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Stephen Colbert gets a lesson in Irish accents from 'Brooklyn' star Saoirse Ronan

When you've got a guest with a name like "Saoirse Ronan," it's only natural to want to brush up on your Irish accent.
/ Source: TODAY

As any reputable talk show host knows, when you've got a guest with a name like "Saoirse Ronan," it's only natural to want to brush up on your Irish accent.

But why not kill two birds with one stone and do a joint linguistics-lesson-slash-interview — right on the spot?

That must've been the thinking behind Stephen Colbert's latest interview with the "Brooklyn" starlet, who you may also know from the 2007 film "Atonement" or 2014's "The Grand Budapest Hotel."

He wastes no time getting to the point: "Americans love Irish people," he tells her, before asking if she might help him perfect "a real Irish accent."

Though she admits it'll be a challenge, she's up for it. And so the fun begins.

First things first, the charming duo decide to clarify what tone Colbert should go for. After all, as Ronan reminds him, you really don't want to make your voice too high and soft, the way many do when they're trying to mimic an Irish accent.

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And you don't want to go all gruff and gravely, either. ("That's the, like, angry Irish Catholic," she says.)

According to Ronan, the host's first attempts were "not bad. It wasn't bad. It's not great, but it's not ... it's not bad," she says. Go, Colbert, go.

Then comes a quick run-through of traditional Irish names.

There's Saoirse, of course, pronounced "like inertia," but there were also a few others to tackle: Tadhg, Niamh, Oisin, Siobhan and Caoimhe. ("This is the one that absolutely breaks my brain," Colbert admits.)

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"Kwee-vah," sounds out Ronan when presented with "Caoimhe."

"One more time?" asks a befuddled Colbert.

"Kwee-vah!" she repeats.

"You ... go to hell," the weary host concludes.