Memrise doesn't get mentioned much here, and with all the fuss and furore surrounding Duolingo I want to comment, from a completely different perspective, and as an absolute beginner.

I have been using two courses on Memrise - Focal an Lae (thanks to Bríd and Robert Kaucher), and a supporting course to Buntús Cainte. When Duolingo came online I also began with that, and managed to get to level 6.

I found Duolingo demotivating, while Memrise has pitched its 'reward' method perfectly, making it fun and something to look forward to.

The major difference between the two sites is that on Memrise you're rewarded for correct answers, whereas Duolingo instead penalises for incorrect answers, and beginners inevitably make many mistakes when learning. It became a struggle to get through the Duolingo levels with much enthusiasm, and now I've dropped it.

Many people have said (on the Duolingo launch thread) that the Duolingo course is a good one. I can't comment on the quality of the content, but I suspect those people may be much more advanced learners working through the early stages of the course easily, and not appreciating this motivation (or lack of) aspect.

Additionally, while Duolingo is a single course, there are many course to choose from on Memrise - I think at least 35 Irish courses - many focussing on specific aspects of the language, i.e. vocabulary, past tense, the weather, history, and so on. I know this means the quality of some of the courses may not be perfect but I would probably seek opinions if I decided to start one of those courses.

I may give Duolingo another go in the future when I'm further down the line with my learning (but then I'd probably have to start all over again? I'm not sure how it works). But for now I'd definitely recommend Focal an Lae and Buntús Cainte on Memrise to complete beginners, over Duolingo.

Very interesting maidofkent, this is quite valuable in terms of recommending things to beginners.

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The dialect I use is Cork Irish.
Ar sgáth a chéile a mhairid na daoine, lag agus láidir, uasal is íseal

Go raibh maith agat,

Yes, it's important that beginners are aware of alternative resources, and while Duolingo has had a fair amount of airtime, I don't know if Memrise is commonly known.

I hope it is now.