Learn Irish Des Moines

December class 2011

2011-11-29T14:43:00.001-06:00

We decided that in December we will meet on December 13 before reconvening in January. It will be another holiday-themed class. If there is something you want to bring or focus on, please let me know and I'll make sure there's time for it.

August 23 class location change

2011-08-22T16:29:00.002-05:00

If you care to show up at our class on August 23, it is moving for just one night. We'll be at The Royal Mile in downtown Des Moines on 4th Street. Next class is September 13 and we'll be back at Olivet Church as usual.

New ebook is great asset for Irish language learners everywhere

2011-05-14T15:08:00.006-05:00

I purchased the ebook, "Learn Irish Gaelic Online: All You Need to Know" and read all of it to see if I would find it helpful after dabbling in the language since 2000 and leading a study group since 2009.

What I found is a lot of advice and information I wish I'd had along the way. I even found suggestions for resources and study habits that were new to me.

The advice I wish I'd had all along is particularly true in regard to learning a minority language all by myself. Learners around the world should read the book and take heart that there are many people everywhere to help you. Learners are also encouraged to ask around and begin a study group of their own the way I did in Des Moines. I put up posters and notices on bulletin boards around town and asked neighborhood and genealogical group newsletters to include the information in their publications. To my surprise, people showed up!

Another portion of the book I especially appreciate is the listing of websites that provide the opportunities to listen, watch and read the language. I encourage our study group to do this all the time and now I have more resources to suggest to them.

This book is a valuable resource to both teachers/leaders and individual learners everywhere. Edited by the creator of BitesizeIrishGaelic, out of Limerick, this book was written by a long-time student of the language, Audrey Nickel. Anyone needing inspiration to keep going, keep teaching or keep learning should buy this book and refer to as often as needed.

New ebook for help studying Irish!

2011-05-11T10:50:00.005-05:00

I highly recommend the ebook, "Learn Irish Gaelic Online: All You Need to Know” for help studying the Irish language. It takes a lot of time on your part to learn the language. This book offers detailed help in getting the language into your daily habits even when you don't live in Ireland: A challenge, indeed!

At the low price of $7 USD, you just can't go wrong with this helpful addition to your study materials. For a list of chapters and to download the book right away, go to BiteSizeIrishGaelic.

Bitesize Irish Gaelic

2011-04-22T22:05:00.011-05:00

Have you been paying attention on Facebook? There's a new friend in town: Bitesize Irish Gaelic!

There are few Irish language resources I have found that match Bitesize Irish Gaelic. This is a valuable language tool in which users listen to words and phrases spoken by a native speaker. Lessons are short and useful, laid out in logical progression. The lessons are broken down into quick, repeatable nuggets that will not intimidate. It's a great tool not only for learners of every level, but also for study groups, genealogists, readers, researchers and students of Irish history and literature.

In our study group, we have begun using Bitesize Irish at www.bitesizeirishgaelic.com as a group and as homework. Irish language learners around the world can use the web site and all the resources for a very small cost. The teacher is active and involved in the forums, where all students are welcome to ask questions and share resources and experiences. I happily recommend Bitesize Irish Gaelic to worldwide students of the Irish language or culture.

You can visit the web site here: BitesizeIrishGaelic

And take a free lesson here: Free Lesson!

Schedule revisited

2011-04-22T22:03:00.000-05:00

We meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month, here is the remaining Spring schedule for 2011:
April 26
May 10
May 24
June 14
June 28

Learn fun Irish phrases for St. Paddy's Day

2011-03-07T08:58:00.000-06:00

Bitesize Irish Gaelic: Get ready to speak on St. Patrick's Day!
Join us for a Webinar on March 12

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/925869062

I'll teach you enough words and phrases in Irish Gaelic to really impress your friends on St. Patrick's Day. The webinar is held the weekend before March 17th, just in time for you to prepare. Register now to ensure you'll be able to join. It's free.

Title: Bitesize Irish Gaelic: Get ready to speak on St. Patrick's Day!
Date: Saturday, March 12, 2011
Time: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM GMT. That's 12:00 PM EST, or 09:00 AM PST.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Make St Patrick's Day more authentic with a good cup of Irish tea.

2011-02-28T08:34:00.000-06:00

For St Patrick's Day, look beyond your regular cup of Irish Breakfast to find an authentic tea from Ireland. More tea is consumed per capita in Ireland than any other country.

Irish teas are increasingly popular. Usually black teas, they have a full-bodied taste, malty flavor and best served with sugar and milk. Today, they come in two forms. The first is labeled Irish Breakfast tea and produced in almost every country. Authentic Irish teas are made by tea companies in Ireland and include such brands as Barry's, Bewley's, Lyons and Punjana.

Authentic Irish teas achieve unique flavor and taste by blending leaves from Africa and India. Most of the leaves used are African, since it works particularly well with the Irish water. Blending different types and amounts of tea produces varying tastes.

Lyons Tea is Ireland's best-selling brand. The company offers 2 different teas: Lyons Gold and Lyons Original. Lyons Gold is a premium tea for a more discerning drinker.

Blended and produced in Cork, Barry's Tea occupies the high end of the Irish tea market. According to Barry's, the company is the second most popular tea in Ireland. Barry's Gold Tea, their most popular, brews an amber color and has a smooth, clean taste. Barry's Classic has a stronger flavor.

Best known for its historic Dublin cafe, Bewley's is one of Ireland's leading brands. Bewley's Tea dates to 1835 when Charles Bewley imported the first tea into Ireland from China. Bewley's leading teas are Irish Breakfast, Irish Afternoon and Dublin Morning.

Started in 1886 in Belfast, Punjana Tea is Northern Ireland's most popular. Punjana offers an Irish Breakfast, Fair Trade and Decaffeinated.

About teadog.com

teadog.com is an Internet retailer offering tea brands from around the world. teadog.com offers teas from such companies as Barry's, Bewley's Tea, Lyons, Punjana, Kusmi, Scottish Blend, Taylors of Harrogate, Williamson Tea and more.

Spring schedule

2011-01-26T09:33:00.002-06:00

For the sake of not having to count out the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month, here is the Spring schedule for 2011:
Feb 8
Feb 22
Mar 8
Mar 22
April 12
April 26
May 10
May 24
June 14
June 28

The Gaelic languages

2011-01-21T10:29:00.003-06:00

Here is an article about the modern Gaelic languages you may find interesting: Gaelic languages.

Class meets again next week, Tuesday, January 25.

I'm currently listening to a broadcast from RTE.ie radio. You can listen online here and click on Conas Éisteacht.

You may be surprised how many familiar words you hear!

We're on Facebook, too

2011-01-06T13:07:00.002-06:00

We now have a Facebook page in case anyone is interested in the language and uses Facebook to search. Just look for Learn Irish Des Moines. I would put a "Like" button on this page, but it didn't work. I gave up easily...oops.

2011 gets started next week

2011-01-06T12:58:00.000-06:00

Classes resume on January 11. Hope to see you there!

REVISED holiday schedule for upcoming classes 2010

2010-11-01T16:52:00.000-05:00

November 9 - class
November 16 - class
November 23 - cancel
December 7 - class
December 14 - class
December 21 - cancel
December 28 - cancel

Class is tomorrow night!

2010-09-27T14:56:00.000-05:00

Join us for class tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 28. We'll see you there!

Class tomorrow

2010-09-20T19:04:00.001-05:00

Out of our regular order, we will have a class tomorrow night. Our next class will be the regularly scheduled class the following Tuesday. So yes, two weeks in a row this month. See you there!

Class tonight

2010-08-24T09:33:00.002-05:00

For tonight's class, we will work mostly from Lesson 5 of Progress in Irish. Put your thinking caps on!

July Classes

2010-07-13T15:30:00.002-05:00

Fáilte! Our July class will be tonight, July 13. The class on July 27 will not meet. We resume our normal schedule of second and fourth Tuesdays on August 10 at the same location.

Check us out on Facebook at Iowa Irish!

Summer Classes

2010-06-08T11:14:00.002-05:00

We will continue to have our regularly scheduled classes throughout the summer. Please feel free to join us at any time or contact me at learn.irish.dsm@gmail.com with questions.

Yes, we still have study group!

2010-05-21T14:07:00.002-05:00

We are ongoing at the same location on the same days every month. I've been lazy about posting. We're still digging into lenition and eclipsis, so we're pretty tired by the end of the evening. To relax, we're watching TG4 television shows before we go home! Please join us.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig

2010-03-17T11:08:00.001-05:00

Today is St. Patrick's Day and in the IowaLife section of the Des Moines Register on page 5E, there is a short article with Irish phrases featuring one of our group students. Check it out!

Slide concert at Holy Trinity Parish Hall

2010-03-04T10:48:00.003-06:00

Our group had a good time at the February 13 concert. Please join us for the March 6 concert to see Slide, brought to Des Moines by the Celtic Music Association at www.thecma.org.

Talk Irish word a day

2010-02-25T10:57:00.004-06:00

I have been getting the TalkIrish word of the day since last February and about a week ago I realized I got a word in my inbox that I have seen before. All the emails I get go into a TalkIrish folder in Outlook, so I went to the very first email I received and sure enough, I had already gathered about four duplicate words.

If TalkIrish only has roughly 365 words that they circulate, how can I use that to my advantage? The answer came to me this morning.

I often look for sentence structures I can use for building dialogue and this gives me that opportunity. For every duplicate word I get, I forward the email to myself and replace the subject line with the actual sentence used at the bottom of the word-a-day email. Now I have not only a searchable list of words, I will have a searchable list of sentences I can use and reuse.

Join the clan at http://www.talkirish.com

February 6 Class

2010-02-08T10:29:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow's class will build on what we learned last time about mutations. This topic should help move you forward in your learning. I will also talk a little about studying hints and tips along with finding your own particular style and needs as an Irish learner.

Keep in mind the difficulty of the language: Praise yourself for what you DO know and just have fun with it! There's no pressure!

Place Names in Ireland

2010-02-03T14:23:00.000-06:00

Here is a link for a directory of place names in Irish. There is a button up in the upper right hand corner for the English version of the page.

http://www.logainm.ie/Do.aspx?uiLang=ga

Watching Irish language shows

2010-01-28T15:23:00.001-06:00

Here is the link to watch old episodes of Colin and Cumberland: http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/colinandcumberland/channel/

And if you would like more variety, go to http://www.tg4.ie and follow the directions. If you want the site in English, click on Bearla.

Rang Dé Mairt

2010-01-25T18:59:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow night is the class with Wayne Shannon, the teacher from Cedar Rapids. I've filled him in on some of our questions and challenges, so bring your questions. We'll start at the regular time: 7:00 p.m. Feicfidh mé amárach thú.

We have a guest teacher on January 26!

2010-01-14T14:44:00.001-06:00

Mo Chairde,

On January 26, Wayne from the Cedar Rapids Irish language group is going to teach our class!

This is a real treat for us because Wayne has a lot of experience teaching the language. Please plan to attend the class and be prepared to ask all these questions we have about sentence structure, pronunciation, resources and so on.

He will also bring with him a small collection of books from Ireland. You may purchase a book and take it home that night if you see something you like.

Tonight's Class

2010-01-12T10:11:00.001-06:00

Dia ar maidin! Tonight we will be practicing simple sentences using adjectives to describe things around us. Join us at 7:00 pm at the church in Urbandale.

Class is January 5

2010-01-04T16:43:00.001-06:00

Welcome to 2010! Our class meets January 5 at 7:00 pm at the church. See you there!

January 5 class

2010-01-01T15:14:00.001-06:00

To make up for the weather and holiday related class cancellations, we'd like to offer a class on January 5. Please join us at 7:00 pm at Olivet Baptist Church in Urbandale. The address is above.

Class this week!

2009-12-22T15:08:00.002-06:00

We are meeting this evening at 7:00 at Olivet Church in Urbandale. The class will be conversations regarding your Christmas wish list.

Tonight's class

2009-11-24T16:08:00.001-06:00

Tonight's class will meet on time at the church! We will be reviewing lessons one and two. Hope to see you there.

Tonight's class - lesson 2

2009-11-10T09:13:00.000-06:00

Everyone is welcome to tonight's class. Once again, we are meeting at Olivet Baptist Church in Urbandale due to space restrictions at the Urbandale Library. See you at 7:00!

Welcome!

2009-10-28T21:20:00.001-05:00

Our first class was a lot of fun! Thanks to everyone who came and learned new words and sounds! The next class is November 1o at Olivet Baptist Church in Urbandale.

NEW LOCATION!!! UPDATE

2009-10-23T16:03:00.004-05:00

We now have 10 - 11 people who indicate they will attend our first meeting. This is very good news for us, but as I have said, we won't be allowed to use the room in the library.

I wanted to find a location that is quite close to the Urbandale library, so I have chosen my church. The details are below:

Olivet Baptist Church
2743 82nd Place, Urbandale
7:00 p.m.

http://olivetchurch.net/index.php/aboutUs/location/

Olivet Baptist Church is near the corner of 86th Street and Hickman Avenue in Urbandale. You can find it by either turning east onto New York Avenue (which becomes 82nd Place) from 86th Street or by turning north onto 82nd Place from Hickman Avenue. We are on the east side of 82nd Place, next to The Reserve senior living complex. Enter the front doors and go straight into the fellowship hall doors, which are to the right at the double set of doors.

There is a wi-fi connection, but it is very slow, so if you were planning on bringing your lap top, you may still do so, but it may not be much fun!

First class is next week!

2009-10-21T13:20:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! We are still right at six people, with a seventh who hasn't responded yet. I have asked the folks at the little cafe in the library if we can meet there in case we have a total of seven people in the room and I was told it was OK. I will let everyone know about these arrangements by email (if I have your email address) over the weekend.

Are you attending the first class?

2009-10-19T17:01:00.001-05:00

If you are attending the first class, please let me know quickly as I think we may need to change our meeting place for this class due to size restrictions. What a great "problem" to have! Our first class may be too big for the room.

Class work

2009-10-19T16:59:00.003-05:00

For this first meeting on October 27 at 7:00 pm, we'll spend some time learning basics about the language and you'll go home being able to say a few things. We'll discover how far along everyone is in the language and decide how we want to move forward. Worksheets will be provided for as long as necessary, so if you do not have a curriculum or study materials, that's just fine!

Bring your laptop if you'd like

2009-10-15T13:45:00.002-05:00

The Urbandale Public Library has free wi-fi, so if you want to bring your laptop to any of the study group meetings, you may do that.

Also, we have just hit six people who intend to be at our first meeting and the room only holds six people. Please email me at learn.irish.dsm -at- gmail -dot- com to let me know if you will be there. The local fire code allows only six people in the study room, so if we hit seven people, we will need to move.

What a lovely "problem" to have! Everyone is welcome!

Our first meeting, October 2009

2009-10-06T16:37:00.003-05:00

The first meeting will be on Tuesday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Urbandale Public Library. Please join us.