Bitesize Irish Podcast

There are some things that need to be learned while in school, otherwise it would be very hard to pick them up when you’re older. Some things can be very hard to understand if you don’t have that basic knowledge package you get in school.

But is learning Irish Gaelic hard to learn when you’re older?

The good thing about learning a new language is that it can be done when you’re younger but also when you’re older. It doesn’t really matter in what decade of your life you find yourself when you decide to learn Irish, the important thing is to have the best tools and the ambition to do it.

If you’re a bit older but you still want to learn Irish Gaelic, you should totally go for it. Are you still undecided? Why don’t you listen to this podcast episode where Eoin talks to Bob Burke who started learning Irish in his 40s. Bob is the former president of the North American Association for Celtic Language Teachers and his spoken Irish is really good.

This is a rebroadcast of the 50th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast in the English language.

Please comment on the original episode.

Is there any difference between Irish and Celtic? What about traditional Irish and Irish Gaelic? These are just some Irish language questions we get in our inbox, and while we DO answer all of them, we also have some text and audio resources for those who want to learn more.

For example, you may want to read more about the differences between Irish and Scottish Gaelic or something simpler such as our blog post on “What’s Gaelic, What’s Irish?“.

Most people who embark on the amazing journey of learning Irish are doing that to honor their heritage or to strengthen their bond to the Irish culture.

There are also some people that are fascinated by languages in general and they want to know more about Celtic languages and Irish. If you’re one of those people or you just want to know more about this topic for your personal desire, we recommend you to listen this rebroadcast of the 49th episode of Bitesize’s Irish Gaelic podcast.

In this episode, Eoin has a thorough discussion with Dr. Ranke de Vries who holds the Ben Alder Chair of Celtic Studies at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada. He also holds a Ph.D. in Early Irish from the Trinity College, Dublin.

This re-run of the Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast is in the English language and its sure to answer any questions you may have about Celtic languages, the connection between Celtic and Irish, and of course useful tips to learn Irish Gaelic.

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If you’re going to take a look and compare the percentage of Irish and English speakers across Ireland, you may think that the Irish language is in peril. While there are some general concerns about this, we can say for sure that the Irish language is here to stay.

Since we’re speaking about percentages, we also have to admit to the fact that a lot of Americans, Australians and British people have heritage or other kinds of strong ties with Ireland and the Irish language. This will allow the Irish language to live on through the people who learn it, through the Irish culture and those who promote it all over the world.

You probably didn’t think it of learning Irish to save the language but the truth is that you’re doing your part towards this. Your experience is almost the same as what Irish speakers feel within Ireland. If you don’t believe us, just listen to this Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode where we interview broadcaster Conn Ó Muíneacháin.

Conn grew with a passion for the Irish language and he came to the conclusion that creating content in Irish on blogs, websites and other online media can strengthen his ties to the language and maybe allow others to start their Irish language learning journey.

This is a re-run of the 48th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast in the English language.

Please comment on the original episode.

Hitting a bump now and then is to be expected when you are learning a new language. Irish isn’t an exception from this rule and we admit that getting stuck while learning Irish Gaelic can be troublesome. Not having people to practice can be a problem but if you listen to the following advice, you’ll be able to knock down any language barriers you see in front of you.

Learning Irish is a bit different than learning other languages due to things out of our control but even if the number of Irish speakers isn’t something to brag about, the Irish language’s beauty should be a solid argument for you to keep learning.

If you’re not looking for the beauty of the Irish language but your purpose is more pragmatic such as getting in touch with family or friends or just learning more of Ireland’s culture, that’s OK too. Whatever your reason may be, you’re going to hit a small bump now and then. Listen to this podcast episode and discover some advice to overcome any language learning obstacles.

This is a rebroadcast of the Bitesize Irish Gaelic 47th podcast episode in which Eoin “sits down” with Imelda White from Ard a’ Ratha (Co. Donegal) and talks about how to overcome language learning obstacles. Why should you listen to their advice? Well, Eoin is the person behind Bitesize Irish Gaelic and Imelda has been teaching Irish language classes in California for several decades.

If you’re looking for advice on how to get “unstuck” when learning Irish Gaelic, Eoin and Imelda are the people you should ask. Get pass your “stuck moment” by listening to the re-run of the 47th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast in the English language.

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Ireland is one of the top destinations for tourists from Australia, the U.S. and Europe. When tourists come to Ireland, they do this for one of several reasons: they may have relatives here, they want to admire Ireland’s magnificent landscapes, they’re getting in touch with the Irish culture or more importantly, they’re getting in touch with the Irish heritage.

Many tourists who come to Ireland have some connections to the Irish culture and their visit allows them to deepen their connection with their feelings for the Irish language and history.

Organising a trip to Ireland isn’t hard to do since there are so many options out there. You’ll just have to prepare in advance, be sure to pack appropriate clothes and create a solid itinerary for when you’re in Ireland.

When you’re here, you’ll have plenty of options for places to visit and more than way of getting from one place to the other. You can travel by car, bus or train when in Ireland. Some tourists even go ahead and choose personal chauffeurs who drive them and their group across Ireland.

Dave Hogan is one of those people who do this for a living. He organises Chauffeur driven vacations across Ireland. It’s not the first time when Dave was on the Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast and if you want to learn more about these types of Irish vacations, check out the 44th Podcast Episode – How to Get the Most Out of Your Trip to Ireland.

In this rebroadcast of the 46th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode, Dave reads his story about one family who he was driving around Ireland and all the experiences they lived back then.

This is a rerun of the 46th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode in the English language.

Please comment on the original episode.

More often than not, people learn the Irish language because they want to get in touch with their Irish heritage or they want to connect better with their Irish relatives and friends. But, sometimes, that’s not the case.

Sometimes, people learn the Irish language because they’re intrigued by it or want to dig deeper into the Irish culture and history.

If you’re a constant reader of our blog, you know the stories of people who started learning Irish so they would better connect with Irish history or to enjoy Irish folk music. If you want to know more about Irish culture and literature, learning the Irish language to read Irish poems is the way to go.

This is a rebroadcast of the 45th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode featuring a really interesting discussion with Ger Killeen – a native of Limerick City, Ireland who know resides near Portland, Oregon. Ger writes Irish language poems and wanted to share his experience with the Irish language in Oregon with us. The podcast episode also features an interesting tale about who Limerick City changed (and didn’t change) over the years.

This podcast episode is in the English language.

Check out the original episode below to discover one of Ger’s Irish language poems called “Mo Bhean Sa Gháirdín”.

Please comment the original episode.

Ireland has always been a great place to visit. We don’t know if tourists are looking for the amazing Irish landscapes or people’s hospitality and local culture, but the fact is they come back every year. For some of them, the trip to Ireland is more than just discovering a new country, it’s a personal quest to discover their Irish heritage.

Did you decide to visit Ireland? Great! Here’s how to get the most out of your trip to Ireland.

Ireland is good to visit almost at every time of the year. The weather stays pretty much the same with some exceptions near mountains, in the Winter. Snow is not something the Irish people are used to see so if you’re planning to take a trip to Ireland and avoid the busy season, you can safely visit in Autumn, Winter even.

When setting up your Ireland trip, you’ll need to create an itinerary, choose what you visit, your accommodation, and probably most important – how you move around the country. If you’re only visiting Dublin or a small area, this shouldn’t be a problem, but if you want the whole Irish experience you’ll need to keep moving.

In your trip to Ireland, you basically have the options to go on planned trips where you move by bus, use public transportation or use a chauffeur service to get from point A to point B. Every option has its pros and cons so think before you act.

Now, if you want to learn more about chauffeur-driven vacations in Ireland, go ahead and listen to the 44th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode rebroadcast where Eoin talks to Dave Hogan, an experienced chauffeur driver in Ireland. Dave has been doing this for years and has a wealth of experience in the domain.

The re-run of the 44th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode is in the English language.

Please comment on the original episode.

If you want to learn Irish, our products will provide you with comprehensive, easy-to-understand materials,  and the human touch when answering all your questions about the Irish language. We all know that for being a pro at speaking Irish Gaelic, you’ll need more than this.

We’re doing our best to improve the Bitesize experience in this direction but until we do, we’d recommend you to attend any Irish immersion weekends you find in your area.

Learning Irish online can be easily achieved if you’re serious about it but nothing compares to the “live test” where you get a chance to practice with another Irish-speaking person. If you’re not fortunate enough to have any Irish-speaking relatives or friends, the Irish immersion weekends are your best option.

The rebroadcast of the 43rd Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode tackles this very topic – Irish immersion weekends around the world. In this re-run episode, Eoin discusses with Seán Mag Uidhir (John McGuire) who founded the Irish language immersion weekend in Fort Worth, Dallas, U.S. John speaks Irish and he was kind enough to share his journey of learning the Irish language with the Bitesize community.

This re-run of the 43rd Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode is in the English language.

Please comment on the original episode.

You don’t have to be a history geek to enjoy reading stories and finding out unusual facts about a country’s past. We did our own research and found out 8 unusual facts from Ireland’s history.

Most people when thinking about Irish history, they mostly remember the Great Famine but they would be surprised to learn about some unusual facts that show us what impact the Irish language and culture had on the neighbouring countries and other nations, especially the English language.

If you are learning Irish, this podcast episode will be of great interest since most of the 8 unusual facts from Ireland’s history are connected to both Irish and English languages. This is a rebroadcast of the 42nd Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode where Eoin talks to Brighid O’Sullivan (Irish-American author) about growing up with an Irish background, important Irish people and the connections between Irish and English words.

This re-run of the 42nd Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode is in the English language.

Please comment on the original episode.

Many people who are learning Irish have the same issue – they don’t have who to practice with. While we are doing efforts to improves this aspect of the Bitesize Irish Gaelic community, there may be other options you can try until then. For example, finding an Irish-speaking (or learning) community in your area.

Irish language Immersion weekends (Deireadh Seachtaine) are a great way to connect with people who are speaking or learning to speak Irish Gaelic.

In this rebroadcast of the 41st Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode, you’re going to meet Aislinn Adams, originally from Ireland but who is living in Oregon, U.S. Aislinn is well-known in the Irish Language speaking community in Oregon and has taught the language in Salem, OR. If you’re going to listen to this podcast episode, in the English language, you’ll discover the connection between plant life in Oregon and Ireland, learn more about the Irish language speaking community in Oregon and what was it like to be taught the Irish language in school.

Please comment on the original episode.