pm, after introducing the man making the high-stakes call, Irish radio legend Barry Dunne, Today FM presenter Dara Quilty said he was a 'bag of nerves' because the biggest ever cash prize in the history of Irish radio was about to be won, adding that he was sure Barry 'wouldn't have to make too many of these calls'. With an entrant's number randomly selected, Barry started the call. The phone rang three agonising times before a softly spoken Carl answered and told the hosts that he works and lives in the Garden County. 'I'm so glad we got somebody who answered on the very first call because it's a guaranteed winner today, and it's a lot of money,' Barry said. 'We didn't want to disappoint anybody, and I'm sure we're not about to disappoint you.' With Carl sounding remarkably relaxed on the other end of the line, Barry asked how he felt and who was with him, to which Carl said he had just arrived home after collecting his children from school and was 'as calm as a cucumber', despite admitting that he had never won 'anything remotely like this before'. A silence descended before Barry asked the big question - how much do you think is in the Cash Machine? - to which an enthusiastic Carl replied: 'I think it's €251,000'. After the studio had erupted in celebrations, Carl was asked what he was thinking of doing with the money and, in light of the massive win, if his plans for the bank holiday weekend would change. 'Myself and the wife were thinking about buying a house, so it will go a long way towards that,' he said. 'For the bank holiday weekend, I think a big barbecue is on the cards!'
