Skype/Zoom Irish Language Program 10 Lessons

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  “My relationship with the Irish language was always complex. From my teenage years I valued and recognised its importance, I grew up with friends who were native speakers and would make the effort in school to improve my Irish but unfortunately never had much success.In later life I became fluent in another language but my lack of Irish always bothered me, it was like a part of me was missing in some way. A few years back I travelled with my partner to Tory Island and saw a whole community living and interacting via the language. My partner asked me to translate things for her. I was totally unable to do so.This spurred me to reacquaint myself with Irish. Dabbling with books and Duolingo, I eventually found Paraic and over the past couple of years my Irish has gone from ‘cúpla focail’ to conversational – tried and tested in the Gaeltacht I grew up near. Paraic’s approach to teaching isn’t one of rote learning and grammar; but one which develops the individual’s confidence to use the language as a spoken, living means of communication. I have a long way to go in my journey with Irish, but without Paraic I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I wanted to be.

I cannot recommend him highly enough.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  “Off and on, I have studied the Irish language for nearly 20 years but had not done any studies the past 5. Last year I saw a Facebook post from Paraic, with testimonials about his style of teaching and decided to learn more about him. The fact he is a native speaker (it is his first language) was important to me for a number of reasons, in particular is that my father was not a native English speaker, my personal experience of language learning is a bit different than many of my friends or fellow Daltaí na Gaeilge – students of Irish. As I learn better one on one, having individual lessons with Paraic has been a genuine breath of fresh air. His style is unassumingly genuine, encouraging and kind. I am starting my 3rd series of classes with him and am finding myself both learning more of the language and discovering what I already have, by way of Irish.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Paraic is a fantastic teacher and he has really helped me build my confidence in speaking Irish. Our lessons are always fun and we’ve covered a lot of different topics: from politics and history to mythology and culture. I would whole-heartedly recommend him to anybody who would like to learn from and improve their Irish with a native speaker.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Paraic is doing phenomenal work in keeping the Irish language alive. Even though I always loved the language, I had a block from a young age due to the actions of a toxic teacher. But that all changed while I worked with Paraic. After just three lessons, I was able to chat away about the matters that are most important to me, and by the end of the course, my level of Irish had improved exponentially.

Paraic’s method is unique and his teaching sticks – whatever you learn will be fully integrated. I don’t know how he does it, but the lessons are actually enjoyable and the time flies – a big departure to the Irish classes I was used to! Paraic is a very skilled language teacher and I will be forever grateful to him for bringing me back to the Irish language. His work is a gift.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I have been studying Irish with Paraic for several months now in order to retrain to be a primary school teacher.I am thoroughly enjoying Paraic’s one-on-one interactive approach to learning as well as his focus on speaking the language.Being a native speaker, Paraic has also given me a great insight to the language, idiomatic expressions and cultural insights from his native Connemara.

I am very happy with the progress I have being making thanks to Paraic’s lessons and would highly recommend him for anyone looking to improve their Irish.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Paraic is an excellent teacher for intermediate and advanced Irish. I had forgotten a lot of Irish since college many years ago and now need it as part of a job. After ten lessons with Paraic, with the emphasis on spoken Irish, i am now confidently able to use the Irish i need in work. Mile buiochas duit Paraic”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “It was important for me to work with someone who was native Irish speaker who was enthusiastic, patient and supportive in equal measure and as a teacher, I found all three with Paraic. From the start Paraic has you speaking Irish. He moved the lessons at a pace that suited me but also created a learning environment that required me to stretch my abilities.

Paraic’s own west of Ireland roots are a real asset to the teaching. The dialogue and teachings are enriched with turns of phrase that evolve an everyday greeting into a source of praise and delight.It is these turns of phrase and expressions that make the difference between learning the mechanics of a language and speaking like a native! I would highly recommend learning Irish with Paraic.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“I had been studying Irish on line in various formats for a little over a year. I needed a new teacher and decided to take a chance and buy a package of ten lessons from Paraic. I told him when we began that I had been studying grammar and listening to people speaking Irish on line, but I desperately needed more practice speaking Irish. He honored my request, and we spent most of each lesson conversing in Irish. (Of course he added in teaching when I did not know how to say something correctly.) He asked good questions and came up with a variety of natural conversation topics, so the lessons were fun and interesting, and my ability to speak in Irish improved. Paraic was also very encouraging, so that I always felt comfortable trying to say things in Irish, no matter how badly I botched my sentences. I enjoyed the lessons very much and learned a lot! Thank you, Paraic.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I am beyond grateful to have Paraic as my guide and tutor on this journey of learning my ancestral language. Being a native speaker, he not only has a lot of technical knowledge of the language but is an amazing resource for the context of the living language as it is spoken at home or between friends. He is patient and supportive and brings humor into every session, creating a safe and confidence-building container in which to learn. He clearly loves the Irish language and it’s a joy to learn from someone with that much love for what they are teaching.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Paraic is an excellent Irish teacher. He has a deep knowledge and love for the language and uses a number of different techniques to stretch the student’s ability to express himself/herself with the language. He focuses primarily on fundamental skills such as comprehension and ability to express oneself in the language which helps the student to cut through some of the grammatical complexities of Irish. He uses various techniques to ensure the student is always learning, never resting on their laurels and provides great feedback which helps the student stay positive and focused on making progress. I highly recommend him to anyone who wants to improve their Irish.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Paraic is the example of what all teachers should be…friendly, knowledgable, resourceful, patient, yes all that…and good craic as well! If you’re looking to learn from scratch or perfect an aquired level of Gaeilge (Irish), Paraic is your man. He adapts to your level and then merrily challenges and pushes you ahead…and you won’t feel a thing. Add a touch of Connemara humour to the recipe and what you get is the best value lessons for your money. Go raibh míle maith agat a Pharaic!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “As someone with intermediate Irish, I was looking for a native speaker to help improve my conversational skills. Paraic was exactly what I was looking for. He is patient, encouraging and has beautiful Conamara Irish. I feel that I have progressed greatly in our ten lessons (listening and speaking skills). Paraic is fun and interesting. I will certainly be booking more lessons. Paraic has helped to renew my commitment to the language and I am now more motivated than ever to continue on the road to fluency.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I’m so thankful that I found Paraic as a teacher! His lessons were engaging, interesting and challenging. He is an excellent teacher and works with the Irish you have as well as building upon that foundation. I have learned so much from his lessons and I am so much more confident in my Irish abilities now. He really put me at ease and encouraged me to figure it out myself, supplementing my language where needed. I would highly recommend Paraic! “

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “After the first few lessons with Paraic I found myself having the confidence to talk with my aunt in Irish on the phone, near the end of the set of ten i was able to converse over dinner with a cousin who is studying Irish in university. In a way the confidence gained by the classes with Paraic has inverted my attitude to conversation in Irish, before I would shy away from it, as for example when I visited Inis Oirr last year and was afraid even in very basic situations like ordering a pint from someone with a ‘Tá Gaeilge Agam’ badge on them! But now I find myself seeking Irish conversation out, asking people if they can speak when I get a sense that they might be able to, even just a little bit. From where I was before I started the classes that’s a massive leap forward and hopefully it’s just the start of my journey with Irish – mo cheol thú a Pharaic!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Paraic has a natural ability to make you feel at ease as a learner, his classes don’t feel like lessons, he adapts the content and direction of the classes to your needs and as the conversations flows the skype sessions feel like a catch up with a friend. My confidence in speaking Irish has soared through Paraic’s gentle encouragement and natural approach. Highly recommend“

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I left school more than 50 years ago – in the first year I think that the Leaving Certificate included an Irish Oral – with a fairly wide Irish vocabulary and a pretty good knowledge of grammar, but unfortunately with more or less no ability to converse in Irish. After 20 weekly chats with Páraic my ability to converse has advanced enormously – far less panic and anxiety, much greater fluency, much more ability to engage proactively in converation and as a result I feel much more relaxed about speaking the language. If your situation is anything like mine I warmly recommend you to talk to Páraic! Beir bua”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I would say he’s not only a teacher but more of a mentor as well, in that he is very encouraging and empowering which is vital for speaking in any language. Just recently I had a native Irish speaker praising my Irish and I don’t think that would have happened without me having worked with Paraic over the past few months.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “As someoneI can’t recommend Paraic highly enough. What stands out is his curiosity and variety of interests – the focus from the start is on communication rather than worrying about grammatical rules, and the sessions quickly began to feel more like chats about the meaning of life than classes. In just a couple of months I felt much more confident in expressing myself in Irish than I ever had before (and I did it all the way through school).”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “As someone who came through the whole school system without being able to hold a basic conversation in Irish, I found Paraic’s classes a breath of fresh air. After 10 classes my vocabulary and confidence with the language has improved dramatically, I also enjoyed immensely the many interesting conversations we had (as gaeilge) on Irish life and culture.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “In six months of Irish lessons with Paraic, I have progressed significantly more than I did two years on my own. There are three main features that make Paraic’s Irish lessons so rewarding to me. First, the focus on speaking. For most people, speaking is the most difficult part of learning a language. Paraic gets you comfortable speaking quickly, even if you make mistakes. Second, the customization. You will learn Irish focusing on areas relevant to you – things that you would speak about in an everyday conversation and things that interest you. And lastly, learning from a native speaker exposes you to true colloquial Irish, with a healthy dose of Irish culture. If you are willing to put in the time and effort to learn this beautiful language, you can’t go wrong with Paraic’s Irish lessons.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Paraic is so knowledgeable but also kind, funny, and easy-going. He’s never made me feel like I can’t do this and is always so encouraging. He believes in me more than I do and he has a real love for the language of his own youth and country and that really comes out in how he teaches. I feel like he cares about me as an individual and a person. We often laugh and talk about our personal lives and interests and also world events and situations and Irish culture and issues in ways that switch effortlessly between Irish and English. I’m truly learning, slowly but surely. That’s how I feel about my journey to learn Irish and that journey has only just begun and there’s no one who I’d rather be on that journey with right now than Paraic and his online Irish courses. I’m so grateful he does what he does. “

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Working with paraic these past few months has greatly improved my understanding of the Irish language. There is only so far that books can take you. Paraic’s approach through conversational immersion has really helped my ear and helped me to be able to form some of my own sentences, giving me a bit of courage to try to speak the language independently. Irish can be quite a frustrating and amazing language and paraic’s humor and patience has kept me going at times. I can’t recommend him enough if you want to truly understand and appreciate the Irish language from a native speaker and take your learning to another level.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I have just attended a few skype lessons with Paraic. He’s a real Conamara man with a proper West of Ireland accent! I was struggling with things such as pronouncing verbs in the different tenses or understanding when to use Irish words in different contexts. These are things that are hard to understand when learning off textbooks or other educational materials so having a native speaker clarify the concepts is very helpful. There is no better way to improve do chuid Gaeilge than talking to a native! Míle Buíochas!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Paraic cares about helping you practice your speaking skills through learning idioms and colloquialisms that you couldn’t get from a grammar book. Coming in with a little experience already, I’ve appreciated how working with Paraic has helped me advance my Irish, and I’d highly recommend him as a teacher”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “After 15 sessions, I am now able to have conversations with Paraic in Irish about daily events and topics I enjoy. He is encouraging, friendly and engaging. Paraic is also very professional. Our lessons are fun, easy and always interesting. I look forward to them every week.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I’d almost given up on ever learning Irish properly but I’m pleased I didn’t. After about five months of tuition from Paraic I’m very happy with my progress and will be continuing with the lessons to build on this. He is an inspirational teacher of this wonderful language—so much so that each week I find myself devoting more and more time to it!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Paraic will bring you through conversations on topics related to politics, current affairs, family, friends, the latest news bulletin, religion, it really doesn’t matter, the only thing that matters is that it matters to you, and once it matters to you, it matters to Paraic. By the end of a class, you realize that you have discussed a complex topic through Irish, and wonder wow, how did that happen?”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I really appreciate Paraic’s kindness and reassurance, as well as his strategy of just getting me talking before ironing out the mistakes. Returning to learning Irish with Paraic is fun and incredibly rewarding.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I have just completed my first ten lessons with Paraic and recommend him highly both as a person and as a teacher. And, thanks to SKYPE, it’s like being in the same room with him.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Already in 10 short weeks, I feel like I have truly connected to the language and culture through Paraic.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “As a native Connemara speaker with the passion and ingenuity to teach the language online, he’s worth his weight in gold. While guiding me through pronunciation, new vocabulary, and grammar, he has always been incredibly friendly and non-judgemental.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Most of the time I don’t feel like I’m in a class, such is the great teaching methods used by Paraic.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I have been studying Irish off and on for about 10 years. After just 10 sessions with Paraic my comprehension of the language has improved dramatically.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ “Since starting lessons with Paraic, he has helped me to relax and gradually gain confidence with both speaking and listening. He focuses on the subjects that are relevant and important to me and helps me to obtain the vocabulary needed to discuss them. He is well-read and able to discuss a wide variety of subjects. In addition, since my primary interest is in the Connemara dialect, it is an added bonus that Paraic was raised in Connemara through Irish and is able to pass on his knowledge of the area as well as the language, though it is clear that his knowledge extends well beyond that region.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ “I have noticed since starting lessons with Paraic my recall for Irish comes a lot easier and Irish is coming off the tongue more quickly. Paraic also writes down what he teaches you which is great as you can go back over the conversation if you need to remember something. Highly recommend the lessons and if I was fluent already in Irish I’d still catch up with Paraic for a chat (as Gaeilge).”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ “My twin boys Just completed 10 weeks of conversational Irish with Paraic. Their Irish has improved immensely in such a short period. As I sitting with them during the conversations, I too gained. Paraic tailored the sessions well to suit the short attention span of a typical 9 year old. I would highly recommend Paraic for anyone of any age who wants to learn Irish from scratch or brush up on the language. I see great potential in my boy’s ability and I am delighted with Paraic’s tips on how to to keep it up”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ “I was able to have a casual conversation both on some standard easier topics like work, and some more complex topics like political correctness and life in the 19th century. I also liked the way Paraic linked the language with culture, history and some anthropological observations, thus teaching me not only Irish but the mentality of the people of his native Connemara.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ “These Skype sessions have been a very positive experience for me, something I look forward to every week. Highly, highly recommended to anyone, like me, who has tried and failed to learn Irish in the past. This is a whole new, fresh and positive approach to learning our beautiful language. Go raibh mile maith agat Paraic, as na ceachtanna iontacha seo.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ “Paraic is a fantastic teacher. He helps you along with the greatest of patience. He is also a natural conversationalist. You won’t have any trouble finding interesting things to talk about. It’s great to speak with a person who grew up with Irish in his blood. Bhain mé taitneamh as na ceachtanna. Agus beidh mé ar ais go luath le cúnamh Dé.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Working with Paraic has given me the structure and the accountability that I was lacking, and has proven to be very enjoyable to boot. As a teacher myself, I have high standards, but Paraic is very good at what he does. He’s a wonderful ambassador for the Irish language and his love for it and for the land and people of Connemara are evident. I really look forward to my lessons, and finish them with a sense of accomplishment and motivation to improve. I recommend Paraic very highly!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I’ve just completed 10 sessions learning Irish with Paraic who I found to be a fantastic native Irish teacher. I would consider myself a beginner with a bit of vocab, but Paraic caters for all levels. I loved the fact that he concentrates on conversational Irish that you could use in the home chatting to the kids or out and about in the community. Im lucky enough to live in a Gealtacht area and so can practice on poor unsuspecting individuals.” Julia from Ireland

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Brilliant lessons!! I wanted to focus on the everyday stuff I say in English with my friends, family and kids and that’s what we did. I and my children are using Gaelige way more as a result. I’m looking forward to more classes in 2020.!! Go raidh maith agat Paraic.” Ciaran from Ireland