I had the pleasure of chatting to our GROW member Jeri last week.
Jeri studied Irish poetry and theater in university, and was inspired to learn Irish after visiting Ireland. We chatted about her wonderfully unique way of learning Irish through poetry, and the mindset needed when learning a language as an adult.
I’m so grateful to Jeri for taking the time to chat with me and I hope you all enjoy our conversation as much as I did!
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3 thoughts on “Agallamh le jeri – Irish Language learner”
This was a fantastic and encouraging listen! I too have a hard time remembering just how much time and energy went into the level of Spanish that I have. It’s frustrating at times to realize that, even though it has been more than a decade since I had any active practice in Spanish, I STILL speak Spanish far better than I do Irish (which I’ve been at for about a year at most). I wrote recently about my fear of embarrassment in using a foreign language and the thought that I’d be perceived as silly or stupid despite repeated experiences (in any language) where native speakers are simply thrilled that you’re giving their language an honest try. The Irish community has been one of the most welcoming that I’ve ever found as an outsider and that definitely keeps me going with the language. Thank you both for sharing with us! Is maith liom teangacha agus is breá liom Gaeilge!
So glad you enjoyed it, Seán! 🙂
Le beannacht,
Aisling
Jeri, go raibh míle maith agat as é sin a roinnt. I found it very interesting how you found a connection between the land and water to the Irish language. The way to take one line of poetry at a time also reminded me of the value of learning verses of Irish language songs, one at a time. Go n-éirí leat! Eoin