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I think this can be a valuable resource to help others with their pronunciation as well as to illustrate the sometimes subtle differences between the various dialects of Irish. Of course this will require cooperation from some of the more advanced speakers, which has never been a problem here. If you have any suggestions how to make this better please contact me.

*ch Sounds like the end of the Scottish word “loch”

If you’re a beginner, don’t fret too much about Irish Gaelic dialects. Start to learn online today with Bitesize Irish Gaelic.

These are always pronounced this way, whatever their position in a word. Often, the vowels marked with the sineadh fada (áéíú) will be written with another short vowel before or after it. This generally does not affect the pronunciation, but it written to obey the rule of broad vowels with broad consonants, and slender vowels with slender consonants.

Short vowels

Short vowels are pronounced as follows only when they are the stressed syllable of a word.

All short vowels in unstressed syllables are pronounced “uh”.

Learn the Irish Gaelic vowels by listening on learning at Bitesize Irish Gaelic.

Stress

For the most part, Irish words are stressed on the first syllable. There are a few dozen words — mostly old compounds that merged into one word–that are accented on the second syllable.

Consonants

Irish consonants can be either broad or slender. This quality is determined by the vowels that follow or precede it. A basic rule of Irish spelling is “caol le caol agus leathan le leathan” – “broad with broad and slender with slender”.

Except in the case of compound words, a slender consonant or consonant group will always have either an “e” or an “i” on both sides of it–after it if it’s the first consonant in a word, before it if it’s the last in the word.

Likewise, a broad consonant will always have an “a,” “o,” or “u” before and after it.

Generally, broad consonants sound more or less like they do in English, although they sound like they come from further back in the mouth than in English, and there is often a off-glide similar to a light “w” sound after them. The only way to grasp this is to listen to Irish speakers, but the key below should help you on your way.

Slender consonants can often sound different from English. They are generally produced further forward in the mouth, and often have a palatal “y” sound gliding off from it. This seriously affects the dental consonants — d, t, and s

Build on what you’ve learned in this lesson, by trying Bitesize Irish Gaelic online language course.