Colloquial Irish 1 & 2 . 
Colloquial Irish 1 & 2 .
Colloquial Irish (1): Text written by Thomas Ihde, Máire Ní Neachtain, Roslyn Blyn-LaDrew and John Gillen. CDs feature Póilín Nic Chonaonaigh, Máire Ní Neachtain, Josie Ó Cualáin, Seosamh Ó Neachtain and Mícheál Mac Lochlainn.
Colloquial Irish: The Complete Course for Beginners is written by Irish-language instructors who have taught complete beginners in Ireland and the USA for many years. This book is the product of a collaboration of four research fellows affiliated with the Center for Irish Language Acquisition Research, part of the CUNY Institute for Irish-American Studies. The chapters were originally drafted by Thomas Ihde, who teaches Irish at Lehman College, CUNY. Thomas's own interest in the Irish of County Galway is a result of his native Irish-speaking grandfather who was born and raised in Cill Fhursa on the eastern shores of Lough Corrib. Máire Ní Neachtain (Coláiste Mhuire Gan Smál, Ollscoil Luimnigh) provided essential native speaker input as well as overall pedagogical and grammatical editing as each chapter was completed. She also coordinated the selection and taping of native speakers. Máire was born and raised in Cois Fharraige where she still lives and remains active in the Irish-speaking community. Roslyn Blyn-LaDrew (University of Pennsylvania) and John Gillen (Hostos Community College, CUNY) each provided grammatical input on the drafted chapters. Additionally, Roslyn shared her many years of pedagogical experience with teaching Irish to adults in America, and John provided expert dialectal knowledge for the chapters and grammar appendix.
The native speakers on the two CDs that can be found in the package are Póilín Nic Chonaonaigh, Máire Ní Neachtain, Josie Ó Cualáin, and Seosamh Ó Neachtain. The narrator is Mícheál Mac Lochlainn. Póilín Nic Chonaonaigh lives in Baile ‘n tSagairt in An Spidéal. She is Cathaoirleach (chairperson) of Aisteoirí an Spidéil and acts and directs shows with this active community-based theatre group. Máire Ní Neachtain is from Baile ‘n tSagairt, An Spidéal. She hosts Focal Faire the weekly panel discussion on Irish language questions on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. Josie Ó Cualáin is from Indreabhán. Josie is a professional actor and plays the role of Mícheál Seoighe in the popular soap-opera, Ros na Rún on TG4. He is also a regular broadcaster on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. Seosamh Ó Neachtain is a native of Coilleach in An Spidéal. Seosamh is one of the best-known exponents of the sean-nós style of dancing and is in great demand at music and dance festivals worldwide. He is also a talented box-player. The narrator, Mícheál Mac Lochlainn, was born and brought up in London and now resides in Baile ’n tSagairt, An Spidéal.
Colloquial Irish (1) was published by the Routledge imprint of Taylor & Francis in 2008 and is widely available from on-line bookshops and at some local bookstores.
Colloquial Irish 2 (Gaeilge Chomhráiteach 2) : Text is being written by Thomas Ihde, Máire Ní Neachtain, John Gillen, and Úna Ní Fhátharta.
Colloquial Irish 2 will be know by its Irish language version name, "Gaeilge Chomhráiteach 2" though it uses the same format as Colloquial Irish (1) with Irish being taught through English. This volume follows Syllabus A2 of the Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG). Thomas Ihde and Úna Ní Fhátharta (of the Aran Islands) began writing the book in the spring of 2010 while teaching a course at that level at Lehman and Queens Colleges. Máire Ní Neachtain and Thomas first met in April 2010 to go over the first six dialogues upon which the initial units are based. As Thomas completed writing units in the summer of 2010, John Gillen began editing the text of the complete units. It is expected that the volume will be available initially in two parts, Part A (Units 15-21) & Part B (Units 22-28) and eventually in one volume (Units 15-28). It is expected that Part A will be available for Lehman and Queens College students in autumn of 2010 and will be available for the general public early in 2011. Part B will be available soon after that. As would be expected, the CDs for the entire volume will not be recorded in Cois Fharraige by native speakers of that dialect until Part A & B are completed. Studio recording is tentatively scheduled for August 2011 and available soon after that. However a demo by Siobhán Ní Mhaolagáin with sound files for Part A will be available when the text for Part A is availble for the general public. Colloquial Irish 2 will be published by the CUNY Institute for Irish-American Studies and available through its website, www.irishamericanstudies.com .
Future project: Irish Intermediate
It is expected upon the completion of Colloquial Irish 2, Thomas Ihde will lead a team once again to produce another Irish language textbook; this time for intermediate level learners. It is expected that the volume will once again be published by Routledge, Taylor & Francis. The volume will follow Syllabus B1 of the Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG).
Irish Language Learning Links:
Courses/Cúrsaí
On-line courses for credit and non-credit (CUNY)
On-line courses for personal, leaving cert, and business focus (GaelTalk)
Searching/Cuardach:
Google as Gaeilge
Text-to-Speech Synthesiser/Ríomhchainteoir:
Abair.ie
Dictionaries/Foclóirí
An Foclóir
Beag
Focal.ie
Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla/Béarla-Gaeilge
Foclóir
GAELIC-L
An
Tobar
Weather/Aimsir:
Wunderground as Gaeilge
Radio/Raidió:
Raidió na Gaeltachta
Raidió na Life
Raidió Fáilte
Blas
ag an BBC
Míle Fáilte ag WFUV
Television/Teilifís
TG4
News (written)/Nuacht (scríofa)
Gaelscéal
Beo!
nós*
Feasta
Comhar
Foinse
Lá Nua
Web Browser/Brabhsálaí Gréasáin
Firefox
Software for correcting Irish spelling and grammar/Bogearraí le litriú agus gramadach na Gaeilge a cheartú
An Gramadóir: Comhéadan Idirlín
Gaelspell + Ceart
App with Irish/App le Gaeilge
WunderRadio
Prayer/Urnaí
Tearmann
Groups/Cumainn
Club Leabhar Nua Eabhrac
Daltaí na Gaeilge
Grúpa an Aifrinn Ghaelach Choláiste Naoimh Pheadair