Gaeilge Gach Lá
Live Irish every day. The motto of Bitesize Irish since 2019.
Meet Gaeilge in your life from where you already are.
The Pledge
Déanfaidh mé Gaeilge gach lá
I will do Irish every day
A simple yet powerful pledge – I will do Irish every day. It’s a way to side-step your potential excuses and have Gaeilge part of your daily life now (not tomorrow, not some-day).
Join our free one-week Gaeilge Gach Lá Challenge to make the pledge with others.
Learner to Practitioner
Your identity evolves into being someone who lives Gaeilge in their every day life.
Déanaim Gaeilge gach lá
I do Irish every day
It’s natural to want to start learning or re-learning Irish, and then say that you’re learning Irish. See your journey as learning Irish is fair and accurate.
Even the top scholars of the language will always be fine-tuning their knowledge and going deeper.
And yet, being a “learner” very easily gives you the perception that you’re not good enough yet to practice Irish.
Toward creative self-expression
Author Robert Greene described in his book Mastery (2012) age-old proven approaches for mastering a topic. Whilst mastering a language is a questionable label, his process of learning in depth offers the view that through deliberate and evolving work, one can move from being a learner to being a practitioner.
The process ultimately brings you to creative self-expression through the medium.
Gaeilge Gach Lá is a way of transforming how you see yourself as a learner of Gaeilge to being a practitioner of Gaeilge.
You can practice the language every day through seven different ways of learning. It’s a different way of acting in the world and of experiencing Gaeilge.
Overcoming shared shame
People from all over the world share their Gaeilge Gach Lá journeys at Bitesize Irish. You don’t need anyone’s permission to speak Gaeilge (only perhaps your own).
Those who have grown up in Ireland inevitably take on a shame embedded into expressing themselves in Irish. Thankfully that shame is losing its grip with each generation. If this resonates with you, it may be all the more important to drop the limitations of seeing yourself as a learner, and to rather just be with the language.
Gach Lá / Every Day
Daily beat intensity in short bursts. The best way to not learn a language is to block it out of your life. Gaeilge Gach Lá is a way to always progress, and you can always begin again. Gach lá, every day. This rhythm makes Gaeilge a living part of your every day life.
Seacht mBealach / Seven Ways
Gaeilge Gach Lá as an applied method uses seven ways of practicing Irish and being with the language in your life. This is also the title of Eoin’s book that reflects deeply on these ways.
The seven ways map to the seven days of the week. This beautifully gives you inspiration for every single day of the week. Monday always comes around faster than we realise.
The seven ways of Gaeilge Gach Lá are the following:
Dé Luain / Monday
Scríobh / Write
All you need is a pen and paper. Idea – write down “Déanaim Gaeilge gach lá”. Write creatively if you can at all.
Dé Máirt / Tuesday
Labhair / Speak
Labhair í! Speak Irish with whoever you can (even your pets). Give breath to Irish words – speak them aloud.
Dé Céadaoin / Wednesday
Léigh / Read
Go slowly. Reading can mean going over text you don’t yet understand, and later it may be text that you somewhat understand. Reading feeds your writing and speaking abilities.
Déardaoin / Thursday
Éist / Listen
You can listen actively or passively. Listening actively takes more energy. There is still value in listening passively.
Dé hAoine / Friday
Nascadh / Connect
Raise your horizon of attention. Look out and connect with the outside world of Gaeilge: locally, news, media, articles, social media.
Dé Sathairn / Saturday
Staidéar / Study
As an adult on a language journey, it’s inevitable that you need to study. Another way of seeing this is learning deeply with intent. The benefit is you’ll gradually find yourself making connections between different concepts and seeing patterns emerge. Go deep – curiosity is the way.
Dé Domhnaigh / Sunday
Machnamh / Reflect
Take this day to reflect on just how far you’ve come already.
Three Spaces
Giorraíonn beirt bóthar (a seanfhocal / proverb – two people shorten the road).
If you would like to practice Gaeilge Gach Lá with Bitesize Irish, we invite you to become a member. It has been intricately designed for a sense of belonging, and a sense of achievable practice every day.
All members have access to An Leabharlann room (see below), and you can later grow your membership to the two additional spaces.
An Leabharlann / The Library
Learn and practice at your own pace and without the pressure of practicing with others. Learn practical Irish with self-paced courses and reference pack. Practice with daily hand-crafted prompts from our archives. Share your learnings and reflections in community on Saturday and Sunday. Watch recordings of our monthly workshops.
You can stay as a Gaeilge Gach Lá Member with access to An Leabharlann for as long as serves your journey. There’s no pressure to move on, you can’t fall behind, and by engaging you’ll naturally grow to Tinteán (see below).
Learn more about Gaeilge Gach Lá membership
An Tinteán / The Hearth
When you’ve been a Gaeilge Gach Lá Member and you want to practice in community. Participate in hand-crafted practice prompts shared by our community manager, Monday to Friday. Share your reply in the community, and receive appropriate feedback so that you can build a sense of confidence over time. Attend a live monthly workshop covering language and culture – normally the first Tuesday of the month at 8pm Irish time.
Learn more about Tinteán
An Ciorcal Beo / The Living Circle
Join our small circle of Gaeilge Gach Lá practitioners in instructor-led live sessions – Tuesdays at 8pm Irish time. On average three live sessions per month covering both speaking and reading practice, and supplemented by quiet practice self-directed learning.
Learn more about Ciorcal Beo
Seasonal Perspective
Our Ceardlann Mhíosúil / Monthly Workshop for members covers language, culture, myth and place. It’s informed by the cyclical nature of the Celtic calendar. That includes the four seasons, and an awareness of the winter and summer solstices.
These are not rules
You have your own story and your own ways. Your life has its own rhythm. Gaeilge Gach Lá is an invitation. It offers a structure of ideas of embracing the language. However none of these are rules. You can always find your own way to live with Gaeilge.
How to live Gaeilge Gach Lá
For a supportive and self-paced approach with our fluent team that grows with your journey:
Become a Gaeilge Gach Lá Member
Join our free one-week Gaeilge Gach Lá Challenge
If you’re starting fresh, get an iniation into Irish before becoming a member: Buy the Gaeilge Gateway course
Read about Gaeilge Gach Lá in depth: Order the Seacht mBealach / Seven Ways book
Wear Gaeilge Gach Lá: Order Gaeilge Gach Lá merch
And finally, to stay informed about our journey and receive featured articles: Sign up for the free Gaeilge Gach Lá Newsletter
P.S. Read about Bitesize Irish – the team, our story, and our mission.