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Bunús na Gaeilge - Basic Irish Language
 There is no other way to revive Irish than for a crowd of people to spread it.
- Douglas Hyde
Note: The spellings and pronunciations used are based on Aideen's own natural use of Connemara Irish but they have been kept simple, so as to be understood where there are differences in the language.
For example, the word 'feicfidh' is used only in Connemara Irish; in Leinster, Ulster and Munster the word is 'cífidh'. There are two pronunciations; Leinster/Munster - kee-fee; Ulster - chee-fee.
The biggest problem for people whose native language is English is that the soft 't' and 'd' are in Irish, but not in English; it's difficult to 'reproduce' them in writing. Where I use 'th' and 'dh' here, they are best achieved by putting your tongue gently behind your front upper teeth."
Click here for our words & phrases Index.
Lesson 53: Outdoor Countryside
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this time of year often finds us hibernating and longing for sunny days when we can enjoy the great outdoors again. It's also when many people begin planning their summer holidays; so, we thought it would be appropriate to offer a lesson that focuses on words and phrases associated with land, water, and related activities.
Word: Outdoors
Irish: Amuigh faoin Aer
Pronunciation: ah-mwuih fween air
Word: Land
Irish: talamh
Pronunciation: thahl-uv
Word: Field
Irish: gort
Pronunciation: gurth
Word: River
Irish: abhann
Pronunciation: ow-ahn
Phrase: River bank
Irish: bruach abhann
Pronunciation: broo-ukh ow-ahn
Word: Stream
Irish: sruthán
Pronunciation: shruh-hawn
Word: Mountain
Irish: sliabh
Pronunciation: shleeve
Phrase: Mountain range
Irish: sliabhraon
Pronunciation: shleeve-rayn
Word: Mountaineer
Irish: sliabhadóir
Pronunciation: shleeve-ah-dhoh-ir
Word: Road
Irish: bóthar
Pronunciation: boh-hahr
Word: Rock
Irish: carraig
Pronunciation: kahr-ig
Phrase: Rock face
Irish: éadán carraige
Pronunciation: ay-dhawn kahr-ig-eh
Word: Canoe
Irish: curach
Pronunciation: kur-ukh
Word: Sea
Irish: farraige
Pronunciation: fahr-ig-eh
Word: Beach
Irish: trá
Pronunciation: thraw
Word: Waterfall
Irish: bás uisce
Pronunciation: baws ish-geh
Word: Sailing
Irish: seolthóireacht
Pronunciation: shohl-thohr-ukth
Word: Fishing
Irish: iascaireacht
Pronunciation: eess-kah-rukhth
Word: Bog
Irish: portach
Pronunciation: purr-thukh
Word: Climbing
Irish: dreapadóireacht
Pronunciation: dhrahp-ah-dhohr-ukhth
Word: Sky
Irish: spéir
Pronunciation: spayr
Word: Sun
Irish: grian
Pronunciation: gree-un
Word: Cloud
Irish: scamall
Pronunciation: skah-mull
Word: Star
Irish: réalta
Pronunciation: rayl-thah
Word: weather
Irish: aimsir
Pronunciation: eyem-shir
Phrase: On land and on sea
Irish: ar muir agus ar tír
Pronunciation: err mwirr ah-gus err tcheer
Phrase: We are going mountaineering next week.
Irish: Táimid ag dul ag sléibhtheoireacht an tseachtain seo chugainn
Pronunciation: thaw-muidj egg dhull egg shlayv-thohr-ukhth on tshock-thin shuh hug-inn
Phrase: Do you know what height is that mountain?
Irish: Bhfuil fhios agat ar chén airde ata an tsliabh sin?
Pronunciation: will iss ah-guth err khayn eer-djeh ah-thaw on tshleeve shin
Phrase: Be careful, I heard a warning that the wind is rising
Irish: Bí/bígí (you singular/plural) cúramach, chuala mé fógra go bhfuil an gaoth ag árdú
Pronunciation: bee/bee-gee (hard 'g') koo-rah-mukh, khool-ah may foh-grah guh will on gwee egg awr-dhoo
Phrase: We are all going sailing (boating) tomorrow.
Irish: Taimid uilig ag dul ag curachóireacht amárach
Pronunciation: thaw-mwidj ill-ig egg dhull egg kur-ukh-thoh-ir-ukhth ah-mawr-ukth
Phrase: On retirement from business, he intends to sail the seas
Irish: Ar éirí as cúrsaí gnóthaí, tá sé d'intinn aige na fairrigí a shiúil (literally: to walk the seas)
Pronunciation: err eye-ree oss koor-see gnoh-hee, thaw shay dhin-chin eh-geh nah fahr-i gee (hard 'g') ah hi-oo-ill
Phrase: It's difficult rowing against the stream
Irish: Tá sé deacair bheith ag rámhadh in éadan an tsruth
Pronunciation: thaw shay dja-kirr veh egg raw-vah inn ay-dhahn on tsruh
Phrase: I'd love to be living beside the sea
Irish: Ba bhreá liom a bheith im chónaí chois fharraige
Pronunciation: bah vrhah li-um ah veh im khoh-nee khush ahr-ih-geh
Phrase: We'll go out under the shade of night and watch the stars.
Irish: Rachaimid amach i ndorchadas na hoíche agus dul a' breathnú ar na réaltaí
Pronunciation: rahkh-ah-mwidj ah-mahkh ih nurr-khah-dhahs na hee-heh ah-gus dhull ah brah-noo err nah rayl-thee
Phrase: Isn't it well (nice) for those who have a river flowing through their land.
Irish: Nach aoibhinn dóibh a bhfuil abhann á snitheach tríd a dtalamh.
Pronunciation: nokh eev-inn dhoh-iv ah will ow-ahn aw shnih-ukh threedj ah dtahl-uv
 Note: This caught our eye. Yes, we know it isn't gaeilge, but it is fascinating. If nothing else, it is certainly language (and Irish language as well.)
Slanguage
by Bernard Share
...for all 'decent skins', 'crawthumpers', horse-protestants', 'hard chaws' and 'strong farmers'...a dictionary of Irish slang that's as amusing as it is informative.
Click here for Slanguage
For More Basic Irish please click here: Irish Index
Image: Gaeilge Beo from All Posters and Prints.
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Sun, Mar 4, 2018
Bitesize Irish Gaelic
Start learning on line with a free trial!
Why Learn Irish with Bitesize Irish Gaelic?
Eoin is a native Irish speaker who you can listen to in the online lessons.
Sasa has helped develop the lessons from the perspective of a complete beginner.
Audrey has created conversation lessons to get you speaking Irish.
And last but certainly not least, they are proud of the Irish language and want more people to speak it.
Affordable, fun and effective - To learn more, Click Bitesize Irish
Irish Grammar
by Noel Mogonagle
This book is excellent for beginners who are wanting a book that gives basic grammar without all the extra information that confuses beginners. The book is well laid out, with information very easy to find. Amazon Reviewer
Here is a good follow-on to our words and phrases.
Click for Irish Grammar.
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Irish - English
English - Irish
Dictionaries
Note: We have yet to see a dictionary with phonetic pronunciations for each word. We suspect this is partly due to the variations. Providing for all four 'green fields' (Connacht, Leinster, Ulster and Munster), would be cumbersome at best. Still, someone may do it some day. Until then, these are all very good and recommended. Serious students will have more than one; they are inexpensive.
These two (either or both) are the handy-references needed to go with a good grammar or 'teach yourself' course.
We would need both (and some other help) if found wandering in a Gaeltacht late at night.
Amazon has an offer of either one combined with a grammar for a reduced price.
Click for Collins Gem
Click for Oxford Pocket.
As a total beginner in Irish, this has taught me quite a few words. The illustrations are beautifully done, and best of all, each word is given a rough English spelling of its pronunciation. Edited from an amazon review.
Click here for Kid's Irish Dictionary.
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While I wouldn't recommend you use many of these phrases, this is a terribly funny book. I picked it up after leafing through it at the store and finding phrases about sheep and inns and the hazards of driving in Ireland without insurance. Each little section starts out innocuously enough, then quickly degenerates into truly funny comments. If you like Monty Python or BlackAdder, this will really make you laugh. If you liked the Father Ted tv show, this little book will make you keel over giggling. Ah, go on, ya eejit, buy it already! Amazon Reviewer
(We want this, you may see a few on these pages - watch out).
Click for Wicked Irish
An easy-to-use program for learning on your own, or can be used as supplemental material for your classes. These new editions have been thoroughly revised and updated to include the engaging dialogues and helpful exercises you have come to expect from the Teach Yourself series.
Click for Teach Yourself
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The Best Irish Course Available! Three years ago I decided to learn Irish, and in the next two years I bought three different courses. The first two were simply useless, (that's the obvious reason for my buying new courses) you could learn some phrases, but not construct sentences yourself. Learning Irish, on the other hand, is an excellent book, which gives you a thorough vocabulary and grammatical knowledge. It consists of 36 lessons, all containing vocabularies, grammar instructions, texts and excercises. Amazon Reviewer.
Click for Learning irish
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