Why wait until New Year to make a resolution? Your plan to learn Irish starts now, with the top five best places for learning Irish online.
September has arrived, which means it’s back to school season. However, the end of summer doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom.
If you are Irish or connected to Ireland in some way, chances are you’ve uttered the phrase “I’d love to learn the language” several times during your lifetime.
With e-learning becoming more and more popular these days, there’s no time like the present to learn our beautiful language.
Whether you’re someone who’s longing to connect with their Irish heritage or a parent helping their children with Irish homework, dive into our list of the top five best places for learning Irish online.
5. Duolingo – for learners on the go
Download Duolingo for free to your phone or computer, and you will become one of 1.1 million users learning Irish right now.
Duolingo’s custom font was designed specifically to catch our attention, so you are instantly learning and remembering vocabulary simply by looking at your screen.
You can motivate yourself by setting goals. Whether you want to spend five or 20 minutes learning Irish per day, it’s entirely up to you.
The app adjusts its difficulty depending on your progress, so you don’t need to worry about falling behind or finding the exercises too easy.
If you want to make the process more interactive, you can add your friends and get competitive. We dare you to add your friend to Duolingo to see who can learn Irish faster!
4. italki – the most unique choice of our top five best places for learning Irish online
italki is a language-learning platform for one-on-one lessons, where students choose teachers based on their learning needs.
The best thing about italki is that it’s entirely customizable. For example, when scrolling through introductory videos on teachers’ profiles, you can filter your search to find an Irish teacher in your time zone, with a specific accent, who has the same days off as you.
With italki, you can choose what you want to learn. Either pick a course that a teacher has already designed or send the teacher a message if you want to learn about a particular topic.
What’s more, there’s no commitment. You can book one class at a time, or more if it suits you. Just purchase your italki credits and book a slot in your Irish teacher’s schedule. Prices vary from €8 to €25 per class, and classes are usually 45 to 60 minutes long.
3. Ranganna.com – for an independent learner
Ranganna.com is an e-learning website created by Gaelchultúr, the leading provider of Irish language courses for adults in Ireland. So, it is an instant favourite on our list of the top five best places for learning Irish online.
With ranganna.com, you are your own teacher, navigating through the site’s fun and interactive software. Here, you can complete engaging exercises and receive instant feedback.
It caters to different learning styles, whether you benefit from watching videos, listening to audio files, or practising sentences first-hand.
Even though Ranganna.com encourages you to learn by yourself, you are never alone. The website has a forum to contact other Irish learners or send questions to the course tutors.
You can start learning at any time of year at a reasonable price of €45 for three months, €80 for six months, or €149 for 12 months.
2. Gaelchultúr – for live lessons with a group and teacher
Gaelchultúr is the provider of Ranganna.com, but it also offers a wide range of live lessons, making it our number two pick on this list of the top five best places for learning Irish online.
Tried and tested by acclaimed author Louise O’ Neill, Gaelchultúr lessons are relaxed and informative. From their website, you will see that several courses are starting this autumn.
If you are in the USA/Canada time zone, there are Irish courses for beginner to intermediate level starting on 13 September and ending on 22 November.
With one two-hour lesson per week for €220 total, it’s a hard offer to refuse!
You will find a similar course on Irish time, and a specialized course for anyone working in the public sector. If you need to speak Irish for your job, the preparatory course for the certificate in professional Irish begins on 4 October of this year.
1. Conradh na Gaeilge – for the best conversation practice
Conradh na Gaeilge was nominated for the ‘Best Language School’ award at the Education Awards 2020.
These Irish courses are conducted in small groups where the teacher will speak as much Irish in each lesson as possible, making it a truly immersive experience.
Don’t feel intimidated because Conradh na Gaeilge offers courses for all levels based on conversation, grammar, listening, reading, and more.
The autumn term begins this year on 22 September. There are courses to suit students on Irish time and east coast time, during mornings or evenings.
Your course with Conradh na Gaeilge will amount to €150 for ten weeks of one class per week. Each class lasts an hour and 30 minutes.
No matter what your goal is, there’s an option for everyone when it comes to learning Ireland’s native language from the comfort of your home!
