To celebrate the upcoming release of Living Language’s online Irish course, each day this week, we’ll post the truth about a common myth or misconception about the Irish language:
Misconception #2: Nobody speaks Irish anymore!
Not true! While the Irish speaking regions (known as Gaeltacht areas) have dramatically declined in the last century, today at least one in three people on the island of Ireland claim to have some knowledge of Irish. Interest in Irish is growing, thanks to new media such as social networks, video sharing and apps which make learning Irish even easier and more enjoyable than before. This delightful short film ‘Yu Ming is Ainm Dom’ tells the story of a Chinese man who learns Irish, but has difficulty finding anybody to talk to when he travels to Ireland:
And here’s a couple useful Irish phrases for meeting new people:
Conas atá sibh?
[KUN-is a-TAW shiv?]
How are you (pl.)?
Conas atá tú?
[KUN-is a-TAW too?]
How are you (sg.)?
