So, I’ve been living here a while now, right? In Ireland. And honestly, felt a bit weird not knowing a single word of the actual Irish language. You see signs, hear snippets sometimes, but mostly it’s English. Still, felt like I should at least try, you know? Show some respect, connect a bit more.
Had zero clue where to begin. Like, absolutely none. Remember thinking, ‘How hard can it be?’ Ha! Famous last words.
First Steps and Stumbles
First thing I did, downloaded one of those language apps everyone talks about. You know the one, with the owl? Spent a few weeks tapping away at ‘Man’, ‘Woman’, ‘Apple’. Felt like I was learning words, sure, but couldn’t actually say anything useful.
Pronunciation was a killer. Letters just don’t sound how you expect. Tried looking up guides online, YouTube videos… some helped, some just made my head spin even more. It all felt very… academic? Not like how people actually talk.
Okay, apps weren’t really cutting it for real-life stuff. So I thought, maybe just focus on the basics? Things I could actually use.
- Greetings: Like ‘Dia dhuit’ (Hello)
- Thank you: ‘Go raibh maith agat’
- Please: ‘Le do thoil’
- Sorry/Excuse me: ‘Gabh mo leithscéal’
Wrote these down on sticky notes. Stuck ’em around my desk. Tried saying them out loud when nobody was home. Sounded awful at first, probably still do sometimes!
Tuned into TG4, the Irish language TV channel. Whoa. Way too fast. Understood maybe one word in ten minutes? Same with Raidió na Gaeltachta. But I kept listening sometimes, just to get the rhythm of it in my head.
Taking it Outside
This was the scary part. Decided to try using ‘Go raibh maith agat’ in a shop. Just a simple thank you. Handed over my money, took the change, mumbled it out. The cashier just smiled, said ‘You’re welcome’. Phew! Okay, small victory.
Tried ‘Dia dhuit’ a few times. Sometimes got a ‘Dia is Muire dhuit’ back, which was cool! Other times, just a confused look or a standard ‘Hello’. You can’t win ’em all, I guess. It really depends who you talk to and where you are.
Found that older folks, especially outside the main cities, seemed more likely to appreciate the effort, or even chat back a little. But honestly, most day-to-day life happens in English. That makes it hard to practice, and easy to get lazy about it.
So, Where Am I Now?
Look, I’m definitely not fluent. Not even close. My pronunciation is probably still terrible. But I do have those few basic phrases down. I can understand tiny bits more on signs or announcements now.
It’s slow progress. Really slow. Sometimes feels like I’m getting nowhere. But then I manage to use a phrase and it feels good. Like I’ve made a tiny connection.
Was it worth the hassle? Yeah, I think so. Even just knowing a few words feels better than knowing none. It’s more about the effort, I suppose. Shows you’re interested. Still got a long way to go, but hey, it’s a start.
