Just wondering what advice you can all give on the best way to learn the Gaelic language? I looked around for a teacher or class in my city and there isn't one nearby. It seems like a very difficult language to learn and I'm wondering if anyone can recommend any videos/books/study material, etc. Thanks!

Ditto. Now 4 weeks into learning Irish. I don't think it's possible without a class to back up the books, or at least even a video conference class. Make a decision early on what dialect you're going to go for. I'd no idea it was such a problem and I dived right in with Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur only to find they were not appropriate for my dialect, yes there is still a lot to learn from these aids but at such an early stage it's best to avoid getting your head pickled with endless arguements about 'incorrect' grammar or spelling because of dialects. Just my experience so far.
Peter

As Lughaidh is always lamenting, there isn't really a full course for authentic Ulster dialect, mostly just standard Irish with a few token Ulster features. You can always ask Lughaidh here to fill you in on the Gaoth Dobhair Gaeltacht version of Ulster Irish.

For Munster Irish, there is the old Teach Yourself Irish by Myles Dillon/Donncha Ó Cróinín which is out of print but there are instructions on how to download the text in .pdf format and the sound files here: and a study group going through it here though I think they may actually be working through Séadna together instead at the moment with excellent supplementary notes by An Lon Dubh.

For Connemara Irish, especially Cois Fhairrge dialect, try Learning Irish and follow the Connemara content here.

For something more standard, Buntús Cainte is great for general pronunciation and conversation.

Whichever dialect or course you choose, you can always ask for comparisons with other dialects and with the standard here at Irish Language Forum.

PS: Most of the "arguments" about dialects come from non-natives who don't know much outside the standard or whatever dialect they learned first. We aim for dialect awareness here - learn to recognise the features of other dialects passively but concentrate on using the forms particular to whichever dialect you choose. If you are studying for exams, though, you'll also need to be able to convert the forms to standard (CO).

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

I would say classes are the best way to learn Irish quickly because you are interacting and forcing yourself to think, a good book is essential but in my opinion it takes a lot longer to learn Irish without a class, or at least Skype lessons too.

If you can't make a class, I would highly recommend the online courses here http://www.ranganna.com/Cursai.aspx?id=1&Lang=en they are interactive, have regular assessment and has things like video etc. If you would prefer a book + CD package they have the books corresponding to the online courses at http://www.siopa.ie it's basically the online course without the video & regular assessment. I found the online course more useful than the book but I had to get the book too because I also did their course in Dublin and they are both excellent.

The course is a mixture of dialects and helps you develop an ear for them all, I personally wouldn't get too worked up over dialect, doing a dialect specific course when I started learning Irish hindered me because I spent 6 months learning Ulster Irish and then didn't have a clue what they were talking about on TV when I started watching it later on. I naturally drifted towards the Conamara dialect as my studies progressed but it took me a lot of time to get the hang of it. So if you did want to go dialect specific I would recommend Conamara Irish for the fact it is what I hear most of on TV/ Radio.

Re: Buntús Cainte, it's really fashioned as it's getting long in the tooth but it is very user friendly, really well designed and fun. Even its old fashioned style has a charm, don't know though what dialect it is but It'll get you up and running. In Ulster we had 'Now You're Talking' re-badged in the US as 'Irish on Your Own', it's dated now as well but again, well designed and comes with the lessons on audio. Even though it is Ulster dialect I'm finding my class teacher contradicting some of the grammar and pronunciations as not 'current' . The books can still be found but the audio cassettes are like hen's teeth.

where is your teacher from?
The problem with Now You're Talking is that it mixes up standard Irish with Ulster Irish ; as far as I know, most people that have been recorded for that course are native speakers (but not all of them). I don't remember if they speak pure Ulster Irish or if they do speak a blend of standard and Ulster... I have got the recordings but I've not listened to them for a long time...

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

My teacher is from Belfast but that doesn't mean she speaks 'Belfast' Irish :-) . She's quite a stickler for detail and doesn't like slang, either Irish or English. She does however illustrate the etymology of the language with an infectious passion while she's teaching. I'm at a very early stage and got myself in a muddle early on trying to bang away on my own and picked up a few mixed dialect phrases, it threw me a bit so I'm hanging on her every word.
Lughaidh, are your audio lessons on cassette or CD ?

there's no slang in Now You're Talking...



mp3... aren't you a member of Ulster Irish Study Yahoogroup? I sent links to the recordings...

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

"mp3... aren't you a member of Ulster Irish Study Yahoogroup? I sent links to the recordings..."

LOL so that's you ! well I'm doubly indebted to you, I just wondered if the cassettes had been re-issued as CDs. You did a good job of digitizing yours.
No I haven't come across any slang in Now You're Talking just occasionally the teacher says, 'no we wouldn't say that now'. I have to take her word for it. My class is mixed, some former schoolboys catching up on their Irish, parents supporting their kids and complete beginners like me. The former schoolboys are forever interjecting with what they were taught 10 or so years ago and with what's 'current' in West Belfast so it's lively sometimes.
Good to put a name to your Yahoo group profile and thanks again for sharing those lessons.

The same guy who wrote "Now You're Talking" wrote "Gaeilge Gan Stró" (Éamonn Ó Dónaill) which is the book/CD set the on-line classes that Somhairle linked to uses...in many ways, it's like a reworked and improved "Now You're Talking." It's meant to be used either with or without the on-line classes. So far the books only go up to early intermediate level, but I think there's a plan for an advanced course.

Redwolf