If you’re looking to improve your Irish, or looking for information for someone else who wants to learn or improve their Irish, have a look below at our useful tips and resources.
Classes #
Classes can be a great start if you’ve been out of practice, and it helps you make connections with other learners and Irish speakers.
There are a multitude of organisations around the country and abroad offer in-person and online classes which you can attend throughout the year.
There are also certificate and diploma programs for Irish that you can pursue in third-level institutions.
Online tools and help #
From dictionaries to apps, there are many valuable resources available to help with improving language richness, pronunciation, and reading and writing skills in Irish.
Don’t forget the online forums in the list – these are places you can go, search for or ask your questions and get considered insightful answers from other Irish speakers.
Practice, practice, practice #
Conversation Groups & Events
Of course, a language only lives if we can have conversations with others in it. Luckily, there there are over 250 conversation groups (that we’re aware of!) currently active around the country and abroad — including pure conversation groups, book clubs, walking clubs, and pop-up Gaeltachts – both in-person and online.
You can find information about those in your own area on our events list — choose ‘Grúpa Comhrá’ for the category.
There are also other one-off events with Irish taking place throughout the year where you can practice your Irish and meet other speakers. These can also be found on the events list on our site.
Sign up for our daily newsletter if you’re not already signed up – a new event is included every day as a heads-up. In addition, the newsletter also has the main news stories of the day, information about businesses, and Irish-language job vacancies. You can choose either the email or WhatsApp versions of the newsletter when you sign up.
In everyday life
Along with the conversation groups and events, try using a few words when shopping — there are businesses around the country registered with us that are more than happy to provide services to their customers in Irish; see below for articles we publish from time to time with recommendations from various sectors:
- Restaurants and Cafés (in Irish)
- Accommodation (in Irish)
- Pubs (in Irish)
On social media
The use of Irish is alive and well on social media. Many accounts on Instagram and Tiktok are set up specifically for learners and there are Facebook groups where you can discuss different topics either about or through Irish.
As recommended in our roundup of online resources, search for the hashtag #gaeilge on social media to see and start participating in everyday conversations in Irish.
Other media
If you’re interested in podcasts, try one of the many podcasts in or with Irish.
Irish can be seen and heard live on TV and radio, or on various television and radio players.
To improve your reading and writing skills, try reading short articles in Irish newspapers and magazines, such as articles from Tuairisc, NÓS, EXtraG and many more. A selection of these stories is shared in our newsletter every weekday morning.
Irish-language books are available for learners in bookstores around the country — textbooks, of course, but also other books like this book of short stories for beginners, or translations of The Hobbit. Reading Irish-language translations of much-loved books, of which there are many, can make the experience more enjoyable.
Irish is also available on apps like Duolingo, which is useful for those who are busy but want to get some practice with their language skills.
Additional information #
Here are a few helpful articles with tips for learners:
