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An Gaeilgeoir

A valuable tool to help you learn Irish . . .

An Gaeilgeoir is a quarterly print newsletter that not only tells you about the language, it gives you truly practical tips for learning more efficiently and enjoying the journey..

Common Questions

You'll probably find the answers to your questions about An Gaeilgeoir in the list below (and if you don't, e-mail us with your question):

• Is it written in Irish or English?
• What is in a typical issue?
• What if I already get your e-zine, The GaelMinn Gazette?
• I'm just a beginner, is this too advanced for me?
• Can you give me examples of some recent topics?
• What about the puzzles?
• Who writes An Gaeilgeoir?
• How much does it cost?
• How do I subscribe?
• How else can I support An Gaeilgeoir?
• How long have you been publishing An Gaeilgeoir?
• Are reprints available?

Is it written in Irish or English?(back to top)

English! We have puzzles and examples in Irish, of course, but all of the tips and explanations are in English.

We want to give you information you can use immediately to study more effectively and learn more efficiently. It won't do you much good if you have to translate the advice before you can take it.

What is in a typical issue?(back to top)

Naturally, it varies, but you can usually count on the following:

• An editorial on the first page (well, you don't expect a volunteer editor to completely abandon self-indulgence, do you?) generally aimed at motivating you in your studies, making you aware of strategies or opportunities you might have missed.
• One or two major articles, depending on length, that could cover a central point in grammar (eclipsis, verb endings, etc.), experiences of other students in learning the language, strategies for studying, or items of general interest to Irish learnesr (e.g., the Gaelscoil movement in Ireland). See the "recent topics" question, below, for more about these major articles.
• At least a couple of puzzles, always a popular item. These use the Irish language in creative ways to give you engaging opportunities to apply what you know, or to learn something new. You can find examples of past puzzles through our puzzles page.
• Smaller items that might highlight workshop opportunities, provide web resources, or briefly introduce other aids to your learning.

What if I already get your e-zine, The GaelMinn Gazette?(back to top)

That's great, but these are two entirely different animals. Basically, our print newsletter An Gaeilgeoir provides in-depth discussions, fun ways to apply your Irish, and insights into learning the language that are hard to find elsewhere. The GaelMinn Gazette is aimed more at keeping you in touch with the language, giving you some quick ideas to keep you at it, with a nice monthly nudge.

I'm just a beginner, is this too advanced for me?(back to top)

Absolutely not, An Gaeilgeoir will be great for you! Most of our articles are very appropriate for people in the early stages of learning Irish.

Now, we do try to provide something of value for every level of learner, so in any given issue, some articles may be more helpful to beginners, some may mean more to advanced students. Similarly, we vary our puzzles so that some are more challenging than others.

But our tips for studying and learning apply to everyone. Articles on events like the Oireachtas language competition in Ireland, or the Gaelscoil movement, are of interest to everyone who is intrigued by Irish. And our articles on grammar topics often pull together material that is typically scattered throughout different sections of a text or course, providing a summary that will be useful to anyone -- although sometimes you might have to 'grow into it' a little bit.

Can you give me examples of some recent topics?(back to top)

We've given you tips on study methods, learning strategies and tools, etc.:

• Vocabulary building, useful conversational phrases, useful mnemonics, working Irish into your daily life.
• How to start your own study group, along with reports from regional study groups that have been going for years.
• Experiences of American students attending summer classes in Ireland, as well as a perspective from Oideas Gael director, Liam Ó Cuinneagáin.

We've pulled together summaries about basic grammar topics, giving you useful, straightforward explanations in one place that you might find in three or four different places in your text or course:

• "To Is or Not To Is": alternatives to using the copula in colloquial speech
• "The Genitive in Irish", an explanation of the grammar with some very practical exercises for learning to recognize when it is needed.
• How to say things like "have to", "ought to", etc.; using the passive; useful conversational phrases.
• "The Secret life of Adverbs"; dialect variations in prepositions and verb endings.
• The how and why of eclipsis and lenition, along with an extensive list of ideas for practicing mutations and remembering them when you need them.

And we've had other articles that are simply interesting, if you're studying the language, or just curious about it.

• "Notes from the field": odd occurrences related to the language (a Cork hurler who speaks Fijian?).
• "An t-Oireachtas": the Irish-language competition viewed by a spectator (Nancy Stenson) and by a frequent winner (Ray Mac Mánais).
• Newspaper writing in Irish, in America a century ago -- a research focus of Ken Nilsen.
• Nineteenth century Irish (Nancy Stenson); Irish before and after the spelling reform(Fintan Moore).

What about the puzzles?(back to top)

We try to include at least a couple of "puzzles" or amusements in every issue. It's a way to apply a little Irish, and have fun doing it -- sometimes while discovering news ways to think about things.

These puzzles vary widely in form, from issue to issue. We've had scrambled words and scrambled proverbs, matching exercises with idioms, spelling challenges of various kinds, even a rebus!

To try out some of the puzzles from past issues, go to our puzzles page on this site. There, we've reprinted some of the puzzles from past issues of An Gaeilgeoir.

Who writes An Gaeilgeoir?(back to top)

Gaeltacht Minnesota gathers the content, does the editing and layout, and contributes many articles.

But we're proud of the friends we have! Typical contributors include:

• Noted scholars and practitioners: linguistics faculty such as Nancy Stenson, Ken Nilsen, Muiris Ó Laoire. And from Ireland, perspectives from those most active in promoting the language, such as Liam Ó Cuinneagáin and Ray Mac Mánais.
• Students of the language, who share their experiences. When you're struggling with learning the language, doing so much work on your own, the insights of other students who share the same situation is extremely helpful.
• Teachers of the language, at all levels -- Gaeltacht Minnesota instructors, study group leaders from around the region, and instructors from places like the University of Minnesota, St. Thomas University, and Oideas Gael.

These respected contributors donate articles to us because they believe An Gaeilgeoir is a valuable resource for the Irish language student. We think you'll come to the same conclusion!

How much does it cost? How often is it published(back to top)

Subscriptions are $12 for four eight-page newsletters mailed to you each year.

How do I subscribe?(back to top)

You can print out a subscription form here, and send it in with your check (we can't take credit cards).

And this is a good time to do it -- our subscription price will be increasing after the November issue.

How else can I support An Gaeilgeoir?(back to top)

We'd really welcome your help. We can only publish An Gaeilgeoir because our contributors write for free, and editing and layout is volunteered. More subscribers are needed to keep this newsletter going on at least a break-even status.

You can:

• Make other students, and teachers, aware of An Gaeilgeoir. Tell them what you get out of it!
• If some of your colleagues like to look over your shoulder, whenever you get an issue, encourage them to subscribe.
• Send the curious to our puzzle page to try a few amusements, or to the tools page to download some useful reprints.
• Please don't photocopy portions of An Gaeilgeoir to share, except maybe one time to entice someone to try it. Our subscription price is very low, and we ask that each reader have his/her own subscription.
• Participate! We're happy to hear ideas for articles, and other students value lessons from their peers. Just e-mail us with your ideas, anytime.

How long have you been publishing An Gaeilgeoir?(back to top)

The first issue came out Nov 1, 1998, and we have just completed our eighth year of publication.

Are reprints available?(back to top)

Unfortunately, we don't have any way to offer back issues. However, some key reprints do appear on our "tools" page, items that we think may be useful to any learner of Irish. For example, we have tips for using the dictionary (which is quite challenging when you first start learning Irish).

Comments and questions are welcome via e-mail

(our e-mail address, broken down to reduce spam from 'spambots', is info at gaelminn dot org)