The best way to learn Irish is a mix: mostly Irish you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Irish you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning Irish Work Best?
Reading and listening to Irish at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| TV, radio and podcasts | Irish at natural speed, in all three main dialects | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | Why the first sound of a word changes | Patterns that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn Irish for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Watch TG4Put most of your time into listening, starting with short Cúla4 shows and moving on to Ros na Rún with Irish subtitles on the TG4 Player.
- Visit the GaeltachtSpend most of your time on short dialogues about shops, cafes and getting around, and say each one out loud before you visit the areas where Irish is spoken.
- Pass a TEG ExamRead and listen at your level most of the time, and try the sample papers on the official TEG site as the exam gets close.
- Read Irish BooksSpend most of your time reading short stories, and move on to ClubLeabhar's book of the month once longer stories feel easy to follow.
- Work in IrishRead and hear Irish about your field most of the time, and practice the talks your job needs with a tutor.
To see how many hours each stage takes, read how long it takes to learn Irish.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as Nuacht Mhall for slow news or Teanglann.ie for hearing words, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in a few rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes Irish lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing how words sound | Teanglann.ie, with recordings of words in Connacht, Munster and Ulster Irish | Pimsleur for audio lessons you answer out loud, or Glossika, whose sentence practice teaches the Connemara dialect |
| Reading and listening at your level | The beginner episodes of Gaeilge Weekly, in Irish and English, and the slow news of Nuacht Mhall | Bubblegum, LingQ or the book Short Stories in Irish for Beginners with its audiobook |
| TV, radio and news | Cúla4 and the TG4 Player for shows, and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta for radio | Readlang, which helps you read Irish web pages you choose and has a library of Irish stories and articles |
| Review | Anki, free on computers and Android | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on Tandem | A tutor on italki or Preply |
| A course and grammar | Duolingo's Irish course or Mango's Irish course, which are both free | Weekly online classes from Gaelchultúr, at eight levels starting with Beginners 1 |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you away from real Irish sentences you can follow.
- Reading Irish Like EnglishIn Irish, the vowels next to a consonant change how it sounds, so play the audio as you read and hear new words on Teanglann.ie.
- Grammar Tables With No SentencesLearn each change from lines you have read, such as i dteach (in a house), where teach (house) gets a new first sound, so it comes with an example of how it is used.
- Shows You Can't Follow YetSave TG4 dramas such as Ros na Rún for when you can follow a scene with Irish subtitles on, and watch short Cúla4 shows before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Irish with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. Lessons with a tutor on italki or Preply are paid, so spend that time talking, and do your reading and listening on your own. For a class with other learners, Conradh na Gaeilge teaches adults online and in Dublin and Galway.
Should I learn Irish grammar first?
No. Start reading and listening right away, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after Tá peann agam (I have a pen) and Tá cat agam (I have a cat), it is easy to see that Irish says "I have" with tá and agam.
Which Irish app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Irish, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Irish app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG), Maynooth University: the Irish exams for adult learners (syllabuses and sample exam papers for each level)
- Teanglann.ie: Irish Pronunciation Database (Connacht, Ulster and Munster recordings)
- Nuacht Mhall on Apple Podcasts (slow weekly news in Irish, with the full text in each episode's notes)
- Anki, official downloads (free computer version and AnkiDroid)
- Tandem (language exchange)
- Gaelchultúr: Irish courses online (weekly classes at eight levels)
- Wikipedia: Irish orthography (broad and slender consonants)
- Wikipedia: Irish initial mutations (i dteach, in a house)
- Wikipedia: Irish grammar (Tá peann agam, I have a pen)
