8 Best Books to Learn Irish for Beginners and Beyond

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If you’re interested in learning Irish, today we’re reviewing the best books to learn Irish to help you build a solid foundation of the ancient language. These books are a great way to get started with this fascinating language or even brush up on your previous knowledge of it.

One of the oldest living languages in Europe, Irish is believed to have existed more than 2,500 years ago! According to the latest census, only 40.4% of the population reported being able to speak Irish, out of which only 33% stated they use it on a daily basis.

Sadly, this fascinating language has a reputation for being difficult to learn and outdated. The way I look at it, however, is that you can easily get the hang of Irish by simply sticking to practicing the language daily for a while.

Here are the best books to learn Irish for beginners.

1. Collins Easy Learning Irish Grammar

The first book on this list is Easy Learning Irish Grammar by Collins. True to its name, this book provides beginners with a clear and simple guide to the rules and use of Irish grammar.

Whether you’re using it at school, home, or work, I believe this is one of the best books to learn Irish that you can get your hands on. It offers a lot of valuable yet easily accessible information, presented in an attractive layout.

To reinforce your knowledge of key grammatical points, the author highlighted them throughout the 280+ pages of this book. Additionally, you get to work with a complete glossary that clearly explains grammatical terms for a comprehensive learning journey.

This book contains all the forms of regular verbs, along with conjugations and common tenses of irregular verbs. It also includes an index with hundreds of verbs and their conjugation models added for cross-referencing.

To tie everything together, this book showers learners with so many examples of real Irish to clearly demonstrate the grammatical points it makes.

Key features:

• Repeated highlighting of key grammatical rules/points
• A rich index of verbs and their conjugation models
• A glossary of grammatical terms

2. Step-by-Step Irish: An Irish Language Workbook for Beginners

If this is your first time interacting with the Irish language or you only have a brief introduction to it, Step-by-Step Irish is a book I strongly recommend to kick off your journey with.

One of the best books to learn Irish, this workbook doesn’t only cover the grammatical side of Irish, but also vocabulary and pronunciation. Then, to make sure all the new information is efficiently comprehended and stored in your brain, you’re prompted to complete a set of exercises at the end of each lesson.

The Step-by-Step Irish workbook offers learners 12 units containing the essential concepts of the language, as well as hundreds of vocabulary words in Irish along with their translation in English. You even get a simple guide on how to read/speak these words.

When it comes to complicated topics in grammar, this book provides easy-to-understand explanations. Once you solve the featured exercises, you can refer to the answer key and check how you did.

Key features:

• 12 units to cover the language’s essentials
• Stimulating exercises at the end of each lesson
• An answer key to check your performance 

3. Complete Irish Beginner to Intermediate Course

This is a complete book and audio course for teaching the Irish language to newbies and advancing them from the beginner to intermediate level.

Fully revised and developed with new learning techniques, this book will help you read, write, and speak so you can communicate in Irish with more confidence. It includes 21 units with a separate section for pronunciation and a word glossary.

Additionally, it offers beginners some valuable tips on how to better learn any language. It also provides you with insights into the country and people who speak the Irish language.

Granting you access to everyday authentic conversations, this book comes with two CDs for audio resources.

Key features:

• 21 units to develop your reading, writing, and speaking skills
• Tips to optimize language learning
• Applies goal-oriented learning technique
• Comes with audio material

4. Gaeilge gan Stró! Beginners Level

Developed for the true beginner, Gaeilge gan Stró can be a wonderful entryway to the Irish language for those who learn better with a more communication-based approach than a grammar-based approach.

This is one of the best books to learn Irish if you’re looking for a wide range of common vocabulary along with pronunciation and spelling. The grammar is very basic where you’re introduced to simple elements of structuring a sentence. You’ll also learn numbers and phrases.

Note that this book is the start of a series through which the author builds your skills as you rise up the levels. So, it makes sense that it’s not loaded with grammar rules right away.

Key features:

• Communication-based learning
• A simple introduction to grammatical concepts
• Easy navigation of lessons

5. Learn Irish Gaelic with Word Search Puzzles

Next up is an Irish learning book by David Solenky that’s unlike any other book I reviewed here. This one teaches you Irish Gaelic vocabulary, not by mere listing and translating, but through puzzles!

That’s right, this book offers learners a massive collection of word search puzzles in bilingual English-Irish Gaelic format. It’ll challenge you, entertain you, and educate you all at once.

With 130 puzzles in dozens of interesting categories, this book takes a fun approach to vocabulary exercises. It’s meant to supplement — not replace — conventional language study methods.

I think this is one of the best books to learn Irish as it can benefit learners of any age. It even includes full solutions to all puzzles so you can check your progress.

Key features:

• Fun puzzle-based vocabulary exercises
• Reinforcement learning to challenge your memory
• Full solutions included

6. First Steps in Irish

First Steps in Irish is a terrific first book for beginner learners of the language. The Christian Brothers developed it to be a systematic build-up of grammar and vocabulary skills starting with simple words and phrases to usher you into creating correct sentence structures. 

It offers 28 lessons, each consisting of 2 pages with a set of exercises following every section to ensure better comprehension. The workbook elements are necessary to work your memory.

This book also features an answer key to keep track of your performance, a Gaeilge-English and English-Gaeilge vocabulary summary, as well as audio material to improve your speaking and listening.

Key features:

• 28 lessons to build up your grammar and vocabulary skills
• Includes exercises after each section
• Features audio files

7. Speak Irish Now

Don’t be deceived by this book’s simple cover and plain title. If you’re a beginner but serious about mastering the Gaelic language, Speak Irish Now will not disappoint.

This well-organized book contains over 200 short and easy-to-follow lessons that will teach you vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation without boring drills. You will learn from various examples that demonstrate usage. Plus, phonetics helps to get speaking right away!

In addition to the well-structured lessons and bilingual glossaries, this entire course also ties in with the videos on the Speak Irish Now Youtube channel — perfect for listening practice!

Key features:

• 200+ short but powerful lessons
• Teaches the fundamentals in an easy-to-follow manner
• Phonetics and dictionaries teach pronunciation and usage

8. Short Stories in Irish for Beginners

I’m placing this in the last spot because this book is not designed for absolute beginners. But if you’re in the upper-beginner or lower intermediate level (meaning you’re familiar with some vocabulary and have a basic grasp of grammar structure), Olly Richards’ Short Stories in Irish is highly recommended.

Featuring eight captivating stories in different genres, this book is written in standard Irish using realistic vocabulary and accessible grammar. Each story includes a full plot summary, interesting illustrations, vocabulary lists, and questions to test your comprehension.

Tailored to CEFR levels A1 to B1, this book provides an engaging way to expand your vocabulary and boost your grammar knowledge, all while letting your imagination run free!

Key features:

• Unconventional and entertaining Irish stories to learn from
• Learn a wide range of new vocabulary and accessible grammar
• Great for improving your Irish comprehension skills

Wrap up

There you have it, the best books to learn Irish. Don’t forget to complement these with Irish learning apps as well.

Keep in mind that the process of learning a language doesn’t happen overnight. It requires patience, consistency, and practice. So be sure you stick to your daily dose of learning and you’ll reap the benefits in no time!