learning irish

Tá Failte Romhat! For all conversation about the Irish language. Scots Gaelic discussion welcome.
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The purpose of this forum is to provide a place for people who are interested in the Irish language and various Celtic languages to discuss them, to practice them, and to share information about them, particularly (but not exclusively) in the context of traditional music and culture.

This is not a "translation forum," per se, though translation requests may occasionally be honored at the discretion of the moderators. If you're seeking a one-time translation for something like a tattoo, engraving, wedding vow, or other such purpose, we strongly recommend that you visit our friends at ILF: http://irishlearner.awyr.com
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Nicoharp
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learning irish

Post by Nicoharp »

Hello,
can you give me some good books and cd to learn irish ?
i would like to learn irish but don't where to start :)

thanks
Nicolas
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Redwolf
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Re: learning irish

Post by Redwolf »

Nicoharp wrote:Hello,
can you give me some good books and cd to learn irish ?
i would like to learn irish but don't where to start :)

thanks
Nicolas
Hi, Nicolas!

We review quite a few good self-teaching products here:

http://www.learnirishgaelic.com/productcomparison/

Irish On Your Own/Now You're Talking is one of the best products out there for absolute beginners, though for some reason they still use audiotapes rather than CDs. If you're in the U.S., Teach Yourself Irish is widely available at Borders and Barnes & Noble, and is pretty decent (you'll want to get the version with the audio CDs).

Redwolf
...agus déanfaidh mé do mholadh ar an gcruit a Dhia, a Dhia liom!
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Nicoharp
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Re: learning irish

Post by Nicoharp »

Hello,
i found this book : learning irish :)
I've just seen that there is an iPhone app on irish : gaelic (irish) study buddy! Someone knows this application ?
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Redwolf
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Re: learning irish

Post by Redwolf »

Nicoharp wrote:Hello,
i found this book : learning irish :)
I've just seen that there is an iPhone app on irish : gaelic (irish) study buddy! Someone knows this application ?
Image
If you're interested in the Connacht (Cois Farraige) dialect, that can be a decent resource, depending on your learning style. It's the same as this one, at the link I gave you earlier:

http://www.learnirishgaelic.com/product ... oduct_id=8

If you read the reviews there, some people dislike it because it's very grammar-heavy and because it's strongly focused on one dialect. Others have complained about the layout.

I really recommend reading all the reviews at the link I gave you in my previous post...there's a lot of useful information there.

Here's one I've used, and found useful:

http://www.learnirishgaelic.com/product ... oduct_id=5

I also just took delivery of this:

http://www.siopagaeilge.ie/products/C%F ... ct1-26.htm

It's nicely organized and approachable. I plan to use it with my beginners.

I know someone who has that app...he likes it. I don't have an iPhone, so can't speak for it myself.

BTW, if anyone is interested, the correct answer is "chair" :D

Redwolf
...agus déanfaidh mé do mholadh ar an gcruit a Dhia, a Dhia liom!
Katherine
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Re: learning irish

Post by Katherine »

Hi Nicolas, I know that this is a really late reply, but hopefully you'll check back and see this message!

Definitely try to get a copy of the book Colloquial Irish, by Thomas Ihde (just make sure that the text comes with the CDs as well).

Also, see if your local library might have Teach Yourself Irish, or, if it doesn't, whether they can procure it for you by inter-library loan. I suggest the library for Teach Yourself Irish, because I've had one friend who found it to be disjointed and not strong enough on grammatical points--but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth a look. :)

And lastly, this is the trick that I use for keeping up my fluency in a couple of the Middle Eastern languages that I speak: Try the website Livemocha.com! You sign up for free, and you can help others learn English while getting helping learning Irish! The website is great--you can chat with Irish speakers the world over for free. :) Happy learning!
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Re: learning irish

Post by Redwolf »

Katherine wrote:
And lastly, this is the trick that I use for keeping up my fluency in a couple of the Middle Eastern languages that I speak: Try the website Livemocha.com! You sign up for free, and you can help others learn English while getting helping learning Irish! The website is great--you can chat with Irish speakers the world over for free. :) Happy learning!
I was on Livemocha.com for a while, but unfortunately, found it less than useful. There were very few Irish learners or teachers there. I also got tired of being deluged with requests to help people with their English (the site seems extremely popular with English learners). Perhaps it's changed now, though.

Redwolf
...agus déanfaidh mé do mholadh ar an gcruit a Dhia, a Dhia liom!
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