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Home
Age Groups
Age Group 4 and under
Irish names
Playgroups
Using Irish with your children
Speaking Irish to your grandchildren
Raising children with Irish outside the Gaeltacht
Raising children through Irish in the Gaeltacht
Support, services & facilities
Age Group 4 - 12
Irish-Medium Schools
Benefits of All-Irish Education
Irish Colleges (Gaeltacht Summer Courses)
The Gaelbhratach
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Support, services & facilities
Community
PEIG.ie Newsletter
10 Reasons to Register to our Business Directory
Supports Available for Businesses
Conversation Circles
Surnames
The Gaeltacht
Community Groups
Irish Language Centres
Organisations
Irish Language Festivals
Festivals
Irish Week / Seachtain na Gaeilge
Awareness Events
5 Tips
Irish Language Books
Irish Language Podcasts
Learn
Learning Irish
Playgroups
Irish-Medium Schools
Irish in English Speaking Schools
Irish Classes for Adults
Irish Classes
Irish Services for Schools
Terminology and Grammar Tools Online
Rights
The Official Languages ​​Act 2003 and the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language
The European Charter for Minority Languages
The 20 Year Strategy in the North
Services Available in Irish
Get Involved with Conradh na Gaeilge
Campaigns
Research and Submissions
Using Irish State Services
Irish Language Commissioner
Employment
Irish Language Careers Booklet
Irish language jobs (Europe)
Irish language jobs in Ireland
Irish Third-Level Courses
Vacancies
Information Sheet on Job Possibilities

Speaking Irish to your grandchildren

This article outlines a few simple ways to speak Irish with your grandchildren.


When you speak in Irish with a child, you give them a valuable advantage which could help them to:

  • Learn how to read and count
  • Learn other new languages
  • Develop communication skills
  • Get a job in the future
  • Make new friends
  • Become part of the new generation of Irish speakers
  • Strengthen their identity

Four simple things you can do to pass on Irish to your grandchildren:

  1. Use simple Irish phrases during the day; see below for some examples:
    • Instead of “Goodnight”, use “Oíche Mhaith” 
    • Instead of “Thank you”, say “Go raibh maith agat”
    • Replace “Good boy/girl” with “Maith an bhuachaill” nó “Maith an cailín” 
    • Use “Slán” instead of “Goodbye”
  2. Read a book in Irish at bedtime. There are plenty of beautiful books out there, and you will pass on plenty of useful phrases.
  3. Listen to Irish language radio such as Raidió na Gaeltachta, Raidió na Life or Raidió Rí Rá and watch TG4. This will really help them to acquire the language and pronunciation.
  4. Create simple labels to put up around the house:
    • “Doras”, “Bosca Bruscar”, “Fuinneog”, “Staighre”, “Ríomhaire”, “Tolg”, “Cathaoir”, “Bord”, etc – don’t stop the list! Use www.focloir.ie to translate.

Glór na nGael organise a wide range of family events through their TeangaTí scheme, and (as Comhluadar) provided the information on this page.


Date updated: July 2023