Get to Know the Irish language and Irish history
The Irish language is spoken as a first language by an estimated 170,000 people, although more than a million have some knowledge of it.
In Irish, the Irish language is called Gaeilge.
Centuries of invasion, occupation, and persecution at the hands of the English have led to a significant fall in the number of people who speak Irish as a first language, but the advent of the internet and national Irish television and radio has breathed new life into the language, with many now seeking to reconnect with this crucial part of Irish culture.
Why learn the Irish language?
There are three main dialects of the Irish language - Munster, Connacht, and Ulster. Unlike most languages, Irish doesn’t have a particular dialect acting as a national standard. With the advent of national Irish television and radio, Irish speakers from each of the three main dialect regions have gained more exposure to one another’s dialects.
Speakers of different dialects therefore have little problem understanding one another. You therefore shouldn’t worry about which dialect you learn, as people continue to speak their own regional dialect, and have enough exposure to the other dialects to be able to understand them.
Cover Image
Glendalough Upper Lake, Wicklow, Ireland
Photo by Magdalena Smolnicka on Unsplash
Map
By SkateTier - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32006185
Resources for learning the Irish language
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Videos
A Complete & Detailed Breakdown of Irish
How to Read, Pronounce & Understand Irish
How to Pronounce Irish Names and What They Mean
Irish Language Pronunciation Guide - Days of the Week
The Names of Ireland’s 32 Counties Explained
I Compare Irish & Scottish Gaelic
Irish Dialects : Which one to learn?
Irish Language Dialects Explained
The 3 Main Irish Gaelic Dialects
Irish Language - Same Words, Different Dialects, Different Pronunciation
50 Ways to Say Something Nice in Irish
25 Verbs You Need to Know in Irish
Irish Newspaper - Front Page Translated
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Books
Gaeilge gan Stró! Beginners Level
by Éamonn Ó Dónaill
Gaeilge gan Stró! Lower Intermediate Level
by Éamonn Ó Dónaill
edited by Kathleen Hoagland
A Grammar of the Modern Irish Language
by C.H. Wright
A Practical Grammar of the Irish Language
by Paul O’Brien
A History of the Irish Language
by Aidan Doyle
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Podcasts
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