Introduction

First, a word of encouragement.  Let's face it - the only thing humans are really good at is talking.  We're not faster than the cheetah, stronger than the elephant, or smarter than dolphins (who long ago decided to bio-engineer technological wonders like sonar).  We used to try to claim that we're the only tool-users, but chimpanzees make straws to sip up ants, and seagulls open clams by dropping them onto highways which they somehow trick us into building for them.  We used to claim that we're the only ones who can put our thumb and forefinger together, but how many lobsters really actually have a problem with that?  So, the only thing we're really good at, and what we naturally, instinctively, inexorably can't stop ourselves from doing, is talking and learning more about how to talk.  Yak, yak, yak, every day you learn new names, new words, new people, new things, new pronunciations, new accents, new dialects - no matter how old you are, you're great at it, and there's nothing you can do to stop yourself.  Millions of years of evolution have seen to that.  So, if you practice what is provided below, you will not fail to learn it. 

The Irish Phonetic System Is Different

The Irish phonetic system is quite a bit different from the phonetic systems of other languages.  Therefore, for most students who set out to learn Irish, "How do you pronounce that?" is the biggest and most frequent question.  Once fully answered, students discover that Irish grammar is extremely well-ordered (unlike English), almost like a computer program, having been nearly perfected by our poets when they basically took on the task of creating Early Modern Irish in the 12th century.  In fact, a computerized Irish language dictionary developed with the help of our friend Barra Ó Donnabháin (beannacht Dé ar a anam) in the mid-1990s in the U.S. was able to save extensive amounts of memory because it incorporated the extrapolation of Irish grammatical rules. 

But back to pronunciation. At Scoil Ghaeilge Ghearóid Tóibín / The Gerry Tobin Irish Language School in Babylon, Long Island, New York, we fully and easily answer the pronunciation question by offering a phonetics class which allows our beginning students to become masters of about 98% of all Irish phonetic rules before they move on to learn conversation and grammar.  We offer this class every semester (summer, fall, and spring) and have had great success using the phonetic system laid out below.  By the time our students finish this class, they've memorized the system, can write phonetically whatever they hear, and can pronounce anything they read.  So learn this system, memorize it, and then move forward to learn Irish with pronunciation already mastered.

A Note About Dialect

Just as in English pronunciation, you'll run into variations in Irish pronunciation.  Imagine for a moment all the different ways an American can say a simple word like 'Boston' - Bahstin, Bawstin, Bohstin, etc.   Irish is a living language, so there are variations and exceptions.  And every human naturally pronounces every word and sound slightly differently than every other human, unless they're making a living as an Elvis impersonator.  So don't worry if you don't sound exactly like anyone else.  You're not supposed to.  Also, if you've memorized this system and somebody says to you "Your pronunciation is wrong, it should be said this way...," don't worry about it.  It's just that they haven't heard another dialect's way of pronouncing it, and we teach all the dialects here.  Also, you'll have the opportunity to make some choices in pronunciation.  This is like the Cole Porter tune "You say tomAto, I say tomAHto, you say potAto, I say potAHto..."  In other words, eventually you're going to be able to make some choices to develop your own personal dialect, just like when you're talkin' American.  So lighten up!  Relax!  If you basically use this guide, Irish speakers will understand what you say in Irish, and you'll understand what they say in Irish. 

You Already Know More Irish & Its Pronunciation Than You Realize

Lastly, in our Practice section below, you'll see over 100 Irish words which came into English 1) directly from Irish, or 2) from Norman French which got them from ancient Gaullish, a Celtic language closely related to Irish.  So you already know more Irish and Irish pronunciation than you think.

With that said, let's begin.  And remember to click on the big blue letters so I can show you how to say this stuff.


A.  THE VOWELS

B. VOWEL SURPRISES (THE "DIPTHONGS")

C. OTHER VOWEL COMBINATIONS

D. THE CONSONANTS

E. THE LAST FEW RULES - MOPPING UP

F. PRACTICE - IRISH WORDS IN ENGLISH


Críoch / End

Well, that's it. You now know about 98% of all Irish pronunciation rules.  There are only a couple of dialect variations left. (In fact, only two I can think of right now.)   As you go forward to learn Irish, keep your ears and eyes open and you'll pick them up.  In the meantime, this system gives you more than a good start.  In fact, you are now an expert in Irish pronunciation.   So get out of here and learn more Irish! 


Mo bhuíochas le Séamas Ó Neachtain, Réamonn Ó Cléirigh, Stan Ó Faoláin, Pádraig Ó Clúmháin, Rita Bowden, Cathal Mertens, Séamus Ó Maoláin, Barra Ó Donnabháin, Brian Ó Mealláin, Ken Nilsen, Gail Ní Dheághaidh, Conor Ó Ceallaigh, Máire Ní Cheallaigh, William A. Kelly, and Rosalie Marie Kelly dona gcabhair thar na blianta chun an clár seo a chur le chéile. Buíochas áirithe do Shéamas Ó Neachtain dosna táblaí thuas.  Ar ndóigh, is liomsa aon bhotúin atá ann. - Gearóid Ó Ceallaigh