I stumbled upon an interesting YouTube series called "No Béarla". It's filmed around the experiences of a guy traveling around Ireland speaking only Irish. The reactions he gets from folks are interesting. It's worth a watch for the entertainment and educational value. It is subtitled for those with little or no Gaeilge (notably, me).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyll-bBZzyk

Yeah...I remember when that came out. I think it was originally on TG4. One of the problems with it, though, is that the guy SET OUT to make Irish look useless, so he pretty much deliberately set up situations where people weren't likely to understand him, or to feel comfortable attempting to speak Irish on camera. He's a bit of a controversial figure.

Redwolf

He did, didn't he... Maybe he didn't really mean to do it, but he made things so unnatural and ridiculous that I could only find it extremely entertaining in spite of myself... LOL... I just couldn't take it seriously and perhaps that was the original idea!! TV!!

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Bí cinnte de go nglacfaidh triúr le gach aistriúchán a thabharfar.
Be sure to get three in agreement with a translation given.

What makes it worse is he speaks the worst kind of anglicised school Irish - not an accent you would want to mimic if you are serious about learning Irish.

There are some nice segments with native speakers in each region but the commentator himself was just aggravating. If it was intentional, he certainly succeeded.

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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 think being aggravating is his specialty.

Redwolf

I'd have gone across the road to avoid him too.

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It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
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Yes even I realised that his accent sounded strange - it's pity, I suppose it could have been a good idea if it had been treated differently. There's another programme he made about the house that belonged to his family and is now the French consulate (though I believe that they were going to sell it, I don't know if they did or not). It was a 'safe' house in 1916 but the architect who built it was on the other side when the Civil War broke out and the army went in to capture the men who were operating from there.
From time to time members of this forum (myself included) and of the other one have recommended various television programmes from RTÉ that have been put onto YouTube. I don't know if you wanted me to go back and look for them and post them up again. I think it's a great pity that RTÉ don't put them onto DVD and put them in their on-line shop - they must have an amazingly rich archive. This week I've been looking for a CD of The Midnight Court that they're supposed to have on sale and it's no longer there apparently. Not the one available from Clare County Library, the other one.

I wish they'd put a lot of their programs on DVD. I'd love to be able to collect Ros na Rún from the very first season.

I wonder if there's something in TG4's charter that forbids making money from something like that? I know a couple of years ago they offered a Ros na Rún hoodie for sale briefly (it was one they'd been using as a prize for their caption contests, and apparently lots of people had asked if they could just buy them). It was only available for a limited period, and all the proceeds went to charity

Redwolf

Personally I've enjoyed the first episode. It's obvious that he keeps applying pressure until it breaks, but I suppose that is part of the whole idea. I see it as more of a political perspective coming from someone whose family history allows additional leeway in terms of proclaiming the death of Irish. Maybe it will become more aggravating in latter episodes though.

How would you classify the way he speaks? He his clearly fluent of course, just wondering how would the experts around here classify him (for my own learning purposes).

I think Breandán summed it up nicely: