A singing NUG (New Useless Gal) needs help with pronunciation...

Hi, I'm Fiona and I'm so happy to have found your website. I'm a singer (lots of Irish folksongs) and would really like to start singing some in Irish (which dialect--I don't really know yet).

I'm pretty picky about pronunciation when I perform, but I've been having a hard time finding classes/teachers where I live in the northern VA area. The closest classes I have found so far are at a couple schools in DC and I don't have the time (or patience) required to sit in traffic for hours. Anyone know of anything else offered in northern VA or towards Richmond?

I pick up languages and accents very quickly, and if a song recording is clear, I usually have no problem picking up the pronunciation. I did a couple searches on the forums but did not find anything directly related to the pronunciation of any songs. If someone can direct me to a thread that has already dealt with this issue, I would appreciate it.

The songs I am trying to find good pronunciations for (I already have extensive translations) are:
1. Jimmy Mo Mhile Stor (Jimmy, My Treasure);
2. Siuil A Gra;
3. The Mad Puck Goat.

Thanks for any help.
Oh yeah--I do promise I'll work on actually learning the language:)
Fiona

Fiona, a chara,

I'm unable to answer your query regarding classes in your area, but perhaps other regulars on this site from your country may be of assistance.

May I suggest that you obtain recordings of, for example, Dolores Keane singing Jimmy mo mhíle stór in order to hear the words as they're pronounced in the song. If you listen to the tracks and read the lyrics at the same time you should be able to get a "feel" for the pronunciation.

Le meas,