Gaeilge Uladh
Since I've seen a few mentions on gemini of people learning Irish I've decided to start noting down resources in the hope that other people find them useful. I'm not sure yet how else this space may get used beyond that.
My target dialect is Ulster Irish or Gaeilge Uladh, so most of the writing here will be about that specific dialect. While there is overlap with the other dialects, if you are plannig on learning one of the others you might be better served elsewhere.
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Why I'm learning
I think my experience with Irish is quite common for where I live, that being little or none. I do however have the disadvantage of never having studied it in school, athough at this point I might have the same cúpla focal (couple of words) as someone who never spoke it after leaving education. There is a shame or a guilt that hangs over a lot of people that feel less Irish because they don't speak it, and this was true of myself as well. It wasn't until a year or two ago that the guilt changed into a stronger drive to prioritise Gaeilge. The catalyst was a pionta dubh (pint of stout) of course. It was during drinks after a union meeting that most of the conversations that sprung up at the table were As Gaeilge. I don't think I'd ever had such a feeling, I felt like a settler or foreigner among my own people.
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