Recently I bought a brand new copy of Learning Irish (by Mícheál Ó Siadhail) in Rome. It seems to be the most recent edition, with four audio CDs, nicely presented in a white box that matches the book covers. Pap/Com edition (November 25, 2006).

A couple days after I began using it the binding gave way and pages started to fall out. I continue to use it because the text itself is fantastic, and seems like certainly the best way to learn Irish, but so far more than 20 pages have come out and the number is climbing.

I've sent a letter to Yale University Press requesting a compensatory copy, even if a more dated edition or used copy. I thought I'd warn people against purchasing this edition. It's not worth 45€ if it can't hold together for more than a week.

It's the edition shown here:
http://www.litriocht.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=4318&osCsid=c50025238 a993119dbb8cf1f273696ad

(Message edited by Aindréas on October 19, 2007)

Aindréas, I posted about that exact same problem earlier this year. I have the same product you describe and the textbook began falling apart precisely as you describe.

Both Yale University Press and Barnes & Noble (through whom I bought it) were similarly unhelpful.

I'm going to separate out the pages entirely from the "binding," have them punched with holes, and put them it into a small binder.

This kind of text should have been spiral-bound in any event, IMO.

How did you deal with Yale University Press, Domhnall? I just today mailed them a letter, politely demanding that they stand by their product and send me a new book. Did you do something similar? I intend to harass them as much as I need to to get another copy. I thought about hole punching and putting it in a binder too, but I'd probably punch out some of the text in the process.

Glad (but sort of not glad at the same to same) to know at least that it's not just the individual copy I have. I'll let you know if I get a reply from the company.

Aindréas - If you're afraid you'll lose some of the text by punching holes in the pages, there are plastic sleeves available with prepunched holes that you can slide the pages into. You can usually find them where you buy binders.
This is a worst-case scenario - Yale should correct the problem.

Hmm...

I also have this CD verson of Lerning Irish. But I have not had any problems with my book. Thanks to a hook up in the printing department I was able to get a copy before it went out on the market. So I have had it for a while now...I am wondering if perhaps there was a bad batch of books produced?

I assumed that the glue in the binding dried out over time, because the pages just fall out cleanly (as cleanly as the leaves in those glue-bound tablets). Clearly the choice of binding was poorly thought out.

Aindréas, I first called Barnes & Noble to see how I should go about it. They told me that because they do not carry the product, but had ordered it at my request, they could not assist me. They gave me contact information for Yale University Press.

So, I called YUP and they told me that because it was purchased by B&N, I would have to have B&N contact them, etc., etc., etc.

It became clear very quickly that I'd be better served by simply binding the leaves myself. Not the optimal solution, but I figure that a replacement book likely suffers from the same defect and will soon start falling apart as well, so I'm right back to square one.

At this point, I take these set-backs philosophically; as I see it, this is example #784 or so of why Irish is a difficult language to learn... :)

A chairde,

I'd suggest you find out who heads Yale Univ Press, and email them. If you can't find an email address,
write them a registered letter that they have to sign for.

Le meas, Paul

can someone tell me if the Learning Irish (by Mícheál Ó Siadhail) is a good book/cd to help in learning the language?

is it a fresh and interesting approach that takes the pain out of learning a language like Irish? Is it the best of the bunch offered on this site? how does it compare to ohter books/cd's that aim to teach the language?
niall

Hmmm...

I do not think I would use the word "fresh" to describe Learning Irish by Mícheál Ó Siadhail. It has been around for many decades. I do like how the course has upgraded from the old cassette version to the more modern CD version. I think the CD's give the course material a better feeling because they make it much easier to use and I think they really cleaned up the audio on the CD's so you can hear the pronunciations better.

Also, without question...Learning Irish may be one of the, if not the most intensive, Irish learning resources on the market. It has been said that a student who can retain 75% of the material will be at an intermediate level of Irish that few Irish students will attain. I can't say for certain, but I am working with it now, and this is a very serious course.

Having said all that...there are some serious negatives to this course. The first one is that the book was written and sticks to the Cois Fharraige dialect found in Galway. I bring this up for two reasons. One, there are many differences between this dialect and the other dialects of Irish. And two, there are differences between this dialect and other dialects in Galway herself.

I don't say this to scare a person away from this book....I say this because I want a person to be prepared to encounter differences and be ready for them.

Now because this book concentrates on the Cois Fharraige dialect, it tends to teach the grammar and vocabulary of this dialect. And I find the vocabulary differences to be the bigger of the two concerns. For instance, it uses regional specific words for things that the other dialects tend to conform. For instance, if you look up the word "auction" in most dictionaries and learning materials, you will find this word "ceant." However, if you go by Learning Irish...it teaches "ceandáil" which is a word used only by them. When I was in Galway, most of the Irish speakers I encountered did not know this word.

Now having said all that...I honestly think that any serious learner has to have this book. I have purchased a couple of courses now, and this is still the first one I would recommend to a new learner. But I would strongly encourage, or warn, them to be ready to do some work. Not only do you have to be ready to contend with the troubles of learning a new language, you also have to be ready to deal with the troubles of dealing with a dialect specific text. (Get ready to hear "Well, that's how they do it..." a lot.)

Unregistered Guess,

Learning a language in painful. Period.

Oh dear, have I scared you away? :-) I hope not, but I'm being serious. You can't learn a language well without a lot of hard work ... so I'm not sure what you mean when you ask "is it a fresh and interesting approach that takes the pain out of learning a language like Irish?". If you want to speak Irish you have to memorize vocab lists and verb forms, so I'm not sure what you're looking for (or avoiding) in a "fresh and interesting" textbook.

People say that Learning Irish is for a certain type of learner. I agree, I think it's for the learner who really wants to learn Irish. :-) I can't say it's challenging/daunting because you can go at whatever pace you want. I do two lessons a week, which is a fair bit, but some may prefer for example one lesson every two weeks.

I'm also familair with the Teach Yourself Irish book, and I thought it was absolute crap. It made Irish seem like a mess of a language and insulted my intelligence. XD So that's my advice ... use Learning Irish!