Hi everyone,

I just wondered if you could help. I come from a long line of Gaelic speakers, with most of my family base in and around Tuam, but unfortunately as i live in England i have never really had the opportunity to learn the language, other than the odd phrase here or there, that i have picked up from family.

Can any of you recommend a good starting point to learn the langauge, whether it is by teaching myself or if any of you know anywhere in london that does courses. I would dearly love to be able to get to the stage where i could surprise my dear uncle with a letter in Gaelic.

Many thanks:

Caroline.

Caroline a chara,

Turas Teanga is often recommended here.

When you get a bit better you may try reading one of the Irish language papers. Lá Nua is the daily paper, you can read it for free at www.nuacht.com , on this site too you can get a podcast of the main stories, that may help you get an ear for the language.

Other than that i'd say get whichever way you're learning come back to the forums here and post your problems, i'm sure one of us would be happy to help!

Go n-éirí leat,

Domhnall

Lovely, That's great, I'll definitely look into it, and no doubt i'll be back with various questions.

Thanks very much.

Caz.

A Caroline, a chara,

If you're new to the Irish language, you may find Turas Teanga a bit advanced, since as the author points out, the book and associated learning material are designed for the intermediate learner including those who have a desire to return to the study of the language. I have my own personal preferences, but here's a link to a number of Yahoo groups, some of which are based on readily available self-study books:

http://www.gaeilge.org/yahoogroups.html

After selecting which book you'd like to use, you may want to join the related Yahoo group and participate in the studies. After getting through one of the introductory texts, by all means get a hold of Turas Teanga. It's by far my favorite study aid as I am at the advanced beginner/early intermediate stage myself.

Fáilte agus go n-éirí an t-adh leat! (Welcome and good luck!)

Caroline, a chara,
Fáilte.

Dear Caroline,
Welcome.

I'm fairly sure that you will be able to find Irish language classes and teachers in England. Here's the link to the traditional musical organization Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, which has many active branches in England: http://comhaltas.ie. Most branches have an Irish language officer, so you should be able to find out where Irish classes are offered in your area.

Also, try a Google search for Irish/Gaeilge classes organizations in your area.

Ádh mór/All the best,
Paul

Once again, thanks very much for the information. As you so rightly point out Turas Teanga might be a bit advanced for me. Unfortunately my limited knowledge of the language was only picked up from my grandparents, as they didn't have much oppportunity to use it much over here either, it's only the odd phrase or saying (or sometimes when they were using, shall i say, 'choice phrases' in gaelic, so my delicate ears wouldn't pick up on them, Funnily enough, they were what have stuck in my memory).

Tut tut.

Anyway, thank you once again for the advice, i look forward to learning the language, it's something i should have done many years ago.

Caz.