Language Sciences
College of Letters & Science

Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge) Language Classes

Non-credit, informal classes in the Irish Gaelic language (Gaeilge) are offered by Becky Shields of the Language Sciences unit as a community outreach service. Classes meet in person for one hour per week in Fall and Spring semesters. Key details:

  • Basic introduction to modern conversational Irish for participants with no previous background
  • Open to students, faculty/staff and community members – all are welcome!

Registration

Fill out this online form to sign up, and contact Becky with any questions!

Sign up here

Community Irish Language Classes featured in Daily Cardinal article

Why Study Irish?

People are inspired to study Irish for a wide variety of reasons – here are a just a few to consider!

Heritage

  •  Many people in the US (and other places) have ancestors that immigrated from Ireland in the recent or distant past. Often, these ancestors spoke Irish, and learning the language can be one way of reconnecting with our heritage, as well as helping to support one of Europe’s minoritized languages which is currently under pressure in a globalized society.

Travel

  • Ireland is a popular tourist destination, with the areas in the Irish-speaking West (the Gaeltacht) being among the most stunning. A basic knowledge of Irish can be helpful in reading road signs, understanding place names, and appreciating the native culture of the area you are visiting (even if everyone there does speak English too!)

Music and other Creative Arts

  •  Ireland’s cultural store of music, literature, and folklore is vast and deep, with much of it (in many genres from traditional to modern) in the beautiful Irish language. Recently, more and more short and feature-length films are produced in Irish as well. The majority of this cultural wealth has not been translated into English and is only accessible through knowledge of Irish. (Here is a Spotify playlist of lovely Irish-language music for you to enjoy!)

Linguistics

  • Irish is one of the few surviving Celtic languages (along with Scottish Gaelic, Manx Gaelic, and Welsh). These languages have various complex characteristics that make them unique among the languages of Europe and fascinating to study from a linguistic perspective.

Non-credit Courses

Irish Gaelic 1 – Is Mise…

All about me… Introduction to contemporary spoken Irish. Develop abilities to introduce yourself, talk about likes/dislikes and order food and drink, and describe hobbies and activities. Emphasis on sound system, fundamentals of sentence structure, and useful conversational phrases. Connecting elements of Irish language and culture.

Next offered Fall 2025

 

Irish Gaelic 2 – Scéalta, Daoine, Áiteanna

Stories, People, and Places. Continue to make progress in the basics of spoken Irish as you learn to describe people and places, and construct and comprehend short narratives. Emphasis on expanding vocabulary and learning common verb forms. By the end of the semester, participants will be able to engage in basic conversations and read simple narratives in Irish.

Spring 2025

Mondays 4:30-5:30

Summer Study and Scholarship Opportunities

For more advanced study in Irish, there are several summer programs in Ireland:

  • Fulbright Ireland offers Summer Gaeltacht Awards for summer immersion study in Ireland. The awards provide free tuition, room, and board (participants need to cover their own travel costs) for 2-6 weeks of study at an Irish language course in the Gaeltacht. Students who have participated in non-credit classes are eligible to apply (although priority is given to students with more formal training).
  • Foreign Language Area Studies fellowships are available for 6 week intensive Irish summer programs in Ireland. Undergrad applicants generally need to have at least intermediate level proficiency, so additional study beyond our informal classes may be required for eligibility. Graduate students may be any level. Contact the Center for European Studies FLAS coordinator Eleanor Conrad for more information.
  • UW-Milwaukee’s Center for Celtic Studies offers a 3 week, 6 credit summer study abroad program at Oideas Gael, in Donegal, Ireland. Contact UWM to inquire about enrollment for UW-Madison students.

Recordings and synopsis of this week of events at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee!

Local Community Resources

A variety of additional resources are available locally for students and community members interested in Irish Gaelic:

  • The local Madison organization Ciorcal Comhrá na Cuinge (The Isthmus Conversation Circle) offers free weekly online conversation practice sessions for Intermediate students. Their website has info about other Celtic cultural happenings in the local area too!
  • UW-Milwaukee’s Celtic Studies Center hosts an annual Irish language immersion weekend (Tionól Gaeilge – Irish Language Gathering) every March. The event features language classes, lectures, and other fun cultural activities.
Attendees at the 2023 UW-Milwaukee Tionól Gaeilge
Attendees at the 2023 UW-Milwaukee Tionól Gaeilge

Interview: Irish Language Lessons come to Madison

Listen to this interview about our Irish language classes, conducted by UW-Madison student reporter Heewone Lim, which originally aired on local radio station WORT on August 8, 2023.