You'll have to forgive me, Tuigim beagán Gaeilge, ach tá ma ag foghlaim Gaeilge.

I am using the Micheal O’Siadhail text and audio and I tend to have Raidió na Gaeltachta on the computer during the day, I also listen to the podcasts. From what little I can deduce, the dialect on the radio isn't always that used in the books...is it a matter of the host's own dialect? Does R na G have a set dialect they try to adhere to?

Go raibh maith agat,

Proinsias

quote:

the dialect on the radio isn't always that used in the books...is it a matter of the host's own dialect? Does R na G have a set dialect they try to adhere to?

Thanks God, in RnaG, people use their own dialect. Anyway, only some learners speak Standard Irish. Native speakers don't.
The variety of dialects is what makes Irish interesting. If everybody spoke the same way, it'd be boring and the language would be poorer.

It's probably more a matter of the author's own dialect. Learning Irish teaches specifically the dialect of Cois Fhairrge in Co. Galway. This diverges in many important respects from other Connemara dialects, much less the Irish of Connacht in general (the primary basis for Standard Irish).

quote:

... is it a matter of the host's own dialect?

Yes. You'll find a variety, and many times you can tell from the place it's broadcasterd from, or from the speakers themselves (how they talk, what they talk about, etc.). Even on a single show, the guest might be from another area, or a well known personality might be a second language learner. While I concentrate on learning from some specific sources, I try to listen to a variety of speakers to train my ear to communicate with people from all walks of life. I think part of learning a regional form, is also knowing what makes the regional form unique in comparison to forms in other areas (or what is common).

If you click into one of the show categories on the left side (nuacht, caint, etc.), generally you'll get more information about the area it represents.

www.rte.ie/rnag/

Example under Nuacht:

Ar Siúl/When: Luan - Aoine ag 1pm / Mon - Fri at 1pm
Láithreoir: Máirín Ní Ghadhra
Léiritheoir: Gormfhlaith Ní Thuairisg
Teagmháil/Contact: Seomra Nuachta, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Casla. Co. na Gaillimhe
Tel: 091 506625
Facs/Fax: 091 506688
Rphost/Email:

No. RnaG broadcasts from all the Irish-speaking areas, and illustrates all the dialects. If you are looking for a particular dialect, you could look for particular programmes.

If you are reading MOS' book, you should be fine with these:

http://www.rte.ie/rnag/ardtrathnona.html
http://www.rte.ie/rnag/irisaniar.html

News at 1 also seems to be broadcast from Galway:
http://www.rte.ie/rnag/nuachtahaon.html

Is every Gaeltacht represented on RnaG? For example, are there shows hosted from studios in Gaeltacht na Rinne or Ráth Chairn or Múscraí?

I've seen the studio in Baile na nGall (west Kerry) and obviously Conamara and Tír Chonaill are well represented.

quote:

For example, are there shows hosted from studios in Gaeltacht na Rinne or Ráth Chairn or Múscraí?

Occasionally, but the regular programmes come from Baile na nGall, Casla or Doirí Beaga. I have a feeling there is a studio in Castlebar which covers Mayo,

http://www.rte.ie/rnag/igceartlarnandaoine.html

And a number of programmes come from Dublin.

http://www.rte.ie/rnag/gloranoir.html

I don't think there are permanent studios in the other places.

The information programme "Fógraí an Lae" covers pretty much everywhere, so they all get at least that much of a look in, but often by phone:

http://www.rte.ie/rnag/fograianlae.html

Go raibh maith agaibh! I'm not interested in leaning one dialect over another, but I want to be fairly sure that when I listen to someone speaking any flavor of Irish that I can generally comprehend them. I know I've heard with other languages (even Spanish) that dialects can vary so much that some speakers can't easily be understood by others.

I'll try to post more as Ghaeilge as I go theough the lessons.

Proinsias

Hi Rogue9772! Best of luck with your learning. I hope it becomes addictive :) When I first went back to Irish a few years after leaving school, I didn't know anything about the differences between the dialects, but I was the same as you and wanted to know what dialects I was listening to! I emailed RnaG themselves to find out about a specific speaker, so that was a help. If you're ever in doubt you can ask here of course or go down through the schedule on RnaG's website and find their name and then google!