Gaeltacht

Daire2013

I'm in 5th year at the moment getting ready for the leaving cert next year. I'm currently doing honours level Irish as I have been for all of Secondary School and I got an A for Irish in the Junior Cert.
I've been to the gaeltacht for the past two years (Colaiste Acla to be precise), and I've been reluctant to return this year because none of my friends are actually going and I don't honestly feel the use in it.
Firstly I think that all the improvement I could make in Irish was made when I went to the gaeltacht for the first time just after Second year. Before that I was absolutely terrible at Irish (didn't know 'that' was 'go bhfuil' even!) and I was averaging a C pretty much. But after it I kind of understood Irish more so that I could even think in it and have a very decent understanding of it.
In third year I developed this Irish even more through really valuable notes that I've carried on to fifth year. When I went to the gaeltacht last Summer I didn't think I learned as much because I was very capable of speaking it, but everyone around me came to the gaeltacht for the same reason I originally intended (to improve) so I couldn't have decent conversations with anyone. Plus, I think that the gaeltacht I went to anyway was best suited for students in 2nd and 3rd year as there's not so many older students at it.
So really what I'm asking is, is it possible to get an A1 in Leaving Cert Irish without going to the gaeltacht, even if it's through alternative means like reading Irish magazines, I can speak it reasonably fluently (I can understand Irish that isn't extremely complicated or spoken very fast)
All contributions welcome!

dambarude

I got an A1 in the LC without ever stepping foot in the Gaeltacht. Listening to RNaG and watching Tg4 is just as useful. Practise speaking it to yourself!

deirdremf

Daire2013 wrote: »

I'm in 5th year at the moment getting ready for the leaving cert next year. I'm currently doing honours level Irish as I have been for all of Secondary School and I got an A for Irish in the Junior Cert.
I've been to the gaeltacht for the past two years (Colaiste Acla to be precise), and I've been reluctant to return this year because none of my friends are actually going and I don't honestly feel the use in it.
Firstly I think that all the improvement I could make in Irish was made when I went to the gaeltacht for the first time just after Second year. Before that I was absolutely terrible at Irish (didn't know 'that' was 'go bhfuil' even!) and I was averaging a C pretty much. But after it I kind of understood Irish more so that I could even think in it and have a very decent understanding of it.
In third year I developed this Irish even more through really valuable notes that I've carried on to fifth year. When I went to the gaeltacht last Summer I didn't think I learned as much because I was very capable of speaking it, but everyone around me came to the gaeltacht for the same reason I originally intended (to improve) so I couldn't have decent conversations with anyone. Plus, I think that the gaeltacht I went to anyway was best suited for students in 2nd and 3rd year as there's not so many older students at it.
So really what I'm asking is, is it possible to get an A1 in Leaving Cert Irish without going to the gaeltacht, even if it's through alternative means like reading Irish magazines, I can speak it reasonably fluently (I can understand Irish that isn't extremely complicated or spoken very fast)
All contributions welcome!

I fully understand your reluctance if you have already outgrown the ability of other people on the last course you did.
But if you were at all minded to do a summer course again, you could always try one of the more serious coláistí samhraidh like Coláiste na bhFiann, Coláiste Chamuis or Spleodar. Give them a ring, speak Irish to them, ask them your questions and take it from there. You might find one of them has a course for people like you.