Customer Reviews

Teach Yourself Irish: Complete Course (Teach Yourself Books)

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This book gives an excellent mix of grammar and examples. It introduces just the right amount of grammar in each unit. The written exercises are too few and too simple. The pronunciation on the tapes is clear. Unfortunately the tapes only cover a part of what is in each unit, and there is too much English. I will definitely make good use of this book, but after that I will be looking for a more extensive book with more exercises and better tapes.

After researching Irish language courses at my local libraries and on-line, I selected the following two textbooks for my own study of this language. The two books are Teach Yourself Irish by Diarmuid O Se (1993 edition) and Learning Irish by Micheal O. Siadhail (1995 edition). Before reviewing each one, let me first warn those wishing to learn the rudiments of this language that you may find Irish grammar, spelling, and pronunciation hopelessly complex and illogical. (Fortunately, it uses the Roman alphabet.) Whichever book you chose, proceed in small steps. Read just a chapter a day to keep your frustration to a minimum. I recommend beginning with Teach Yourself Irish, which I found the more enjoyable of the two books. Each of its 20 chapters opens with short dialogues which are topical as well as interesting. Next comes a review of grammar clearly explained at a very basic level. All of the chapters conclude with exercises requiring the reader to answer in short phrases or sentences. There are also illustrations scattered throughout the book, thus breaking up the monotony of the text. (Too many other language books for beginners, like Learning Irish, lack pictures to liven up the text.) On the audiotapes the dialogues have been re-created by native speakers who demonstrate, as I understand it, the Munster dialect.
If you want a more thorough grounding in the language, read Learning Irish next. In its 36 chapters it will re-inforce what you have learned in Teach Yourself Irish, explain the grammar in greater depth, and expand your vocabulary. Each chapter begins with a laundry list of words to memorise. It is followed by a presentation of grammar which I found quite dry and boring. (It will put you to sleep if you are not careful!) Next there are some paragraphs of text to translate, drawing on the words in the vocabulary list. Finally, there are sets of exercises to test your skills, including one English-to-Irish exercise. As a do-it-yourself language student, I found myself to lazy to write out the answers for the exercises in both books. Instead, I would translate by sight, while taking quick peeks at the answer key provided at the back of each book. The audiotapes for Learning Irish offer a detailed treatment of what the author considers the more standarised pronunciation in Ireland today.
*A word about dictionaries: The selection of Irish dictionaries currently on the market is disappointing. I ended up buying the Pocket Oxford Irish Dictionary because I thought it was the best one for beginners. I am still waiting for the big publishing houses, namely Cassell's, Collins, or the Oxford University Press, to put out an up-to-date, standard Irish-English/English-Irish dictionary with a phonetic pronunciation guide for each entry. This book would serve as an essential reference for the intermediate or advanced student.

If your whole intention of learning a new language is to memorize phrases that will get you by when you are travelling, then this book is adequate. However, if you really want to learn how a language is structured, forget this book. Learning the basics of grammar i.e. verb conjugation, etc. is fundamental and to me, the obvious starting point. It is of little benefit to memorize how to say "Excuse me, but where might I find the secretary?" if I don't even know which word is the verb or which word is the subject. The tapes do not necessarily follow the exercises in the book, so I got lost rather often. One advantage, though, is that the tapes are spoken clearly, and it would not take a person very long to catch on to the pronunciation (once you've memorized how to say "Thank you for your hospitality, Miss O'Donnell.")

This book is a good introduction, though to grasp the hard pronunciation I would strongly reccomend getting the audio casettes as well. For those looking for further study, I would recommend Micheal O Siadhail's Learning Irish book and audio casettes. This edition includes an extensive vocabulary list, as well as a simple Irish-English/English-Irish dictionary.

Irish is an extraordinarily difficult language to learn. To the English speaking learner, the written form of it bears little or no resemblance to how it sounds. As a result, you need to hear the language to learn it, and luckily this book comes with a cassette. If you want to get to grips with the basics of Irish as it is spoken today in Ireland, then this is a great place to start.

This edition is good as an introduction to the language. The pronunciation guide is extensive, that is why it is imperitive to make sure you get the audio casettes also. Further lessons are needed to firmly grasp the grammar and build a vocabulary. To reccomend another book for those who wish further study, try Micheal O Siadhail's Learning Irish. Be sure to get the book and audio casettes.

Having a grandmother from Co. Cork in Ireland, I have always been interested in the Irish language and speak it well . Irish is not an altogether easy language to learn, and this book certainly doesn't help. The conversations are unnatural, the vocabularies are messy and the grammar is hardly explained at all. Bascially, this book encourages you to memorise phrases, not to actually learn to talk on your own. Ironically, there used to be another Teach Yourself Irish by M. Dillon, which was much better on teaching Irish.

Do learn Irish, but avoid this book. My first recommendation would be "Learning Irish", followed by "Irish on Your Own". They are both superior to this book in every way. Another noticable point. The Irish taught in this book is a stilted language, removed from the native speakers, while both the other books are based on Irish as it is actually spoken.

The grammar is explained very clearly, and the companion tape is to explain how Irish is to pronounce. The Irish used in that course is very up to date; I think it's the best course of Irish, provided, of course, that you aren't an absolute beginner.

The colleague who reviewed this book before me, said that this is the book to start with. I agree, but I would definitely like to add that more is needed if you are heading for the Gaeltacht. The grammar part is not as extensive as it should be, and there are large section of grammar which are not highlighted as they should be even in a beginners book. When you have mastered this one, you should try Mícheál Ó Siadhail's "Learning Irish", which makes no concesions to the more or less hypothetical standard language, which is preferred by Diarmuid Ó Sé.