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[leannan-fuisce]

it do be like that I guess

[leannan-fuisce]

Don't Use Duolingo if You Really Want to Learn Irish

That title is a bit dramatic, but I really don't think that duolingo is a useful tool for Irish, especially in its current state, so I want to talk a bit about why, and I'll also talk about some alternatives.

Pronunciation

The first and most egregious issue is that at some point recently-ish, duo decided to start using Text-To-Speech for their Irish course, rather than recordings of a native speaker. The problem here is that their TTS is not trained on native speakers of Irish and pronounces words incorrectly. It doesn't make consistent distinctions between broad and slender consonants for example.

Irish has no standard pronunciation, so I understand how it can feel weird to choose just one dialect for the purposes of pronunciation (the old recordings were from a speaker of Galway Irish), but having just one dialect is much better than TTS which sounds like a learner, imagine if they had TTS for the French course which sounded like an anglophone schoolkid trying to pronounce french, and claimed they were teaching you how to speak french!

Grammar

Duo tends to be correct on grammar at least, which is a start. But often people using it get very confused about the grammar because duo doesn't explain any of it. I think there's a place for immersion in language learning, and I don't think everything has to be explained like that, but within duo's system of sentence testing and exercises like that, not having any explanation for why it's "mo chóta" and not "mo cóta" can be really confusing. Duo used to have more grammar information, it's a shame that they removed it, I wonder why they did it.

Money and Motivation

Duolingo is a business, and their motivation is not to help you learn a language 'fully', but to keep you using their app and hopefully have a higher chance of sharing it with others, competing with others, buying or causing others to buy memberships or lingots or any other in-app purchases.

I don't want to make it out like duo is some big conspiracy and they're tricking people, I don't think that's the case, but it's good to remember that their primary motivation is to keep people using the app, rather than help people move to a level in a language where they don't need the app anymore.

Keep this in mind whenever you see people trying to sell you stuff for language learning.

Why do people use Duolingo

I do get it, and I don't want to make anyone feel bad for using duo, there's a ton of reasons people tend towards it at first 1. It's really well known, so especially if you're learning a language and haven't heard of other resources for it, you'll check duolingo 2. It's very motivating for a lot of people, checking in every day and forming that habit is a really good way of sticking with a language 3. It's fun, people enjoy it

If you use it for reason 3. and you still like it, then don't worry about this post, I'm not trying to yuck anyone's yums, keep having fun!

If you use it for reasons 1. or 2. you can still keep using it if you like, but I want to suggest some other things which you might find helpful in trying to get to a higher level in Irish.

Other Resources

To address the pronunciation issue, I'd heavily recommend you disregard the pronunciation in duolingo, if you're looking for more reliable sources of pronunciation, I'd look towards recordings of native speakers, you can find that on:

Teanglann and Foclóir (they use the same recordings)

Fuaimeanna

and a really useful and underused one: https://davissandefur.github.io/minimal-pairs/ where you can hear the difference between similar sounds that English speakers often mix up in Irish.

A lot of people like duolingo because it's nice to have a clear path forward, a progression that you can get into without too much decision-making. For this I recommend getting a good textbook or course and working through it, the ones I'll recommend also have native speaker audio on them.

Learning Irish by Mícheál Ó Siadhail, this book teaches Galway Irish, not just in pronunciation but in grammar too. It's quite dense but it's well thought out and well explained.

Teach Yourself Irish (1961) this book is available for free online, and is a really good option if you're interested in Cork Irish (Munster), and have some experience with grammatical terminology. I used this book myself and really liked it, but it's very intense and not for everyone. (If you do end up using it, feel free to skip the appendices at the start, they're more of a reference and sometimes put people off from actually getting to the first chapter. Also if you have any questions about it or need any help just let me know.)

If you want a video course, there's a great course called "Now You're Talking" which is available for free online, along with audio files and worksheets here. It features Donegal Irish and leads into the more intermediate level course called Céim ar Aghaidh also available online.

There's other textbooks that I have less experience with (Buntús na Gaeilge, Gaeilge/Gramadach Gan Stró, etc.) but if they work for you, stick with them, there's nothing worse than not making progress because you keep switching resources trying to find the "perfect one"

Whether or not you continue to use Duolingo, I would really really encourage you to try engaging with media in Irish. People often shy away from this when they're learning because they don't feel like they're "ready" yet. But you basically never feel like you're ready, you just have to try and find something near your level and try to get comfortable with not understanding everything. This is where you learn a huge portion of the language, you hear how things are pronounced you see what words mean in what contexts, getting input in your target language is so important!

I know content can be kind of hard to find, so I'll make a few recommendations here: There's a wealth of content available for free online (more if you're in ireland but some internationally) on TG4 If you're still starting out, I'd recommend trying to watch some kids shows since they'll have simpler language and will be easier to follow. I wouldn't recommend using English subtitles when you watch them. Some good options include:

Dónall Dána: an Irish dub of Horrid Henry, silly and childish but the actors have good Irish and importantly the show has Irish language subtitles, they don't always match but if you're still beginning and can't necessarily get everything by ear, they're really useful. (Mostly Galway Irish)

Curious George: another dub, again with Irish language subtitles (I can't remember what dialects were in it off the top of my head but I'd assume mostly galway again)

Seó Luna: No subtitles, but a good option if you're aiming for Munster Irish, the lead character has Kerry Irish

Miraculous: No subtitles but a better show than most of the other kids' ones and more bearable to watch as an adult (Mostly Galway Irish)

Ros na Rún: Moving away from kids shows, a long running soap opera, this has Irish subtitles and a really good mix of dialects within the show. If you're finding the kids shows boring or too easy I'd really recommend it, but it can be complex because of the amount of characters, dialects, and plotlines. I'd recommend starting at the beginning of a newer season and just trying to catch on to what's happening as you go.

There are a lot of books, if you live in Ireland you can get nearly any Irish book for free from a library, so please check out your local library or request some of these from other libraries in the system:

There's a series of fairytales (Rápúnzell, Luaithríona etc.) by Máiréad Ní Ghráda which are illustrated and for children, which are a really good option for when you're just starting out reading

There's kids books about Fionn and the Fianna by Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin

There's a cute little kids' book in Kerry Irish about a cat named Mábúis

Leabhar Breac has a lot of graphic novels, some of them based on Irish mythology, some on other stuff. The fact that they're illustrated can make it a lot easier to follow even if you don't understand all the words at first.

Gliadar has just released their Scott Pilgrim translation

If you're looking for something a bit more advanced you can look at some of the books for adult learners by Comhar, they contain simplified language and glossaries but have full original adult stories.

And if you're wanting full, natural, native-level Irish there's a load of books by those same groups, and others like An Gúm, Cló Iar-Chonnacht, Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne, Éabhlóid, Coiscéim, and more.

And don't shy away from older books written in Seanchló either, they can be more challenging but it's a whole extra world of books

If you're trying to improve your listening comprehension, I definitely recommend listening to shows on Raidió na Gaeltachta, hearing native Irish speakers talk at full speed is really good practice. But I get that it can be overwhelming at first. Here are some things you can do as you build up to that:

Watching those same TV shows I mentioned without subtitles is a good way to build up listening skills.

Vifax is a website where you can practice listening to short news segments and answer questions on them, then getting to look at the transcript with notes afterwards.

Snas is kind of the evolution of vifax, now using clips from both the news and Ros na Rún.

I really hope that this post can help people move away from duolingo if they're looking to take their Irish learning to the next level, if you've got any questions, just let me know!

[leannan-fuisce]

from page 112 of a mid-ninth century manuscript of Priscian’s Institutes of Grammar; at the top of this page is a poem written by an Irish monk. Source. English translation by Kuno Meyer.

Original Irish

Is acher ingáith innocht fufuasna faircggae findḟolt ni ágor réimm mora minn dondláechraid lainn oua lothlind

English Translation 

Bitter is the wind tonight; It tosses the ocean’s white hair. Tonight I fear not the fierce warriors of Norway Coursing on the Irish sea.

[leannan-fuisce]

Also btw every single complaint about irish pronounciation and spelling in schools would be solved if we hammered in the slender/broad distinctions early because it would become abundantly clear why this 't' has to be surrounded by 'i's and it isn't just a thing they decided to do one day and more people would be able to spell words from just hewring them and pronounciation from just reading them send tweet

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i Need to find all the Irish dub of spongebob. i have the first movie and 12 episodes so far, but it's all been dubbed and tg4 don't seem to be airing it anymore. if anyone has any leads please!!!!!! message me

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Seán Ó Daimhín's free lessons for Irish language learners.

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Apart from Teanglann, Fóclóir, and Téarma, what other websites are good resources for getting better at Irish and writing with good grammar and terminology usage?

mar chuid de TG4, mholfadh muid TG4 Foghlaim!

ach má théann tú ar google is féidir neart liostaí a aimsiú go héasca:

irish central

let's learn irish

dublin city

foras na gaeilge

[leannan-fuisce]

L + ratio + your language doesn’t even decline prepositional pronouns

[leannan-fuisce]

just found a treasure trove of irish language resources you can't even imagine

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Contemporary(-ish) Irish Literature

there are Irish-language, English language, and bilingual books and webpages on this list, but just over half of the items overall are Irish-language only.

GENERAL

Contemporary Irish Writing - website run by the National Library of Ireland featuring reviews and author interviews of English and Irish language literature, a good place to find out about new Irish books from a variety of publishers.

Historical Irish Corpus - a searchable / browsable database of 3000 Irish-language texts written between 1600 and 1926. good for Peadar Ua Laoghaire-era material.

PUBLISHERS

Cló Iar-Chonnacht (link to fiction category) - the 'West Connaught Press' is the most prominent Irish-language publishing house, with about 230 novels in print. you can sometimes get audiobooks for free! [eBooks] [Audiobooks].

Litríocht - essentially provides a national service by keeping many Irish-language books that would otherwise go out of print available to the public. the definitive collection of translations into Irish of recognised.

Comhar - the most important Irish-language literary magazine of this century. the monthly literary magazine is €4 on the website (but check your local library too!). they publish their own books as well.

Lilliput Press (link to bestsellers page) - my personal recommendation for good Irish books, in both English and Irish, literature and non-fiction. they have a lot of nature writing, local interest, Irish history books, and memoirs.

Dedalus Press - poetry (and drama) from Ireland and elsewhere, primarily but not exclusively in English, with translations from Irish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Arabic, Danish, Galician, and others. [Translations].

Leabhair Breac - Irish-language exclusive publishing house, specialises in historical and mythological fiction, philosophy, and retellings of Old Irish texts in modernised language. [Ancient Literature section].

Arlen House - wonderful publishing house featuring Irish poetry, prose, and drama, with a great selection of feminist writers, and a very nice Irish-language section, which is mostly poetry books.

Four Courts Press - academic publishing house; if they have it, it's good. exclusively English-language. a lot of the selection is quite expensive, but not truly excessive, and they do very good special offers and discounts. it's also a great reference point for book titles to check the library for :)

An Gúm - this is the publisher attached to Foras na Gaeilge and they mostly seem to focus on younger readers and Irish learners, but they also publish full-length novels and plays.

O'Brien Press (link to literature page) - small but pleasant collection of English-language Irish literature and literary history books.

Mercier Press - the majority of their website catalogue is 20th century Irish military history and popular national interest type books, but you do get some gentler / less ideological history books if you look around a little. [Irish-Language Section].

INDEPENDENT SHOPS

An Siopa Leabhar (link to fiction page) - original Irish-language books and Irish translations from other languages. this site is the legacy of the Siopa Ceilteach established by the Gaelic League in 1975 and also has Welsh, Scots Gaelic, and Cornish books. Go to the 'detailed search' page to see all sub-categories. [Classics]

Charlie Byrne's - a Galway-based bookshop with extensive Irish-interest, local-interest and Irish-language sections.

Dingle Bookshop - a shop in Kerry with a good selection of Irish-language books for adults and children.

Tertulia Bookshop - nice bookshop in Mayo with a good Irish interest section and some Irish-language books, and a local interest category that covers the west of Ireland in general. [Irish-language section].

Vibes and Scribes - in Cork; they do have a small Irish / Munster interest section but they're mostly here because of their 3 for €12 offer on new copies of e.g. Vintage Classics.

Books.ie (link to Irish language and culture section) - good website for contemporary-but-not-new or widely available Irish books, sometimes a little cheaper than competitors.

PHYSICAL SHOPS

obviously this will only be useful if you're in Ireland! it’s less of a ‘best bookshops in the country’ list, more of a ‘best Irish literature sections in the country’ list

Hodges Figgis, Dawson Street, Dublin

Charlie Byrne's, Middle Street, Galway

Quay Books, Sarsfield Street, Limerick

International Books, South Frederick Street, Dublin

Vibes and Scribes, Lavitt's Quay, Cork

Tertulia Bookshop, The Harbour Mill, Westport

[leannan-fuisce]

Nollaig shona dhaoibh! ❤️

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are you irish??

no..?

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I’m screaming… HAVE YOU SEEN THE STATE OF DUBLIN 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💀💀💀💀💀💀

[leannan-fuisce]

list of good irish words

ríomhaire: they were literally so right making this one. looking at my laptop like fuck yeah thats a riomhaire

uisce: it has such shape its so effervescent ephemeral stunning brilliant. that brand of water called ishka can catch my fucking blade why would you change its shape its literally perfect i hate you

leabharlinn: its a library. it has illiteration. what's not to love? honourable mention to literally every other place name with 'linn' in it. pictíur, snámh, bia, they literally never miss.

púca: 1000/10 literally the most fitting word ever. does 'ghost' leave an impression? fuck off no it doesnt! does 'púca' leave an impression? yes it shapes your mouth it is incredible

tiocfidh: its very very fun to tell non-irish people that its pronounced like 'chuck-ig'

aiteach: we love the gays we love the lovely words

agus: basic of the basics but its still great. daily i have to resist the urge to drop an 'agus' instead of 'and' when speaking english

[leannan-fuisce]

here's a list of cool PDFs I have saved on my drive that I thought other people might like too:

"Cleaning Bones" by Stephen P. Nawrocki, PhD, University of Indianapolis Archeology & Forensics Laboratory

"Cultural Appropriation in Contemporary Neopaganism and Witchcraft" by Kathryn Gottlieb, University of Maine

"The Voyage of Bran (Imram Brain)" translated by Kuno Meyer

"Duanaire Fionn (The Book of the Lays of Finn)" Cumann na Scríbheann nGaedhilge/Irish Texts Society

"Early Gaelic Dress" by Scott Barrett

"The Voyage of St. Brenden: Celtic Otherworld Tale, Christian Apologia, or Medieval Travelog?" by James E. Doan

"Is Deithbir Disi [it is appropriate (that she would behave in this way)]: Applying the Lens of Gender Parody to Medb in the Old Irish Ulster Cycle" by Diana Veronica Dominguez

"A Discussion of the Magical Attributes of the Hero in Fenian Literature, with specific reference to the tale 'The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne'" by Oliver Gerler, University of Limerick, IE

"The Plain of Blood; a Study of the Ritual Landscape of Magh Slecht, Co. Cavan" by Kevin White

"The Iona Chronicle, the Descendants of Áedan mac Gabráin, and the 'Principal Kindreds of Dál Riata'" by James E. Fraser

Issue of "An tÓglach" magazine, vol. IV no. 12, with a detailed article about Cumann na mBan's efforts during the week of the Easter Rising written by Nora O'Daly

"Gaeilge Gan Stró! Beginners Level" by Éamonn Ó Dónaill

[leannan-fuisce]

ireland fruity as hell…they speak gay lick?