You don't need to be fluent to bring Irish into your life
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Whether you want Irish to be a real everyday language at home, or you're finally learning it properly for yourself after years of school and apps, you don't need perfect Irish.
You need real, practical Irish that actually sticks.
Free Speak Irish at Home GuideStart for free
Free lessons for parents who want Irish at home, and for beginners starting again. Real phrases you'll be saying out loud today, whatever your level.
Start learning Irish with the Free Irish for Beginners Trial
No commitment, no card.
You want to actually speak Irish, not just pass an exam. The brand new Irish for Beginners course starts from zero (or from whatever school left you with) and gets real phrases out of your mouth from day one.
I want Irish in our home
You're a parent, grandparent or teacher and you want Irish woven through the day, from maidin mhaith to oĂche mhaith. The Free Quickstart Guide to Speaking Irish at Home starts with all the easy, peasy phrases you can use every day.Â
I'm dreading the Irish homework
Your child pulls out their Irish homework and your stomach drops. You don't need to be a native speaker to help. Start with the free Irish Homework Survival Kit.
Your Irish was never the problem
Most of us were never given the Irish we actually need. We got verb tables and essays and poetry, but nobody taught us how to say put on your shoes.
School taught you Irish for exams, not for living. And that's not your fault.
The good news is you don't need to go back to the grammar books. You need a handful of real phrases, used over and over, in the moments you're already in. When it's practical, it's real. When it's real, it sticks.
It works even if nobody else in your house has Irish
It felt so natural to me to speak Irish to my daughter when she was born. I felt passionate about raising her with our beautiful language and I was lucky to be flient. However, my husband Philip grew up in New Zealand. He never heard a word of Irish in his life, and he never studied it. He just heard the same phrases in context, every day.
Then one evening, out of nowhere, he said bĂ cĂşramach (be careful) to our daughter as she climbed the couch. He didn't even know he was speaking Irish. He now speaks Irish every day at home, naturally.Â
That's what real, practical Irish can do. When you can use Irish like a real language, it all gets a lot easier.Â
Hi, I'm Jenny
I went from school Irish, the kind that gets you through an exam and not much else, to full fluency as an adult, through immersion on the Aran Islands. I went on to do a degree, a master's and a teaching qualification, all through Irish.
But I didn't become fluent from grammar books. I became fluent by living the language, and that's exactly how I teach it.
The Irish I use most isn't the Irish I learned in college. It's the Irish of parenting. Come here. Be careful. Are you hungry? Every night I say oĂche mhaith a leanaĂn (goodnight) to my daughter, and she answers me back in Irish. That's what I want for you.
Ready to Get Confident & Fluent?
The free guides are a great start. However, if you know you're ready to improve your Irish, and finally feel confident, and fluent, these courses below are the next path on your journey.Â
Irish for Beginners Complete Course
For: Adults starting from zero, or from school Irish that never stuck.
Why: You’ve done the apps. You did the years at school. You still can’t string a sentence together, and it’s not because you’re bad at languages. Nobody ever explained Irish properly. This course does. Short lessons that start from your very first phrase and finally make sense of the bits that always confused you, so you can actually speak Irish, out loud, from day one.
Where will this course take you?
From the leftover words and phrases of every Irish course you’ve tried, to using Irish every single day.
From guessing at pronunciation and sentence order, to understanding how the language actually works.
From “I did Irish at school”, to “I speak Irish”.
Gaeilge sa Bhaile; Complete Guide to Speaking Irish at Home
For: Parents, grandparents and teachers who want Irish woven through the day, no fluency needed.
Why: You're already saying it in English. Put on your shoes. Are you hungry? Be careful. Nobody at school taught you the Irish for any of it, so you got verb tables and essays instead. This course gives you the Irish for the things you say every day, in lessons around three minutes long, with phrase cards for the fridge and the car. The same phrases, in the same moments, over and over. That's how it sticks, for you and for them.
Where will this course take you?
From a few words you half remember, to Irish from maidin mhaith to oĂche mhaith.
From feeling you're not fluent enough to try, to hearing your child answer you back in Irish.
From Irish as a school subject, to Irish as part of your home.
Gaelscoil Online Reviews
Read all about how parents and beginners find learning Irish with me
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Best money I’ve spent. My 4 year old now shouts cuir ort do chrios in the back of the car.
Gaeilge sa Bhaile member
Your approach is so easy to follow. We’re loving speaking Irish every day in our home because of you.
Gaeilge sa Bhaile member
I use the phrases most days now. I’m doing an in person Irish class also and nothing that I need for parenting is covered in it.
Gaeilge sa Bhaile member
Thank you so much for your work Jenny. You make our beautiful language so accessible.
Gaeilge sa Bhaile member
I spent years on Duolingo and doing other courses but your lessons are the only thing that has ever stuck.
irish for beginners member
You put your heart and soul into this and it shows.
Gaeilge sa Bhaile member
Not sure where to start? Start with one phrase.
The free Quick Start Guide to Speaking Irish at Home gives you the easiest first phrases to use at home with the páistà and shows you exactly how to use them, even if you haven't said a word of Irish since school.
You just need to start. With one phrase that you can use today.Â
Download the free Quick Start GuideNot a parent?
The Irish for Beginners Free Start gives you a taste for the Irish for beginner course with no commitments, and this is for anyone, even if you're not a parent.Â
Join Irish for Beginners, FREE