Irish language resources

I have wanted to learn a new language for a while now. What stopped me for a great deal of time was picking which one. It wasn't until I disregarded the questions of 'which should I learn? What if I pick the wrong one?' that I settled on Irish.

There is no right or wrong one to pick - learning any new language is beneficial for your brain and rewarding in its own right. If you have working/holidaying in a specific country in mind then obviously you pick their language, otherwise pick one that appeals - as did Irish to me.

So after picking Irish (Gaeilge) I set out to find some resources to help me in my mission. Here's the best of what I found:

Fluent in 3 months - This is not about Irish specifically, though the blog's author can speak it amongst quite a few other languages. This blog is full of great advice for learning a new language - with a distinct leaning away from academic methods that don't always help learners to get speaking in their target language quickly.

Irish word of the day - does what it says on the tin! Includes audio of the word of the day and an example sentence (with associated phonetic transcription). The site also includes some nifty Irish phrases.

Irish phrases - a helpful site with audio recordings of a number of basic phrases. Listen & repeat!

The Irish wikibook - for people who prefer the academic approach - or indeed those who need to clarify some of the technical aspects of the language - this wikibook is an excellent resource.

Raidió Na Life - Irish Radio - get familiar with the sound of the language by listening to Irish language radio. If your reading comprehension isn't great yet click the Gaeilge/English translation link to the right. This is a good resource in itself as you can compare the texts. I think this is a great radio station and it has a little something for a wide range of musical tastes, my personal favourite show being Scrios agus Ár, the metal show!

I think to go further in studying I may have to purchase a book, but I think the above at least gives you a decent foundation to build upon (and for free!).

Feel free to share your favourite language resources/techniques.

Owen