Most of the articles are at the most basic level but some may well clarify issues of difficulty for even the more experienced learners and more fluent speakers of the language.

This site does not present a "complete" grammar of the Irish language. It is constantly a work in progress. It aims to be interactive. It is hoped that we can use all the features now available on the Internet including audio files, monitored bulletin boards and chat facilities, and cheap telephone contact between learners and tutors.

Registered users of this site can join in and comment on the explanations given, elaborate on them, point out errors, ask questions, suggest additional features, use the exercises, listen to the audio files, enter competitions, vote in essay contests, and even get access to a private tutor who will assist in correcting essays and talk Irish to you using the wonderful internet technology that is already available.

Potential tutors and those who would like to contribute to STUDYBASE can contact us with their proposals. We are planning some other projects and need contributors willing to share their knowledge and earn some money.

The lists of books, online bookshops, web sites, and online forums referred to on this site will direct you to excellent books, online dictionaries, and other material covering the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of the language which are available elsewhere.

The material presented here should not be regarded as a "scholarly" description of the language because it is hoped to explain the points in the plainest language possible. It is addressed to those who are beginning with Irish, attempting to learn Irish on their own or with a teacher, or beginning to revise the Irish they learnt at school. Hence initially at least most of the presentation will be in English. Essential grammatical terms will however be supplied in both Irish and English. The best way to learn a language is by total immersion but that is not possible online since the learner will be put off by any obstacle and will leave the site immediately. That applies to all web sites.

Even in the topics selected for explanation, those listed in the various side-bars, it is likely that this site will only supply the most basic usage and there may well be much more that could be said on many of the topics raised. Nevertheless for a learner seeking further information on topics alluded to elsewhere, in school textbooks for example, this site may prove helpful if only by drawing attention to issues which the learner needs to know and also by providing an alternative description of the more important grammatical points.

In attempting to describe a living language such as Irish which has been used continuously from time immemorial, and written for more than 1,500 years, it is almost foolhardy to say one grammatical construction is correct and another incorrect. Language changes with use. People in different areas speak differently. Their vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and word order may differ. If the differences are relatively minor they are said to be speaking a dialect but if they are considerable and almost completely unintelligible to others they may be speaking a different language. Scholars would consider the Irish language, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx to be so closely related as to be almost the same language. Almost. Yet they are not mutually intelligible without much familiarity and study and therefore are now regarded as separate languages. Even within the Irish language itself there are numerous dialects which are easily understood by all speakers of the language when spoken clearly and well. They have the blas. Indistinct speakers of any dialect can make it impossible for all but their nearest and dearest to understand them. The suspicion could even arise that such obscurity is intentional in order to conceal a dearth of knowledge and curtail any real attempt at conversation in the language.

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The three major dialects of Irish are Ulster, Connacht, and Munster to which I would add another, Learners, and perhaps Officialese. I know I am on controversial ground here. The Government of the Republic of Ireland developed an Official Standard known as "An Caighdeán Oifigiúil" - The Official Standard which governs the rules for the spelling and the forms of Irish to be used in official usage. "An Caighdeán Oifigiúil" is based on forms, vocabulary, and syntax common to all or most of the dialects and provides access for the learner to all of them. Obviously it pleases learners who like its regularity but offends many native speakers who seem to loathe any interference with their own dialect, the best Irish of all. Not all however. It was developed by native speakers and Niall Ó Dónaill wrote a book Forbairt na Gaeilge that set out the need for such a standard.

Recent developments including the passing of the Official Languages Act 200??? and the recognition of Irish as an official language of the European Union, 200???, have ensured that the development of this standard language will rage ahead and expand the vocabulary and syntax of the Irish language beyond the comprehension of most existing speakers of the language today.

In a way the revival of the Irish language is almost complete although the world is changing so fast that all languages except English, and some other world languages, are in mortal danger. Countries such as Denmark, Holland, Slovakia, etc find they need to use English as their international langauge and may well need to protect and preserve their own language. Just as we do with Irish. Irish is now being used in education, in the courts, in the media, in religious ceremonies, in Government, and internationally. All of these areas of life provide jobs for Irish speakers and ensure that the learning of Irish is well worth while, well worth the effort involved. This is apart altogether from the pleasure involved in learning a beautiful language and gaining another world view, an additional insight into life, and the key to two thousand years of recorded Irish history, literature, and culture.