Irish Grammar Book [Paperback]

Nollaig MacCongail (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1902420497 | ISBN-13: 978-1902420493 | Publication Date: June 13, 2005 | Edition: Bilingual

A grammar book in English based on the grammatical principles presented in Niall O Dónaill's Irish-English dictionary. The rules of Irish grammar are presented here in a clear, easy-to-understand manner

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The author, Prof. Nollaig Mac Congail, is a member of the School of Irish in the National University of Ireland, Galway, and has extensive experience of teaching Irish grammar effectively.

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Clo Iar-Chonnachta; Bilingual edition (June 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1902420497
• ISBN-13: 978-1902420493
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #747,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Gaelic
  • #53 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Celtic Languages

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of three recommended grammars for learners of Irish, March 12, 2007

By 

John L Murphy "Fionnchú" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Irish Grammar Book (Paperback)

This book's a useful entry in what I'd recommend as the troika of grammatical references that'll pull you ahead as a learner of Irish through snowdrifts and impassable ruts. Irish grammar for English speakers offers few recognizable landmarks by which to orient one's self. This book is a straightforward reference, the 'Leabhar Gramadaí Gaeilge' from 2002; this English version is also from the same publisher, the fine Irish-language book and music purveyor Cló Iar-Chonnachta. (I presume that as Noel McGonagle this same author wrote for Hippocrene Press the shorter resource "Irish Grammar." That book is not the same as this one!) Based on Niall Ó Dónaill's Foclóir Gaeilge- Béarla, the standard dictionary, IGB sets out the Irish terms and paradigms in an attractive green font; the English translations appear side by side in an italicized green boldfaced. This handsome layout appeals to the learner.

Unlike Éamonn Ó Dónaill's "Teach Yourself Irish Grammar," IGB lacks any exercises. The explanations are here slightly more detailed in places than in TYIG. This book lacks the immediate classroom usefulness that Donna Wong's college-level "Learner's Guide to Irish" possesses with that book's expensive spiral-binding and larger, easier to hold, format. But, for concision, IGB may be sufficient for quick answers and simple demonstrations of conventions. If not here, than in LGI would be the expected order of investigation for topics; TYIG than could be used for drills and reinforcement by practical examples for student practice.

I spot-checked ordinal and cardinal numbering, for me a difficult concept. IGB offers a bit more than TYIG, far less than LGI, so it fits my estimation of the coverage intended by each of these three basic grammatical works for learners, all written in this century, therefore attentive to how Irish is taught to learners in urban, far-flung, and self-tutored set-ups beyond the typically near-uniform Irish schoolroom.

Unlike LGI and TYIG, the Irish vocabulary used for explanations and exemplification is not always translated. My four-star ranking reflects this, although per se it may not be a shortcoming. I look at this book, however, from the perspective of a student, and so ask myself: if some of its illustrations are given also in English, why not all of them? Generally, lists appear of Irish words left as such; their English equivalents generally appear only when rendering phrases into Béarla. So, those needing the support of English might want to be more confident in their level of comprehension, although a dictionary on hand is an obvious necessity anyway. Yet, having the IGB reinforcement when learning of phrases alone and not vocabulary in English and Irish appears uneven. LGI and TYIG give the impression they could be used by learners anywhere, as they take pains to balance Irish with English; perhaps IGB reflecting its genesis is intended more for applications within classrooms in Ireland?

I would buy IGB before LGI; as a handy reference it's well-designed, laid out so as not to crowd the page, and pleasing to the eye of the otherwise overwhelmed newcomer to this fascinating but convoluted language-- at least as it appears to many native English-speakers. Including information on idioms, "varia," and expressions, although all are dealt with on only a page or two respectively, is a useful supplement that shows attention to a learner's needs. Any student of Irish can benefit from IGB, and along with LGI and TYIG may find that he or she will soon want to set all three on the same shelf to complement their aims and compare their explanations on fine points and how-to's of grammar.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Irish grammar for new learners, May 18, 2005

By 

Thomas J. Gosse (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Irish Grammar Book (Paperback)

This is the long awaited English - Irish version of Nollaig Mac Congáil's Leabhar Gramadaí Gaeilge. The grammar rules are based on Niall Ó Dónaill's Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla and are presented in a concise and clear manner. An excellent addition if you are using a course such as Learning Irish by Mícheál Ó Siadhail.