Well, Patrick, it's very prevalent in Ulster, and I honestly can't say that I hear Munster or Connachta speakers using it, but that doesn't mean they don't. I'd say if you haven't come across it in your Munster reading, then probably it's not so typical down there. Would be easily understood, of course.

Domhnall

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Ultach mé agus Gaeilg Uladh a labhraim go measardha maith!

"Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla", is dócha

FGB = Foclóir Gaeilge Béarla de chuid Néill Uí Dhónaill, le fáil anseo: http://breis.focloir.ie/ga

Domhnall

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Ultach mé agus Gaeilg Uladh a labhraim go measardha maith!

Well, I should have checked before answering.

Daithí, how was the shiúl pronounced? /x'u:l/ or /hu:l/ when your CD people said it?

So far I only heard it pronounced like /er' x'u:l/.
Normally slender sh + ú has a slender ch sound.

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

A Lúghaidh, it is possible straightforward like that in Ulster Irish, and theoretically should be everywhere, but see IWM, paragraphs 382 and 383.

Im afraid i never got around to learning the phonetic alphabet , but sounded almost like a slender ch.
But it is very possible they just modified their speech in a way they presumed I would more easily understand.

I can always ask next time someone says it

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Bíonn rudaí maithe mall

One viewpoint is that of literal vs. metaphoric usage, for example ar bhord would be on a table while ar bord would be on a ship.

Have ye heard of the notion of 'semantic frames'? You could think of the idea of parallel realities around the objective one, so for example, in the sun comes out and the fire goes out, in the former, the sun is sort of hiding from the viewer but enters the frame ('comes 'in') and in the latter, the fire leaves the common space (goes 'out'). Get it?

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__̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.___

"Ar" is a funny one, and the explanations in grammar books don't seem to help much.

The Collins book I'm using says:

"It aspirates nouns when they indicate a general situation"

and it doesn't aspirate nouns when:
"...they portray general position."
"...they portray a state or condition."
"...they are related to time."

Unfortunately the examples in the book lend no real clarity to what the difference between "a general situation" and "a state or condition" is...!

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A language belongs to its native speakers, and when you speak it, you are a guest in their homes.
If you are not a good guest, you have no right to complain about receiving poor hospitality.

Although this...

...presumably falls into the "state or condition" category, as they use the example Bhí sé ar meisce (he was drunk).

The most confusing example is "Tá cóta ar Sheán". Why is that a "general situation"? Why not a "state"? I don't know, but it's in the same sort of category of "ar shiúl" for away. He's on a journey. I would call that a state, personally, so that's a weakness in the grammar book I'm using.

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A language belongs to its native speakers, and when you speak it, you are a guest in their homes.
If you are not a good guest, you have no right to complain about receiving poor hospitality.