Mixed traditions: different accents

As a singer and harper (associated repertoires: Irish, Scottish, Welsh) but one who is also English I find there are many musical directions I could take. For now, I'm going to listen to everything that comes my way, and mainly focus on English and Irish style. I can't see myself stopping playing either tradition and I want to do them both well.

I find I know how I want to arrange, I know what chords I'd like to use, I can explore that for myself. What I'm looking for are just the right phrasing shapes and rhythmic gestures that make each tradition dance and make each really distinctive. I've always responded to harmony first so I'm finding it quite strange to listen to music just for the phrasing. I really like rhythm though so I'm looking forward to a new challenge.

I aim to develop two different styles (one English, one Irish) and be able to switch between them at will. I'm comparing this to cultivating a foreign accent - you start by copying, maybe analyse or note certain features, then through layers of listening and feedback trying to get a sense of the shapes behind the language. Gradually the phrasing becomes familiar, accent becomes less foreign and your voice comes through again.

I feel like I have three accents - my natural accent that is just what comes out if I don't think about it (informed by classical training and my personal sense of drama and movement), the very beginnings of an Irish accent and the very beginnings of an English accent. I'm expecting I will get a little bit of phrasing "bleed" between my styles but hope over time that can either be eliminated or made to be somehow complimentary. I will always be an English harper playing Irish music and I think that can be a positive thing. I have always felt that different traditions summon up different "energies" - each take the music to a set of different places. Why would you not want a wider palette to choose from?