Hi everyone.

Well like the title says, I'm a newbie. I am 17 and I decided that i would learn Irish. A lot of my family is of Irish decent, and I want keep the heritage alive. Well, I am taking some online courses and I have a book, so I am learning how to WRITE it, but that doesn't help me with pronunciation. If anyone has any advice whatsoever, I am all ears. Thanks alot!

Crystal

Crystal, a chara,

I would recommend that you get a book that has accompanying cassettes/CDs with it. There are quite a few out there to choose from. Try a search of the word "cassette" in this forum and you'll come up with quite a few hits you can check out for various options.

Trust me, you'll never get Irish right unless you've got a fluent teacher or cassettes!

Welcome, and I wish you the best in this endeavor.

Le meas,

Bradford

Try "Buntús Cainte" with illustrated books and tapes. It's a great help.

Crystal, A Chara:

Mary's suggestion is an excellent one. I use "Buntús Cainte" and the tapes that come with it on a fairly regular basis. There is NO grammar whatsoever, though. If you want to get a bit more academic, I'd recommend Learning Irish by Micheál Ó Síadhal. There's more grammar there than you could ever hope to encounter. And, as Larry said, you absolutely MUST have the tapes! You'll never make sense of the Irish spelling without the tapes.

Lastly, I'd recommend is Irish Grammar: A Basic Handbook by Noel McGonagle. This is just a compilation of grammar rules that have been condensed into an easy reference. I've found that it helps me make sense out of Learning Irish.

Céad Míle Faílte agus Adh mór ort!

Le meas,

James

Crystal: Where did you find online courses? I've been looking for some because I thought it might give me better chance to practice than book exercises with dull phrases. How much are they(I'd hope for a reasonible price, especially since I'm very busy and paying $50 for a course I don't get to spend much time with isn't financially sound).