I am attempting to form an Irish language study group in my area. I put an ad on Craigslist.com searching for others who share the same interest, but have received only one response....so far.

Have any of you attempted the same and what approach did you take as far as locating others who share the same interest? Also, what about study materials, format, etc?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Well two people is enough to start things off. Our local conversation group started with just two of us and we invivted friends along and put up a notice in the pub where we were meeting. It's still a very small group, 3-4 on a typical night and I think 8 was the most we had for one night, but it's enough. Altogether there are about a dozen people but we've never managed to get everyone out on the same night. We have a facebook page too but that hasn't really helped. People who know us "like" our page but that doesn't mean they want to practice Irish with us.

If there are any other groups that have an Irish cultural slant, that would be a good place to go. Is there a group that plays Irish music, or that's putting on a play by an Irish writer? Do you have a Patrick's Day parade in your town?

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Táim ag foghlaim fós. Fáilte roimh gach aon cheartúchán.

Buy a GAA jersey and wear it and someone with a connection to Ireland will approach you. That might give you a link to an Irish community. Sounds mad, but worth a try. GAA jerseys stand out to Irish people everywhere. You could buy a tee-shirt/hoodie with something in Irish written on it, but that is much more subtle and could easily be missed. GAA jerseys are like magnets to Irish people as they are very distinctive. Worth a shot.

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Post on other Irish forums like this and let thme know . Ádh mór leat!

Thanks, folks. The jersey idea is great. There is an Irish dance company here, also. As mentioned by others in previous posts, there is a fairly large population of Irish descendents right next door in Montana. I am sure that a few of them have made their way across the border in Idaho.

It's worth checking to see if there's a branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in your area. You don't have to be a musician to join. One of their aims is to promote the Irish language (most branches have an Irish language officer). You may find they know of a convo/study group, or perhaps you could run an ad in their newsletter. Check it out here: http://comhaltas.ie/

You may have to go farther afield than your immediate area to find other speakers/learners. For example, in the Monterey Bay Area, there are only a few of us with Irish, and there's a huge gap in ability...three of us are reasonably fluent, whereas most of the others are beginners (and there are only a couple of them who are truly interested in learning beyond the absolute basics). We tried to get a convo group going here, but with other obligations, the other fluent people often couldn't make it, and the beginners were nervous and intimidated. I tried to encourage the more gung ho beginners to get together to study outside of class once a week, but they had the same issue...with their numbers being so few, it was hard to find a time and a place where all could get together on a regular basis.

About 30 - 50 miles away, however (how far depends on who is hosting, as the area is fairly spread out), in the San Francisco Bay Area, there's a thriving Irish-speaking community, with lots of opportunities to get together with people on one's level. If I'm willing to drive a little, I can attend a convo group once a month, special events for Seachtain na Gaeilge, and an annual Diereadh Seachtaine Gaeltachta. You wouldn't want to drive that every day, but once every couple of weeks isn't bad, especially if we carpool. Depending on where you live, you may have to do something similar.

Redwolf

Comhaltas is where I got started on Irish and music. They have branches all over the world, including Tokyo, Osaka and Seoul (and no doubt in many more exotic places where you wouldn't expect to find people interested in Irish culture.)

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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).

Click on the map and it will show you the locations all over the world. http://comhaltas.ie/locations/

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I'm trying to remember how far Boise is from other Idaho cities, such as Coeur d'Alene or Moscow...Those areas might have something.

Redwolf

Wow...they haven't updated in a while! They've still got our branch listed, and it disbanded about four years ago!

Redwolf