Ceachtanna: The Irish Language

If you are bringing your children up with Irish, some basic language-related words and phrases are going to come in handy - especially when they leave the naíonra and go to school! We cover some of the most common of these on this page.

Greetings

Irish	English	Literal English	Sounds				Notes
			Connacht Irish	Munster Irish	Standard Irish	Ulster Irish
Gaeilge Gaelainn Gaeilic	Irish (language)	Irish (language)	Gaeilge	Gaelainn	Dialect Specific	Gaeilic	All these spellings are listed in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla. They are essentially the same word in different accents. Although "Gael" shouldn't be pronounced with a flat "a" like the English word "gale", to pronounce it "gwale" is to over-stress it. Rather than a "w" with the lips, try to make a gentle "u" in the throat. In Ulster this sound is very gentle indeed.
An Ghaeilge An Ghaelainn An Ghaeilic	Irish (language)	Irish (language)	An Ghaeilge	An Ghaelainn	Dialect Specific	An Ghaeilic	All these spellings are listed in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla. They are essentially the same word in different accents. Although "Gael" shouldn't be pronounced with a flat "a" like the English word "gale", to pronounce it "gwale" is to over-stress it. Rather than a "w" with the lips, try to make a gentle "u" in the throat. In Ulster this sound is very gentle indeed.
ag foghlaim na G-	learning Irish	learning Irish	ag foghlaim na Gaeilge	ag foghlaim na Gaelainne	Dialect Specific	ag foghlaim na Gaeilice	Note that in any dialect you never pronounce the "g" in "ag" if it's followed by a consonant. Although "Gael" shouldn't be pronounced with a flat "a" like the English word "gale", to pronounce it "gwale" is to over-stress it. Rather than a "w" with the lips, try to make a gentle "u" in the throat. In Ulster this sound is very gentle indeed.
An Ghaeltacht	Irish-speaking district	district of the Gael	An Ghaeltacht	An Ghaeltacht	An Ghaeltacht	An Ghaeltacht	Note that in Cork Irish, the letter "t" is almost always pronounced as a "h" when it follows the letter "l". Although "Gael" shouldn't be pronounced with a flat "a" like the English word "gale", to pronounce it "gwale" is to over-stress it. Rather than a "w" with the lips, try to make a gentle "u" in the throat. In Ulster this sound is very gentle indeed.

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