FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS
Faoin nGaeilge / About Irish
The native language spoken in Ireland is called Irish, whereas the term Gaelic refers a broader group of languages, from which Irish evolved. Read more in this article, Gaelic vs. Irish: The History of Each Term.
Learning Irish is no more difficult than learning any other language, but it does require regular instruction, practise and interaction in a supportive community. Before getting started, you might like to read our article, 10 Common Questions about Learning Irish.
Fúinn / About Us
Let’s Learn Irish is an online community of Irish learners, mentors and teachers. We started out as in-person classes in Washington DC in 2009, before introducing virtual classrooms in 2012 and our first online courses in 2018. See our team on our About page.
You can register for free by filling in a brief profile. Once registered, you can access free video courses.
Contact us with questions at LetsLearnIrish.com/contact. Course teachers can be contacted through their class groups.
Gaeltacht.net was a four-year research project (2017-2021) at the School of Education at University of Galway. This research investigated innovative ways to support international Irish language learners. These research findings were subsequently incorporated into the Let’s Learn Irish online community.
Our mission is to provide an inclusive and interactive community for Irish learners, mentors and teachers worldwide. We do this by providing Cúrsaí (Courses), Comhrá (Conversation sessions) and Ceardlanna (Workshops). Read more about our story and teachers at LetsLearnIrish.com/about
Our Membership allows access to our Video Courses, so that learners can study independently on a wide range of topics, and with a diverse range of teachers and dialects.
Our Membership also allows access to our weekly Comhrá sessions, as well as discounts when registering for live classes.
A Membership works well for anyone who would like to keep using their Irish even when not attending classes, or who simply wants to support our online community.
We provide a Free Irish Workshop on the first Sunday of every month. Beidh fáilte romhat – all levels are welcome! Once you have signed up, you will receive an email with details on how to attend the next online session.
For Terms and Conditions, please see LetsLearnIrish.com/terms
For our Privacy Policy, see LetsLearnIrish.com/privacy-policy
Faoin bhFoghlaim / About Learning
All classes take place online. Anyone who registers to attend our live classes has access to the video recording afterwards. If you are unable to attend live classes, you can sign up for the video recordings only (enter coupon ‘VideoOnly’ on registration – see below for more info).
Once you register for a Course, you will receive an email from us confirming your registration and your course details. Prior to the start of your course, you will also receive an email with details of your Zoom link, online group and Quizlet.
Note that registering for a course also gives you access to our weekly Comhrá sessions, for additional language practise.
Please refer to the images below for additional guidelines on how to attend classes. If you have further questions, contact us, or come along to our monthly Free Workshop.
If you would like to follow one of our courses, but are unable to attend online live sessions, then you can still join us by watching our video recordings. Use coupon ‘VideoOnly’ at the checkout for a 25% discount.
Class recordings are typically posted in your class group within 48 hours. Video playback of classes is available for 21 days. ‘Video Only’ students also have free access to weekly Comhrá sessions. If you decide later that you want to upgrade to our live class sessions, drop us a line!
7-week Cúrsaí cost $185, or $169 if bought at the Early Bird rate. For Members, these courses are further discounted to $166.50, or $152.10 Early Bird. Course registration includes free access to weekly Comhrá (conversation) sessions and any Ceardlanna (workshops). There are no extra charges or fees when registering.
Times quotes are in Eastern Time (New York). You can use the Dateful Time Zone Converter to calculate the time in your area. Classes are recorded and available to registered students for playback recordings. Online Workshops are also recorded and available to watch for all Subscribers. All online events take place using Zoom.
Comhrá is our weekly conversation sessions, which is available for all course students and Members. We believe that regular language practise is an essential part of language learning, and Comhrá sessions run weekly each term. Our weekly conversation topics, and supporting vocabulary lists, can be viewed at LetsLearnIrish.com/topaici/. We recommend preparing a few sentences in advance of attending each sessions, although this is not essential.
No, you do not need to buy any books. All course materials are provided at the start or during the term, as required. Students do not need to pay for extra resources. Video recordings and Quizlet (sound files) are provided to support student learning.
We do not concentrate on any one specific Irish dialect. Our course materials generally follow ‘An Caighdeáin Oifigiúil’ (The Official Standard), without specific focus on a single dialect. We recommend that beginner students do not overly focus on dialectical variations at the expense of language study and usage. All of our teachers have their own personal preferences, and word variations and phrases are highlighted in classes, as they arise. If you have further questions about class content, please contact us.
Absolutely! If attending live classes is not an option for you, then you may benefit from a Membership. Our Membership allows access to our Video Courses. These graded courses cover a wide range of topics, and with a diverse range of teachers and dialects. Importantly, our Membership also allows access to our weekly Comhrá sessions, so that you can practise your language skills with other learners and mentors.
Since 2015, we have structured our courses around the TEG (Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge), which is based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. TEG is an internationally-recognised Irish language proficiency examination that assesses candidates’ skills in reading, writing, listening and conversation. The first TEG examination is TEG A1, for which the recommended number of study hours/learning is 80 – 100 hours.
We recommend that new learners begin at A0 Introductory level, before progressing to A1, etc. To learn about our language levels, please click here.
Still not sure where to begin? See our Triail Socrúcháin (Placement Test) and read detailed descriptions of our language levels at LetsLearnIrish.com/levels
If you can, come along to our monthly Free Workshop to learn more, or get in touch for assistance. Note that if any course is not right for you, we can move you to an alternative one.
Early Bird Rates run 7-10 days prior to the start of term.
Special offers are available for anyone attending more than one course per term, or over two successive terms.
We provide Scholarships for two students each term, for whom cost may be a barrier.
Our Membership provides an additional, automatic discount when registering for live classes.
Ag Freastal ar Ranganna / Attending Classes
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Here you will find your Zoom link for classes, as well as links to your online course group, Quizlet and weekly Comhrá.
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Set up a free Quizlet account to access audio files recorded for your course. Please choose a username that your múinteoir will recognize!
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All learning materials and supporting audio files are provided via our online class groups.