Bitesize Irish Podcast

For those who have some Irish heritage or would like to know more about the Irish culture and language, a trip to Ireland can be like an epiphany. Most times, you just need a little kick in the right way and visiting Ireland can be the spark you need to start learning Irish Gaelic, learning more about your Irish ancestry or immersing yourself in the Irish music & literature.

If you don’t have the money or the time for the above, another way you can get that little boost we’re talking about is to participate at Irish immersion weekends taking place in your country. For example, the U.S. is the place where most immersion weekends take place so there’s a high chance that one is being organised really close to your location.

Thinking that an immersion weekend isn’t enough? Well, as an extra motivation, listen to the rebroadcast of the 40th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode where Eoin talks to Devin Blakenship – the founder and president of the Indiana Celtic Community. Devin did all the above and ended up organising Irish immersion weekends in Indiana. He started with a trip to Ireland then he went to an Irish immersion weekend in Madison, Wisconsin.

Listen to the re-run of the 40th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode, in the English language and tell us what you think!

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While one in three people on the Island of Ireland (~ 1,8 million) can understand Irish to some extent, the number of people who speak it on a daily basis is somewhere around 100,000 people. That’s not very much, right? We’re not taking into account the people who live outside Ireland because there isn’t any official research to provide us with a valid number.

That’s one of the reasons that drives us forward to deliver a really comprehensive and intuitive experience at Bitesize. We’re doing our best to allow people to learn the Irish language at their own pace so the language itself will have a better future, the future it deserves.

We’ve been talking about the future of the Irish language in our blog posts a few times and it’s also been featured on the Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast since it’s a really interesting topic for those who study the language and want to learn more about the Irish culture. In the following Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode, Eoin records his three main predictions for the Irish language in the years to come.

By listening to the re-run of the 39th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast (in the English language), you’ll discover what dialect will dominate the Irish language, how’s the Irish language accent going to change and what is the general picture of Gaeltacht going to look like.

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We have different reasons why we choose to learn Irish Gaelic or any other new language. We might want to learn more about the culture, dwell into great stories of that nation or simply to get closer to your heritage.

But are there any reasons to learn Irish more important than others?

Well, we’ve talked in the past about the spark that gets you going and drives you forward in your Irish learning journey but the truth is that spark can be anything. From epiphanies to simpler reasons, you’re the only one who knows why you want to learn Irish Gaelic or another new language. Some people decide to learn Irish in a mission to preserve Ireland’s native language and others just want to know more about their ancestors.

Whatever your reason may be, they’re all equally important so don’t let that be an obstacle in your way to improve yourself by learning new things. If you need some extra motivation, listen to this Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast re-run when Eoin gives us ten reasons to learn Irish Gaelic. You might have not considered some of them so pay close attention.

This is a rebroadcast of the 38th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode in the English language.

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There are so many awesome places you can visit during your Ireland trip. Where should you start? What should you visit? Should you create your own itinerary or choose the services of a travel company?

The truth is that it’s all up to you.

When you visit a new place, region or country, it’s always good to have a general idea of what you could visit but always choose with your heart. Go ahead and experience things that are close to your heart while saving some time to admire the Irish landscapes and culture.

Ireland is a country that has a lot to offer to its tourists so it would be a shame not to give it a chance to impress you. For this to work, we suggest you do some research before visiting Ireland and finding what places and experiences suit you best. If you want more help with this, check out the Abarta Audio Guides created by Neil Jackman.

Listen to the rebroadcast of the 37th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode where Eoin talks to Neil about his trips around Ireland and the Audio Guides that help tourists who are visiting Ireland. They are free of charge so give them a go, if you really want to discover the places and experiences best suited for you.

This is a rerun of the Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode number 37, in the English language.

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Over the years, after talking to different amazing people who discovered their love for the Irish language, we’ve learned that everyone has their own approach to learning a new language. That made us develop the Bitesize Irish Gaelic products with one thought in mind.

Every individual who wants to learn Irish will do it at their own pace so our products are there to help him along the way, providing support and a comprehensive tool to better understand the language.

The truth is that you should use any tools you desire to learn a new language but learning Irish can only be done at your own pace, without forcing it. This happens mainly because it’s not the easiest language to learn – despite its beauty, and because we learn differently as adults than we used to do it as a child. We’ve talked in the past about the spark that activates your desire of learning Irish, such as music or literature, and in this podcast episode, we’re going to talk about how to make the process easier by creating your very own tactic of learning Irish.

This is a rebroadcast of the 36th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode, in the English language, where Eoin from Bitesize talks to Karen Reshkin (Irish language instructor at Na Gaeil) about her journey of learning Irish and how she created her own tactic for this task.

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It’s no surprise that there are a lot of Americans with Irish ancestry in the U.S. right? But did you know there are at least two types of people who identify themselves with the Irish culture?

People from the first category have relatives who live in Ireland and maintain a connection with them (calling on birthdays, holidays and chatting online). The others may or may not have any living relatives in Ireland but make a tradition of visiting our country. While both types have Irish ancestry, some are more attracted to the Irish culture and language than others.

There are some people who aren’t satisfied with just telling others they have some Irish ancestry but who instantly connect to the Irish language and culture, maybe without even realising it, with the help of literature of music. This is Brian Ó hAirt’s story, an American sean-nós singer, and it could also be yours if you give yourself the chance to learn a bitesize portion of Irish.

In this rebroadcast of the 35th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode, Eoin talks to Brian about his love for the Irish music, his band and his travels to Ireland. We believe the real culture of Ireland shines through song in Irish Gaelic and there are a lot of examples for this in the vibrant community of Irish speakers from the Pacific Northwest.

This is a rerun of the 35th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode in the English language.

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We love stories of acceptance, of welcoming others with open arms and making them your friends. In a world troubled by hate and natural disasters, stories of hope and community inclusion are like a ray of sunshine.

Like a big number of Irish people who left the country in the last decades and moved to the U.S. or Australia, other people from all over the world came to Ireland and ended up calling it “home”. Imagine the story of a Russian woman who travels one summer from Siberia, Russia to Ireland and ends up moving to Cork thanks to the welcoming people.

Well, you actually won’t have to imagine this since it’s a real story. In the rebroadcast of the Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast 34th episode, Eoin has a nice chat with Elena Clancy who is originally from Siberia, Russia but she’s living in Ireland for 14 years (2016). Elena writes on her own blog – R U in Ireland, giving out free advice and travel tips to people from outside of Ireland who come here to explore.

This is a re-run of the 34th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast in the English language. Listen to Elena’s story, her travels around Ireland and what strangers first think about Irish people.

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Ever wondered what’s the difference between Christmas in Ireland and in the rest of the World? We don’t think it should be different since this holiday is all about spending time with the loved ones and offering them gifts, whatever they may be.

Christmas in Ireland is a simple but loved holiday when we acknowledge the important role that others have in our life. We give them presents as a way of saying thank you for all they have done for us in the past year.

Would you also want to know how to say Happy Christmas in Irish? We made this pronunciation video to help you out.

How To Say – Happy Christmas in Irish Gaelic

Since Christmas in Ireland is somewhat traditional and about giving presents, we would want to send you our virtual gift – a traditional Christmas poem, written by Patrick Kavanagh. It’s called “A Christmas Childhood” and it’s Eoin’s favourite poem from Patrick Kavanagh. This is a rebroadcast of the 58th Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast episode when Eoin reads this poem for all our listeners.

This is a re-run of the 58th Bitesize podcast episode in the English language.

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People who are learning Irish and have the opportunity to travel to Ireland should really go and visit the Gaeltacht area. This will allow you to improve your connection with the Irish culture in more ways than one.

You will be able to improve your spoken Irish. Gaeltacht is composed of several areas within Ireland where people speak mostly Irish Gaelic. Having a partner to talk to is always great for improving any language skills and seeing how Irish speakers aren’t that easy to find, you’ll understand more and probably discover hidden aspects of this language.

You will be able to enjoy the amazing Irish landscapes. Life is made up from every little experience you live, right? Most Gaeltacht areas are along the coastline so you can see how amazing Ireland really is.

You will discover people who are preserving the Irish language within the Gaeltacht. While we are working towards the very worthy goal of preserving the Irish language, a visit in a Gaeltacht area, for example, Inis Meáin can help you interact with people who are doing the same thing just like Máire Pháidín.

This a rebroadcast of the 33rd Bitesize Irish Gaelic episode where Eoin talks with Ceri Garfield, the filmmaker who documented the life of Máire Pháidín from Inis Meáin. This re-run episode is in the English language.

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According to an article from Irish Central, there are almost 40 million Americans who claim Irish heritage all over the United States. That’s almost 7 times more than the population of Ireland. It’s clear to see the strong bonds between the two countries and their people.

Ireland is one of the most visited places for Americans and a lot of Irish people move the U.S. or travel back and forth between Dublin and New York. History can show us how this connection developed over time, but we have something better. We invite you to listen to a discussion between two Irishmen – Eoin from Bitesize and Conchúr McNeasa who now lives in Kansas City, Missouri (U.S.).

In this rebroadcast of the 32nd episode of the Bitesize Irish Gaelic podcast you can listen to the story of an Irishman who grew up in Belfast but moved to the United States. Other extremely important topics include segregation and the state of the Irish language in Belfast.

This is a re-run of the 32nd podcast episode in the English language.

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