Your Irish Language Journey
Find your calling, study with intensity, become a practitioner. You’ll change from being merely a learner to being a Gaeilgeoir.
There is an Irish language journey available to you, available to everyone. It’s a life-long journey fuelled by your internal curiosity. The ultimate destination is intuitive self expression through Gaeilge. Move along the journey with intensity, and have faith that these intuitive powers will come to you.
Bitesize Irish can be your guiding companion. The question is: are you ready to accept this calling?
1. Find your calling
Céim a hAon. Réidh i gcóir Gaeilge Gach Lá?
The Irish language arrived in Ireland several thousand years ago, a language of the Celts. Today, it’s an endangered language, yet it’s modern and vibrant. What it means to you depends on your own life’s story. You’re standing at a cross-roads. Choose the path to mediocrity, or choose the Irish language path with Bitesize Irish if you’re prepared to dedicate yourself to the journey.
You are:
Absolute Beginner
You’ve never studied the language at school. You have no idea how to pronounce the sounds of the language, or how to read it aloud. You have a deep love and respect for Irish culture, and you’re curious how the Irish language can give you a deeper connection.
Active Learner or returning
Are you already learning the Irish language, but feel like you’ve had enough learning and not enough practising? Or did you have Irish at school, but you’re coming back to it now? You need a way to get unstuck, and drop the old stories and regrets.
2. APPRENTICE WITH INTENSITY
Céim a Dó. Tús maith, leath na hoibre. Seo an ceann is tábhachtaí.
You have found your path to the Irish language. Now it’s time to transform yourself into a dedicated observer. The more intensely you jump in, the faster you’ll move to the following steps. Find mentors who can instruct you. Observe, learn and practice. Lay the foundations, and learn the fundamental rules of the Irish language. Gain as many skills as possible, learning one at a time. You’ll experience accelerated returns, as one mastered skill unlocks others.
Your Foundations with Bitesize Irish
To complete this step, become a Foundations member of Bitesize Irish. This is a collection of cultural and language mini-courses designed to help you learn the basics of the language. You don’t have to study the language before appreciating it and our Irish culture.
3. Gain Social intelligence
Céim a Trí. An bhfuil tú ag éisteacht?
To have conversations in the Irish language, you must learn to read people in the moment. Learn to see yourself as others see you, using them as a mirror to help correct your conversational flaws. Turn up your listening skills. Continue to learn to take objective feedback. Navigating the social environment is a prerequisite to mastery.
Explore with Bitesize Irish
This is the point in your journey to start practicing with others. Practice in a community of people who are like you on their language journey. Get daily motivation challenges from our fluent community manager.
Bitesize Pobal
Join others in this private learning community. Regular reading and listening challenges.
Aistear
Full access to our online Irish language courses, so you can continue to develop your knowledge of the essential rules of the language.
4. AWAKEN YOUR CREATIVE ENERGY
Céim a Ceathair. Caighdeán is airde a bhfaca tú riamh roimhe.
You’ve accumulated skills, and internalised rules. Now your mind will want to be be more active, seeking to use this knowledge, in ways that match your own inclinations. The key to awakening your creative energy is maintaing a fluid, open mind. You’re continually looking for connections between ideas. Experiment more with failure and even criticism. What really matters now is the energy and excitement you bring to your journey, which will translate to the final result. Feel a deep connection with what you’re doing.
Continue to Grow with Bitesize Irish
Bitesize Pobal also hosts Cogar Mogar (“Chit Chat”), a monthly chance to practice reading and pronunciation skills, and receive feedback from our Bainisteoir Pobail in a group video call. Have an informal conversation with other members. Each month we’ll chat informally about the topic covered by the reading piece.
You’re practiced scripted conversation with Bitesize Beo. Now start to express yourself, continuing to connect with others, and getting advanced help from our fluent staff.
Bitesize Beo
Practice your Irish language conversation with scripted conversation role-play in a group with a fluent instructor.
5. DEVELOP HIGH-LEVEL INTUITION
Céim a Cúig. Brisim achan riail, seachas caol le caol.
Various experts have shown suddenly possessing heightened intellectual powers after years of immersion. This step includes a long time of intense absorbtion. You’ll have internalised the rules, no longer only seeing parts of Gaeilge. You’ll feel the power of intuition, a feeling at your fingertips. We can all do this. This intelligence is cultivated. Stay true to your inclinations, no matter how unconventional it seems to others. This step is a function of time: it involved thousands of hours of practice. We see a connection between this and the old Celtic myth of the bradán feasa (salmon of knowledge), which was being fished for seven years.
At this step, you’ll naturally become an ambassador for the Irish language. If you’ve come this far with Bitesize Irish, we’ll encourage you to be a community supporter, helping others in the community while you grow.
This framework is based on The Path to Mastery by Robert Greene. That’s a concise summary of the points made in his book Mastery, which we recommend. Listen to our podcast Ep. 094 about the path to mastery of the Irish language, from “practitioner to speaker” through Gaeilge Gach Lá.