Shane MacGowan’s widow has led criticism of Netflix‘s new hit show House of Guinness as she asks: ‘Why can nobody do an Irish accent?’
Victoria Mary Clarke, 59, who was married to the Pogues singer from 2018 until his death in 2023, is one of many furious Irelanders to have lambasted the streaming giant’s gritty period drama about the world-famous brewery.
Set against the backdrop of 19th-century Dublin and New York, the series tells the story of the legendary Guinness family after the death of patriarch Sir Benjamin Guinness.
Created by Steven Knight, the mind behind Peaky Blinders, it was thought that the show would be Netflix’s answer to Succession – which follows a similar story of a family’s battle to lead a media empire.
However, the series – which Netflix explains is ‘inspired by true stories’ – has come under fire in Ireland for its ‘cliched’ portrayal of the country’s history, ‘wooden’ acting, and an ‘invented’ gay storyline.
Even one of the family’s descendants, Molly Guinness, said just last week she felt a ‘righteous’ rage while watching the show and was left in disbelief at how bosses had chosen to portray her late ancestors.
But it has been the attempts at the Irish accent by British actors that has sparked the most fury from those on the Emerald Isle, with some journalists even claiming that the ‘jarring’ efforts have ‘haunted their dreams’.
And while Ms Clarke has defended the show’s soundtrack – which features controversial Irish rappers Kneecap and punk band Fontaines D.C – she did admit that the ‘ridiculous’ accents had been grating on her.
Victoria Mary Clarke (left) who was married to the Pogues singer (right) until his death in 2023, is one of many furious Irelanders to have lambasted the accents in House of Guinness
Set against the backdrop of 19th-century Dublin and New York, the series tells the story of the legendary Guinness family after the death of patriarch Sir Benjamin Guinness
She wrote on X: ‘I’m just wondering why NOBODY can do an Irish accent?!!! I love the look of this but the accents are ridiculous.’
Ms Clarke, who herself works as a writer, has echoed the sentiments of some newspaper journalists in Ireland.
Just last week, writers at the Irish Star said English actor James Norton’s accent as Irishman Sean Rafferty was more similar to ‘Darby O’Gill’ than 1800s Dublin.
They said: ‘Five episodes in, there’s one thing that keeps pulling me away from the action – James Norton’s accent.
‘While he’s not the only English actor in the series, his accent is the most jarring.
‘As an Irish person whose job involves watching TV and movies, some attempts at Irish accents haunt my dreams – and not in a good way.’
English actor Louis Partridge, who plays the major role of Edward in House of Guinness, did provide some insight into why the accent sounds slightly diluted in a behind the scenes address to fans.
He said Irish people in the 19th-century would have ‘realistically’ sounded like similar to him in his normal English accent.
‘We wanted to add a little bit of Irish in, so my accent currently as Edward Guinness is kind of like that,’ he added, as he upped the Irish twang while speaking.
He continued: ‘Hard on the R’s and the T’s become “tss” sometimes, whereas the Dublin we recognise today… is more of a wider sound.’
The show, which launched on September 25, is the first Netflix title to contain the option of Irish subtitles.
The series opens with the death of the formidable patriarch leaving his heirs to shoulder the weight of legacy, family rivalries and personal demons – all against the backdrop of an Ireland poised on the brink of revolution.
Inspired by real history but told with dramatic licence, the saga follows the siblings as they attempt to cement their family’s name while navigating political turmoil, complex relationships and the looming threat of retribution.
Despite growing backlash, it has received mainly positive reviews, such as four stars from the Daily Mail’s Roland White, who called it a ‘fast-moving opener’ with ‘simmering family tensions’.
