learn Irish

Bought Turas Teanga the CD that goes along with the TV Series that Sharon Ní Bheoláin did a while back on RTE. Listening to it as I drive to work every day. It’s not bad actually.

I love the sound of this language, especially in song and my great grandfather was Irish. I finally got to see Ireland in 2005. I tried to learn a little before going and, once there, bought two language courses. I’ve been learning it on and off since then. I’d like to at least get through the “Buntús Cainte” course…

I am about 1/8 Irish and ever since I learned I was I’ve felt a connection to the culture and country.

Is brea liom an teanga seo (I love this language). It is very difficult, but it is really worth it. As I have to write a couple of sentences every day, I am getting more used to it, and I feel more confident. It is amazing how helpful it is just using a bit a day!

Here are the “rules” for the fifth level:

Send one text (or write a comment on a blog) a day for twenty five days in a row, allowing three exceptions, by the end of 2008.

(at the moment I have already used two days out of three, so I just have one left.)

I wanted to reach this by the 1st of September, but for some reason I didn’t do well for three of months. Then, some weeks ago my friend Daithí asked me something in Irish, and I remembered I should be doing better. So I started again… and now I have finally reached the sub-goal of sending a text for twelve days in a row (allowing one exception)!

I have extended the requirement about texts, and now I allow myself to write comments on blogs as well (blogs in Irish, of course).

So, here are the “rules” for the fourth level:

Send one text (or write a comment on a blog) a day for eighteen days in a row, allowing two exceptions, by the end of 2008.

I want to learn Irish too, but realistically I think I should wait until after I get to a certain level in Gaelic first.

Alright. Going to refresher courses starting thursday and dug out my junior certificate book from the attic. Here we go…

I just wish that the Irish language would meet me halfway :P I know I’m steadily improving. I have made Gaeilge a part of my daily life, and noticed, just yesterday, that I think in it often.
I have a natural inclination for languages. I finally became “basically” fluent in Spanish with my trip, and now I’m going back through a series of Spanish classes, so that I can concrete my speaking abilities. So, I’m definitely only having trouble because my brain is a jumbled mess, and I’m not finding the direction I need to complete this goal.
With that in mind, I’ve devised a new scheme I will stick to. Every two weeks, I will pick a verb and tense (I’m starting with bí in the past tense, this lesson), as well as a preposition (and it’s compound preps) and some vocabulary. I am going to give myself a test on use at the end of the week.
On top of this, I have been watching Ros ná Rún, and listening to copious amounts of Clannad…ha. The idea with both of those is to get on track with the listening bit. It is slightly difficult to hear Irish and see the words in your head, as the spelling and pronunciation are so vastly different than most speakers of English would think.
It also helps me to identify certain speech patterns…as people tend to have an interesting bunch of phrases to help express themselves in Irish.
It is definitely NOT an easy language,and I can see why some people with no inclination for language learning could get extremely tired of it in school. But, I want to learn. It’s a beautiful language.

I understand all of the basic grammar, seímhiú and urú, etc.
I need to work a lot on prepositions, prepositional pronouns, and vocabulary. I’ve decided on learning the Ulster dialect, because I think it’s preservation is important…considering that the Standard left most of their dialect out, when it was written.
I have purchased a number of books, cds, music, and have studied various pronunciations.
I write in a journal daily as Gaeilge, to help me practice.
I even bought Harry Potter agus an Orchloch, and am dissecting the book, paragraphy, by paragraph- and making vocabulary lists.
I think within the year, I will have a basic command of the language. I plan on studying at NUI for two semesters in the next two years, and plan to make regular trips to both the Donegal gaeltacht and the Galway/Aran gaeltachts…

Ní raibh sé éasca, ach rinne mé é! (It wasn’t easy, but I did it!)

I am very motivated since I set up these funny levels. It takes me half an hour to send a text, as I have to check many things (words, grammar), but it is interesting, and it’s very nice to see that my friends reply in Irish too.

So, here are my “rules” to reach my third level:

send one text a day for ten twelve days in a row by 1st September, allowing one exception.