Customer Reviews

Speaking Irish (DVD Edition): Take your language skills beyond basics

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been studying irish on and off for a few years now, but always felt frustrated over the fact that I couldn't listen to native speakers on a regular conversational level or struggling with not being able to understand the dialects that veer off from standard book irish.

I just got this speaking Irish DVD and book yesterday and was blown away.
It totally submerges you 100% into pure untainted Irish (NO ENGLISH)...it's just like you are in the gaeltacht. You get to hear the differences in dialect and accent from different parts of Ireland and the text book has complete unedited transcripts so you can follow along. It even has a vocabulary list for each segment on the dialect words used and what they would actually be in standard Irish so you can creatively incorporate them into your own way of speaking as well as practice exercises after each segment so you can practice what you've learned!

This is a GOLD mine of information and an ABSOLUTE MUST for learners who have some Irish, but are looking to get more in order to obtain a measure of conversational fluency.

The DVD is all Irish with no option for subtitles. It provides 2 hours of listening to a wide range of speakers to tune your ear to recognizing Irish in a variety of settings and dialects. The book provides guidance on how to get the most out of the DVD and some extra information on the language itself. The interviews are transcribed in both Irish and English so you do get some reading practice. The exercises in the book for each segment are brief. The book and DVD provide a good supplement to a more complete course, but does not stand alone. If you are following another course such as Progress in Irish, Buntus Cainte this is a good next step once your well acquainted with the language.

What a delightful, well-produced and useful piece of work this book/DVD is! I was pleasantly surprised by just how very useful it turned out to be. The interviews on the DVD are fascinating in that they involve interesting, articulate people speaking naturally and unaffectedly, in Irish, on a wide variety of subjects. With the inclusion of speakers of Irish sign language as well as hearing respondents from very different walks of life, and speaking various Irish dialects, this DVD provides a valuable picture of linguistic and cultural diversity among modern gaelgeori.
I would rarely go so far as to give a product 5 stars but I felt that this book/DVD is exactly right for people who have some Irish and who want to improve aural comprehension using authentic materials. The book provides transcripts, translations at the back and just enough information to be helpful without swamping the student or blocking discovery. I would like to wish a hearty "comhghairdeas" and extend a heartfelt "go raibh maith agaibh" to everyone involved in the production of this wonderful resource. Well done!

Just FYI, you *can* purchase this through the kindle or iphone application, but you only receive the printed book. You do not receive any kind of video or audio clips.

I have been studying Irish for over twenty years, but when my church imported a choir director from Ireland and I attempted to communicate in my very basic schoolbook Irish, I was quickly frustrated that I couldn't understand everything he was saying. This book with DVD is an enormous help in this regard. It also familiarizes the student with a wide variety of dialects and colloquial expressions, so important to understanding spoken Irish. I HIGHLY recommend it!!

For many learners of Irish, especially overseas, understanding a native speaker speaking natural, dialectal Irish at conversational speeds is nearly impossible. After nearly 15 years of learning Irish this DVD and book brought me to the point where I can understand almost everything said by almost any speaker. It does assume you have good familiarity with the language already, and is not meant for beginners, but once your Irish is good enough to make sense of a written text you need to try this book and DVD.

Having studied at Oideas Gael, in Donegal, one of the places featured here, I was excited to find, the year after my course, the arrival of this book- DVD pairing. Others have explained its rationale. I'll delve into its structure and organization. A brief comparison with other products (see my Listmania "Learning Irish Gaelic" for more) may assist your decision whether or not it's for you.

Twenty units focus on themes; the hardcover (thankfully-- this is a big plus in learning materials too rarely found; the ability to prop a book open is often worth the expense rather than a flimsy paperback whose pages separate and whose binding breaks) workbook naturally gives transcriptions and directions. I would have liked subtitles as an option, too; the lack of this makes it harder to keep up with the rapid (if you're at my level) speech patterns. Still, this immersion forces you to accelerate into the kind of encounters that prepare you for real life outside the halting pace of the classroom.

The timed interviews-- beginning from ten seconds and ending the book at nearly two minutes-- are prepared for with phrases or vocabulary that may differ from "school" or Standard Irish taught. Some are dialectal; some are grammatical elaborations, some cultural or vocabulary enrichments. Simple fill-in exercises may precede segments. Each chapter has a few taped snippets. Translations and answers well kept to the back of the book are given.

The range is wider than the old "The four sheep are in the high mountain meadow eating oats when Mary walks towards them" types of sentences found in primers. Buddhism, ecology, GAA, Israel and India, Irish sign language, learners vs. natives in Gaeltachtaí, dance, emigration, working mothers, the usually ignored presence of Irish speakers in North America: all receive their minute or two in the text and on the screen.

Poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh, activists Liam Ó Cuinneagáin & Helen Ó Murchú, TD Trevor Sargent, local residents, and, encouragingly, even learners from abroad can be heard among nearly two dozen interviewees. The range of accents, slips into English, and variations on the schoolhouse form of Irish may throw some off, but these are essential in preparing learners to leave the textbooks behind and begin to chat in Irish on the streets, and in the pubs. Seeing the Irish landscape behind so many of the speakers adds to the welcome illusion that you are back in Ireland hearing the native tongue vibrant, idiosyncratic, and ordinarily spoken, as it's meant to be.

This bridge into the natural communities that form by natives and learners and students refreshing earlier lessons may be lengthened with Turas Teanga, an RTÉ CD-DVD-book set geared more towards those reviving their "school Irish." This is aimed, be cautioned, at those intermediate or advanced students. SI is more practical and less linguistically focused per se than Mícheál Ó Siadhail's "Learning Irish;" it's less basic than "Gaeilge agus Fáilte;" it's certainly far beyond the Pimsleur conversations, and probably more enjoyable than the "Teach Yourself Irish" CD-book pairs.

For eager beginners: seek out "Gaeilge agus Fáilte." For SI's pricier, somewhat less user-friendly counterpart: "Turas Teanga." For serious linguists wanting a particular dialect, Cois Fharraige in Connaught: "Learning Irish." SI also is far more advanced than the new "Colloquial Irish" CD-book set, which is basic Connemara Irish of around 800 words. Ultimately, SI may prove the help that many, after finishing an immersion course in or away from Ireland, may need to continue their study when they return to a home far from a Gaeltacht.

This costs a few quid, but given that you get a hardback book and a DVD you have to admit that, style-wise at least, it offers value for money.
As regards substance, it is a fantastic publication and it is a pity that there are not more products like it. I think many people such as myself feel a frustration when, as adults, they bring their school Irish to RnaG or TG4 and discover such a deficit when trying to decode the lively paced dialects of the presenters who are native speakers. This book will help anybody who wants to address that discrepancy. I no longer find the dialects to be a source of frustration. The helpful notes that offer detailed explanations of the deviations actually present these dialectical differences as a positive thing to revel in, part of the wealth and beauty of the language. I took this on as an adult learner but I also see great potential for use in schools at Ardteist honours level for the scrúdú béal. Secondary teachers should take a look at least. Lean oraibh!

I wanted to learn the language. This has nice video of Ireland but it didn't really help me with my studies.