PIERCE BROSNAN HAS responded to criticism of his Irish accent in MobLand saying his own voice is “very soft”.

The Drogheda-born actor plays mobster Conrad Harrigan in the Paramount+ series, which follows the Harrigan crime family and their battle with the Stevenson family in London, but despite the actor being from Ireland, he has faced backlash for his accent in the role.

The Irish Independent’s review of the series said Brosnan’s speaking voice as Conrad was “all over the shop and a huge distraction”.

In response to criticism, Brosnan told Radio Times: “My own accent is very soft, Conrad’s accent is a million miles away from me.”

He went on to explain that the inspiration for the accent was a man suggested by his dialect coach, adding: “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.

“It was a Kerry accent and so I just gave it full tilt.”

The man believed to be the source of Brosnan’s inspiration is none other than junior minister Michael Healy-Rae. 

When Healy-Rae was asked if he thought he was the Kerry man Brosnan was imitating, he said: “Sure, of course I am. In my opinion, yes it is me, alright.”

Healy-Rae’s conclusion doesn’t come out of nowhere, Brosnan is previously on record as saying he prepared for the role by listening to “tapes of an Irish politician”. 

In the Radio Times interview, Brosnan also spoke of the mix of worry and excitement he faces when taking on new roles.

The 72-year-old explained: “Every job is a challenge and it all comes with a thump of anxiety, because you have to do something.

“What are you doing on the stage? Why are you there? So that’s constant. You live with that. You live with that stress all the time, and that’s what’s so exhilarating.

“That’s what makes you alive.”

Brosnan is best known for playing James Bond from 1995 to 2002, he has also starred in Hollywood hits such as Mamma Mia! and Mrs Doubtfire. 

Brosnan will appear in a film adaption of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club book, which is set for release in August.

- With reporting by David MacRedmond