....to get through all the posts in this forum! I have been slowly reading the posts in this forum and there are MANY. It will take me forever if I go through them one by one.
Can anyone recommend the posts/threads that would benefit someone like me who is new to the language? Maybe links to learning sites, guides to proper pronunciation, etc?
I will continue to pour through as much of this forum as I can in the meantime.
Also, thank you all for the willingness to share what you know about the Irish language!!

I'm not sure all that much is to be gained by reading through old posts, to be honest. The biggest question is where are you in your studies? Are you brand new to Irish? If so, your best bet may just be to hang around and read answers to posts as they come up...ask questions where applicable.

If you're looking for recommendations re self-teaching methods, it's best to just ask outright. We'll probably ask you questions regarding your learning environment, how you learn best, etc., but we'd be happy to steer you in the right direction. We may link you to old posts, if they seem relevant to your needs.

Personally, I usually recommend that new learners who don't have access to a class usually use a combination of learning methods, including a book method (something that deals with grammar) and some kind of recorded/aural method (which will help with pronunciation). If you're very wedded to a particular dialect, that's important for us to know as well, so we can steer you to materials that focus on that dialect (though I have to say that, for my part, I think that most learners would do best to not worry too much about dialect at the beginning).

Redwolf

Learning Resources discussed: viewforum.php?f=36

Useful links: viewforum.php?f=32

As Redwolf said, feel free to ask whatever you want and that way you won't have to wade through too much that doesn't seem relevant to you. There's a helpful crew around here and they welcome all kinds of questions.

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Thanks for the responses, folks.

Redwolf: I am just beginning my studies so I am brand new to Irish and favor no particular dialect. I will have to self-teach because there are no classes here in my part of Idaho. When I bring up the subject of learning Irish, I usually get a curious look or a blank stare.
Pronunciation is a bit of a struggle for me, but I can bet repeated practice will help with that.
I may just peruse Amazon.com and search for a book or two. Maybe some recommendations?

Saoirse: Thanks for taking the time to send me the links to the forum threads.

I found it easier to pick a dialect to be honest, the reason was I was getting confused with the pronunciation of words when Id here one speaker from one region and then a speaker from a different region.

So I picked one as a guide, don't have to stick religiously too it I listen to other speakers as well and other pronunciations , but i feel that I have a reference point when i base most my learning on a particular dialect.

Ive bought loads of different books, if owning learning material alone helped improve your irish id be many times fluent by now. And despite all the learning material I use mostly free resources. Apart from my dictionary most the books sit on the shelf.

A great site for Irish Grammar is http://www.nualeargais.ie/gnag/gramadac.htm
Dont try read it all at once unless your a Grammar nut, I keep going back to it when i come across new things.
Then the website Forvo is great to get pronunciations off, I use these with a flash card system to learn words and phrases.

I use http://breis.focloir.ie/ga/fgb/ for online dictionary's and it has some pronunciations as well.
I also recorded sounds from http://www.fuaimeanna.ie/en/Recordings. ... onemeID=47 to help with my pronunication All the free Audio I have them on my headphones when I go out for a walk, or playing when im cooking or driving.

The free book and audio on the Cork Irish site are also invaluable to me http://corkirish.wordpress.com/why-cork-irish/ , but they are very dialect specific.

Then I also come on here and ask lots and lots of questions

Finally I moved to the Gaeltacht as well to hear Irish spoken everyday, but maybe thats a too drastic first step for most people

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Bíonn rudaí maithe mall

I downloaded “Teach Yourself Irish” by Myles Dillon and Donncha Ó Cróinín and giving it a test run at the moment. I guess that it is as good a place as any to start. Thanks gain for the lead.

Teach Yourself Irish is a hard book, but it's very thorough and you'll learn a lot.

In fact, if you manage to learn everything in Teach Yourself Irish, you'll be virtually fluent!

It is hard, it dives straight in with loads of Grammar rules which can/are very daunting , i printed the book of and bound it and read through it from time to time, the more I read certain parts the more it sticks. But I wouldn't try learning off all the rules at the beginning. Well I wouldn't anyway, others might

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Bíonn rudaí maithe mall

An unrelated question:

In order to post an avatar, send messages, etc., do we have to have a minimum post count or some minimum time on the forum?
I tried to find a way to contact an administrator/moderator with this question, but was (obviously) unsuccessful.

Thanks again, folks.

A couple of books I can recommend right off the bat:

Gaeilge Gan Stró by Éamonn Ó Dónaill: http://www.siopagaeilge.ie/products/C%F ... ct1-30.htm

Enjoy Irish by Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair: http://www.siopagaeilge.ie/products/C%F ... ct1-26.htm

The first gives you some grammar to hang your hat on, and the second is mostly conversation practice. There's also an app for "Enjoy Irish" that allows you to take the lessons with you and practice where ever you happen to be.

If you can only get one, I'd start with "Enjoy Irish," and get the app to go with it (this assumes you have a smart phone), as it will start you off talking right away.

Redwolf