Jonas: Our Irish Association is planning on presenting the first of what we hope will be many workshops on "An Introduction to the Irish Language".

Since none of us are fluent speakers, the workshop(s) will be only 2 hours long and will offer only some basics on the Irish language such as the 18 letter alphabet, basic grammatical structure, a discussion on the different dialects, some useful beginners' phrases, and a long list of available resources to assist the entry-level learner including websites, books, tapes, radio and television programs, newspapers, etc. It is our hope that this brief introduction will peak the interests of individuals to further pursue the language on their own.

Now - your connection! I found an old posting of yours that I thought was a good summary of differences between the dialects, although I recognize it was from your own viewpoint. Is it okay with you if I use this in the workshop if I make sure I let the participants know where it came from? Are there any other printed opinions/descriptions that you may have come across to help people understand the differences and perhaps assist them if they want to choose one dialect to concentrate on (although personally I think they should learn them all at the same time - just by taking note of the differences in common phrases from one to the next)?

Thank you for any assistance you can provide.