Learning Irish - any advice?

[Tankie]

 

Hey Lads, I think its been about 8 months since ive been on this forum but I am looking for some help with learning Irish and I know that some of you speak the language.

Pretty much for the last few years I have been considering picking Irish back up but something else always got in the way but I am starting now, I cannot do an evening course due to work and training so I have got Rosetta Stone Level 1 Irish and I have started working through that but I am wonder if anyone know any good podcast, cds or books that I should also get that I could listen to or read when out and about. I watch some TG4 but the subtitles are nightmare as I find that I just end up reading them but its still better than nothing.

My Irish would be beginner level so any advice would be great

Cheers

Tankie

RE:In the Name of the fada

April,11 2008, 12:09:04 PM>>

I agree with whats being said in relation to learning the language but i would think i would go and learn Spanish or something before i was to learn Irish as I would probably get to use Spanish as a language.

No espanol speakers around?

I used to hold that view about learning a different language as you could get more use out of it and it was one of the things that delayed menlearning Irish, I studied German in school and I was considering picking that up until a recent trip to Germany with work. When there I can get through some basic stuff but these lads don't expect u to know german but can be impressed but then they ask 'do u not speak Irish', I have been in alot of countris this year with work and on holiday and everyone will ask if you speak Irish and when u say no it is a bit of a joke in fairness.

Others have pointed out the argument of what is the point in learning Irish but if we all take that view well then the language is dead, also you could ask what is the point in learning French or German..if you go there most will speedo English but for the amount of times that you end up in these countries you would get to speak irish just as much once you found some Irish speakers - in the past few days since I started this I have found that a I neighbour I know for years is a fluent Irish speaker, a guy in work is also fluent and another two are currently learning the language too

Maybe the language is not as dead as most of us think...

[IolarCoisCuain]

And if someone saw dubh written down, they'd say "dub". "Do" and "Dove" are both correct. "Dub" isn't. Therefore, there is little point in him reading pages of stuff and pronouncing all the words wrong.

I learnt Irish as a second language, I'd far rather be able to speak it and understand it than read and write it.
He'll end up reading stuff and make up his own language according to how he thought words should be pronounced. Someone with a background in English only will not take to Irish pronunciation very easily. That's why I think it is important to hear words before you read them.

How would an English speaker say the word 'teach', for example?

I'm all in favour of hearing the words too hardstation. I just think it's easier to remember words when you see them written down. You're allowed take notes at classes, you know.

[Canalman]

Tankie, there are social evenings arranged in Conradh na Gaeilge in Harcourt Street for all ranges of Irish speakers. Worth checking their website or ringing them. Lad on the team ( a learner)went and said he had a great time.................. meets up regularly now.

You will be surprised at the amount of Irish speakers here in Dublin.

Having said that you will get some people with a pathological hatred for the language. Absolutely bizarre imo but that's life I suppose.

[5 Sams]

Tankie, there are social evenings arranged in Conradh na Gaeilge in Harcourt Street for all ranges of Irish speakers. Worth checking their website or ringing them. Lad on the team ( a learner)went and said he had a great time.................. meets up regularly now.

You will be surprised at the amount of Irish speakers here in Dublin.

Having said that you will get some people with a pathological hatred for the language. Absolutely bizarre imo but that's life I suppose.

That's Péig's fault
Séamus Ó Grianna hadn't the same effect on us

[Canalman]

Ah yes.............. the Aunt Sally that is Peig Sayers is wheeled out yet again. An easy/lazy argument used to disparage the language.
The other is that it "was forced upon us  in school".................. don't know about you guys but the  schools  i went to "rammed" every subject taught upon us . i think it's called teaching.

Don't hear people whinging about doing Poetry, Prose, Theorems, Glaciation, Algebra etc etc etc. Personally haven't read a poem (and I love reading)or done a theorem since I left school but don't feel the need to whinge about it ad nauseum (apart from now I suppose).

Fact is imo that the Castle Catholics in this country fought tooth and nail against the introduction of Irish into schools in the 1920s and the bitterness continues to this day.

Not saying that the teaching of Irish here is beyond reproach but just giving an alternate view.

[deiseach]

Ah yes.............. the Aunt Sally that is Peig Sayers is wheeled out yet again. An easy/lazy argument used to disparage the language.
The other is that it "was forced upon us  in school".................. don't know about you guys but the  schools  i went to "rammed" every subject taught upon us . i think it's called teaching.

Don't hear people whinging about doing Poetry, Prose, Theorems, Glaciation, Algebra etc etc etc. Personally haven't read a poem (and I love reading)or done a theorem since I left school but don't feel the need to whinge about it ad nauseum (apart from now I suppose).

Fact is imo that the Castle Catholics in this country fought tooth and nail against the introduction of Irish into schools in the 1920s and the bitterness continues to this day.

Not saying that the teaching of Irish here is beyond reproach but just giving an alternate view.

Don't forget "it's of no use to a young person in the modern world", as if Poetry, Prose, Theorems, Glaciation, Algebra etc are any good either.

[Hardy]

Funny, OK that that argument is applied exclusively to Irish.

What good is Music? Snuff? Wicklow?

[andoireabu]

Is that Rosetta Stone program any good? Have a notion of getting it but don't want to fork out for it if its no good. the recommendations on the website are good but then they would be. Always sceptical of those things

[Tankie]

Is that Rosetta Stone program any good? Have a notion of getting it but don't want to fork out for it if its no good. the recommendations on the website are good but then they would be. Always sceptical of those things

I have started with level one and I am really enjoying it and find it very good. It is fairly pricey, on torrent sites you can get Level one but level 2 and 3 seem to be uploaded no where.

I saw that on amazon that you and get all 3 levels for about £340 which is expensive but a 12 week course would cost about the same

[Tankie]

Is that Rosetta Stone program any good? Have a notion of getting it but don't want to fork out for it if its no good. the recommendations on the website are good but then they would be. Always sceptical of those things

I have started with level one and I am really enjoying it and find it very good. It is fairly pricey, on torrent sites you can get Level one but level 2 and 3 seem to be uploaded no where.

I saw that on amazon that you and get all 3 levels for about £340 which is expensive but a 12 week course would cost about the same

What does it entail?

Its listen, see and speak. There is no English so you would see a picture of a boy, a dog, a cat and a dog and you would hear say Madra and you click on Dog....thats the most basic example but you would see picture of different people eating and you could hear 'Tá sé ag ithe' and you would click on the one where a male is eating.

I started watching Dora and Avatar on TG4 too, i know its for kids but its basic Irish so I find it very helpful

[Alco Pup]

I took a notion last year to start to learn Irish again - hadn't done it since 1st-3rd year in school.  I did all that checking round too, for the rosetta type courses, but then I found that Belfast Met college does evening classes.

I started with the beginners level, which was 2 hours, one night a week for 15 weeks and it only costs £55.
Best decision I could have made!
The teacher that we have is adamant that yeah while we will learn the vocabulary set out by the college, he would rather that we learn conversational Irish rather than book Irish.  We spend most of the class actually having conversations in Irish, imo you pick things up so much quicker that way.
We were also lucky in that one of the girls in the class is from Kildare, and still remembers a fair bit of Irish from school, so we are getting to learn Donegal Irish, and hearing her pronounciations / phrases as well.

After level 1, we all went onto level 2 and are all intending on heading to level 3 in September (its a year long one).

Anyway, my (long drawn out) point is, if you can go to class then do!  You will stick at it, meet a fair number of other people in the same boat as you, and will pick it up far quicker than if you were just doing it by yourself in the house! 

[Tankie]

I agree about what u say about classes, I would love to do classes but with work and training I cannot make classes so this is the best alternative until I am in a position to head to some classes. There is a guy in work who is talking to me in Irish every day now which I find very helpful so I would say a class would be great

[WeeDonns]

Tankie, how are you getting on with the Irish now?

Alco Pup, I'm thinking of taking one of the Belfast Met step 1 courses (they start this week, so hopefully there are still places)
Where did you take it? I'm thinking of Culturlann, just because I know where it is.

I did no Irish at all at school (French & Spanish instead), so bar a few classes with the GAA club, I'll be a complete beginner..
How many were in your class and what kind of age group were most of them in?
I'm heading along on my own probably, so hoping its a good group thats easy to get talking to.

[Santino]

This thread is couple of yrs old now so wondering if any new advice out there.
Started beginners irish course couple of months ago which is my first venture with the language again in near 20 yrs.
Course is great and have been listening to BBC Blas stuff too. Just finished Usbourne beginners books too but not sure where to go from here.
RTE Brod stuff on twitter/FB helps a bit
Still at a very basic level so i'm going to stick at the once a wk night course after the summer but could anyone recommend a decent beginners-intermediate book to help me to the next level?
Theres not much on amazon.
Thanks in advance!

[muppet]

I have decided to brush up on my very, very rusty Gaeilge.

https://www.duolingo.com

Great site that is completely free. Forget Rosetta Stone etc. Also there is a free App for iPad, iPhone and other mobile devices.

You will still need to practice conversations somewhere to speak fluently, but as a free online aid to learning a language, it is the business. Anyone can surely manage 10 minutes a day.

The software comes up with some interesting lines to translate, e.g. Labhraíonn an rón Gaeilge but who cares if you are learning?