Irish

Lessons

Unit One: 1 2 3 4

Unit Two: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Unit Three: Lesson Index

Language Reference

Spelling and Pronunciation - Grammar

Wikiversity

More Irish language resources can be found at
Wikiversity's Department of Irish Studies

Fáilte!

Fáilte (Welcome) to Wikibooks Irish, an open source primer and resource for the Irish language.

The Irish Language

Irish (Gaeilge), (not to be confused with Scottish Gaelic, which is also sometimes called Gaelic, click the link for that wikibook.) is the traditional language of Ireland, and is currently spoken as a daily language by around 70,000 people. It is also taught in most Irish schools. It is in the Goidelic branch of the Celtic language family along with Scots Gaelic and Manx. Other Celtic languages are Welsh, Breton and Cornish.

Irish was once the main spoken language of Ireland and an important religious language. However, since about the 19th century, the language has declined rapidly and despite multiple efforts at revival by subsequent Irish governments, is now a minority language and considered endangered.

About This Book

This book contains lessons in the Irish language, as well as grammatical and historical information. The book is organized into three units.

Unit 1 is an introductory unit for absolute beginners. It focuses on pronunciation and spelling, while introducing some basic points of grammar. Most language concepts will be introduced and explained entirely in English, except for concepts such as séimhiú (lenition) and úrú (eclipsis), where the English terms would be equally unfamiliar.

Unit 2 will provide a comprehensive overview of Irish language and grammar, including review and further coverage of the concepts introduced in Unit One. It will include a more comprehensive general vocabulary. Irish terms will be used for language concepts, with English reminders where appropriate. Students with some experience in Irish may want to start with Unit Two.

Unit 3 will provide more in-depth coverage of language used in specific subject matters. Grammar will be reviewed briefly, but the focus will be on specialized vocabulary and terminology. Language concepts and some basic prompts will be given in Irish only. Unlike the lessons in Units One and Two, which are designed to be studied in a specific order, lessons in Unit Three will be grouped by subject matter and can be studied in any order, using the foundation built in Units One and Two. Students with confidence in their Irish may use Unit Three to learn the words they need to discuss specific subject matter.

This book is a work in progress. If you are interested in contributing, please visit this page's discussion page, or the lesson planning page, and join in!