Using/ learning Irish and teaching it to kids outside of Ireland

[SeanChailleach]

I'm looking for ideas and resources - I'm fluent myself (or once was), but don't get much chance to actually have conversations out loud as I'm stuck over here in England, with a Welsh DH. My teenager is quite happy to learn Welsh, and would learn Irish if she thought other kids were too.
I know there are other mums who'd like to teach their kids the language, or learn it together, but not sure how to go about it, what works, and how to get a cúpla míle focail instead of just a cúpla.

Found the thread! No ideas or help I'm afraid but following as I saw your other thread and have a DS starting Gaelscoil in September!

I'm living in Ireland SeanChailleach but many of us are looking for ways to encourage Irish in our children here too

I've found Séideán Sí useful in the past for a child who likes computer work. They have little games suited for primary school children and you can choose your preferred dialect. An Siopa Leabhar has books, posters, jigsaws and games such as Scrabble and Cludeo as Gaeilge.

Mine enjoyed watching some of the youtube videos by Ciara Ní É (What the Focal) where she answers some questions about Irish, and it made them more aware that there are communities of Irish speakers all over the country. (They don't attend a Gaelscoil.) These may be useful for your teenager?

Liam Ó Maonlaí does some conversational Irish here.
m.independent.ie/life/family/learning/learn-irish-with-liam-o-maonlai-26460087.html

In general, listening to TG4 or Raidió na Gaeltachta is good for learning...don't know if that's an option and I find it can be hard to get the kids interested sometimes too.

The best solution, of course, would be more interaction with native speakers. Playing football/games as Gaeilge would be the most natural way to learn, but we're not in the right area for that either. I do speak a bit to them, but it's not enough.

Go raibh maith agat @LizzieAnt! I will look at those. I can get RnG on my laptop, but may be able to get both RnG and TnG on the TV. I do find it easier to follow speech when there is a visual cue.

@mamamalt that's exciting! How old is your DS?
Ar fheabhas! Cén aois é do mhac?

@Sean I'm afraid I have to appologise deeply for being English and having no idea what that says!!
My son is 4 and husband is from wild west of Ireland so we're moving home! I'm very excited and keen to enrole myself in some classes so I can help him with school!

Duolingo is very good. You can get the app for free. I’ve been doing it for a few minutes every day and it’s amazing how it’s improved my Irish.

@mamamalt I just translated what I wrote in English, "ar fheabhas", means "excellent". "Cén aois é do mhac" literally translates to "what age him your son". It all sounds roughly like "er yowas, ken eesh e do wack".

My user name seanchailleach means "old lady". It sounds roughly like "shan hallyah".

I second what @magicstar1 says about Duolingo, it is great, although I don't know what it would be like for an absolute beginner. I just got a pile of good stuff from www.ansiopaleabhair.com

Good luck!

grr spellcheck www.ansiopaleabhar.com

Oh god I've a lot to learn!! I am excited for it though. Ds will pick it up in no time I'm sure and is very excited about learning his own language!
Thank you so much for the app recommendation and the translation in to how you say it too! We're expecting in the autumn and looking for another Irish name I always need the phonic spelling alongside... place names are going to cause an issue too! 😅

@mamamalt

You can get the TG 4 app (free from the app store). If you put „scoil“ into the search field it brings up a variety of children‘s shows you can watch with your DS.

This is the kind of thing I was looking for. Got these mugs and a lunchbag from An Siopa Leabhar. Nice quality. Pricey though.

@Bloomsbury45 that's great! Thank you very much for the recommendation!

I am English, moved to west of Ireland last year and live on the border of the Gaeltacht. I would love to be able to at least say/understand some basics (same for my DH and DS), has anyone got a good site/resource/app etc to recommend for adult learners?

It would have to be very much for total beginners. I understand no Irish at all and it is embarassing, even when I visit other European countries where I don't speak the language I can usually understand a fair bit and say a word or two here and here to be polite. Irish seems very difficult to me as it has nothing in common with other languages I understand/speak a bit of (eg Dutch, French, German).

@theDudesmummy
Duolingo is awesome, but I am not sure what it feels like for absolute beginners - a book is handy. You can pick up a copy of Teach Yourself Irish 1961 version for a few euro.

Irish does have a lot in common with other IndoEuropean languages - it just doesn't look like them, and the word order is sometimes literally back to front but usually more complicated than that...

The verb comes first
A thing you have or own is at you or with you
Feelings are mostly on you or in you.

I am a woman.
Is a woman, me.
Is bean mé.

I am in a room.
Stand I in a chamber.
Tá mé i seomra. (Seomra pronounced exactly like French chambre).

The room is a kitchen.
Is a kitchen it, the room.
Is cistín é, an seomra

I have a son.
Stands a son at me.
Tá mac agam.

I am tired.
Stands tiredness on me.
Tá tuirse orm.

Good luck!
Chance mighty!
Seans maith!

Oh @SeanChailleach it is really kind of you to bother to go into so much detail for me! I did try starting Doulingo but it seemed SO hard! I think I gave up too easly though! I will try that book and maybe try Duolingo again.