Irish

Rating:
Summary: Good tapes, but a book would help
Review: The tapes are clear, and easy to learn from, but only for those who learn easily by just listening. For those who, like me, learn better by seeing and hearing, the lack of a text is disappointing. The tapes are Munster Irish, not the standard language. As courses based on the living language - from any of the 3 main dialects - are becoming more popular, this should not be a problem. The pronunciation is no more different from the standard than O Sidhail's "Learning Irish", a very popular course using Connacht Irish, or the "Irish On Your Own" course which uses Ulster Irish. Munster Irish was until recently the most widely learnt outside the Gaeltacht areas, so most Irish speakers would understand the pronunciation used on these tapes. It is similar in most respects to the pronunciation used in 'standard' courses such as "Teach yourself Irish" by O Se. The main problem with this set is that it leaves you knowing very little Irish - a longer course is needed.