The poll of 5,000 women worldwide resulted in the Italian and the Scottish coming in the second and third position respectively.

Fourth in the list was the much-revered French.

Actor Colin Farrell was credited for the Irish accent's success, while French president Nicolas Sarkozy was blamed for the French accent's poor performance.

"The French accent is nowhere near as popular as it used to be," the Telegraph quoted a spokesman for www.OnePoll.com, which carried out the international survey, as saying.

He added: ''You can probably blame Nicolas Sarkozy for that, he has single-handedly changed the perception of how the world sees French men.

''It is good news for the Irish that they have come top, they have been in and around the top five for years now.

''But high-profile stars such as Colin Farrell have helped bring the accent more to the fore.''

World's Sexiest Accents:

1. Irish

2. Italian

3. Scottish

4. French

5. Australian

6. English

7. Swedish

8. Spanish

9. Welsh