Sandwiched Between the British Isles

I'm not one that's been known to embrace mornings. In fact, I'd go as far to call mornings my arch nemesis and I'll call my alarm the most annoying sound in the world, hands down. Am I the only one that would categorize this relationship as doomed? Not as such, just ask my roommates who know not to talk to me, in fact they know pretty much not to even acknowledge my existence in the mornings and just let me roll out of bed, take my 5 minutes in the bathroom and be on my way to the train 15 minutes after rolling out of bed.
Even on sunny warm mornings I'll take my surly walk to the subway dodging kids on their way to school and other on their way to work. I'm not sure the how effective the guy standing outside the subway entrance handing out the AM New York is, but everyday the dude is like "AM New York?" and thrusts it in my path.
I know this good man is just trying to do his job, so I say "No thank you." However, if this is said at an audible level I couldn't really tell you, some days it's a mumble, some days it's said in my head and I think my lips moved. But there are some days when I actually enunciate and get the words out.
What's the worst part about the subway? Other than people, who may or may not fit in the open space sit down on the edge and slide ever so slowly until their backs are flush with the back of the seat and shimmy their shoulders so they push your shoulders just enough so that you're now shoulder to shoulder with them whether you like it or not, and yes, sometimes that is their elbow resting on your hip bone. But the worst is having to listen to inane conversations between people who yell across the cars or talk just a little too loudly, or even worse, high school kids.
I found myself in just this position one especially surly morning. These two girls had sat down on either side of me at Columbus Circle and I was like, please, please don't let them know each other and want to have a chat. And, of course they did.
I cursed the morning and widened my eyes in disbelief and contemplated whether or not the girls would be offended if I turned up my ipod. Then I decided, did I want to even move? No was the answer. I thought I'd be nice and not that person on the train that can't handle being in public, but of course I was still put off.
And that is when I heard it. The sweet vowel emphasis that is so different from the American version. And then the response had it too! My heart quickend and I was glad that I didn't turn up my music, if I did I wouldn't have been able to take the next 3 subway stops to determine where the accents came from.
My ear for accents has been retired since I've moved back from the UK, unfortunately. So I can't say where in England someone lives anymore and it takes a few vowels for me to determine Scottish vs Irish, if the brogue isn't too thick.
It's amazing the rate at which my mood changed as those young lasses chatted and how I was so intent on hearing a conversation, when mere minutes before I would have rather have died than heard the slightest peep. But I'll tell you this for free, being able to determine that one was Scottish and the other Irish made my geart fill with pride and just being sandwiched in between the Brisith Isles made me feel at home, and made the start of a great morning.