Connemara (Cois Fharraige), Connacht/ Western dialect. See my review at the site for details. Tapes/ CDs sold separately. Overly academic, grammatically thorough. Better for linguists rather than casual learners.

All three dialects: Donegal/ Northern, Connacht/ Western & Cork- Kerry Southern. See my review at the site for details. Textbook to accompany TV series on Irish TV. Companion DVD and CDs sold separately from RTÉ. Best for adults who those who learned some Irish (i.e, at Irish school?). Not for absolute beginners. Less easy to use, far pricier than "Speaking Irish."

Difficult to find, may be nearly out of print. Cassettes. Ulster/ Northern dialect. I have not used this personally but I have heard it recommended. Book with tapes.

See my review at site for details. Not to be confused with author's Cló Iar-Chonnachta grammar below, which is a more detailed version of this Hippocrene primer. Very basic, has been criticized by some scholars. But, affordable reference for quick consultation.

The little companion to the full Ó Dónaill Gaeilge-Béarla foclóir. Unique among pocket dictionaries of Irish for IPA pronunciations before each entry. Smallish print; blue cover. Larger type but same contents exist in a green-covered "Scoil" edition.

You will need this and Ó Dónaill. The only "reverse" dictionary. If you can afford the hardcover, invest in it; paperbacks for both dictionaries will not withstand the demands of the diligent student of Irish.

Hard to find. Useful, handsome typeface and layout in the Oxford tradition. Often out of print. Less popular than "Foclóir Poca" or the Collins Gem.

Goes by many nearly identical titles. Old standby, but dated; more word lists than idioms or expressions. Print larger than pocket dictionaries. Lacks detail of Collins Gem and lacks the phonetics of "Foclóir Poca."

Reflections by writers and activists give essential context on Irish within Ireland. Some are learners, many are natives, but all argue well for the continuity and relevance of the national language. See my review at the site.

Written by Pearse in his acquired Ros Muc Connacht Connemara West of Ireland dialect. Challenging, but shows what a learner can do! (As well as inspire the Easter Rising and politicize the Celtic Revival.) Pages facing allow comparison of English with Irish.

Want to read Old Irish legends, lore, and laws? Almost like reading Old English vs. our version! Recommended by scholars as by far the best primer to a difficult, sparser, orthographically abrupt, rewardingly terse tongue.

See my review at site. Big brother of "Irish for Beginners" (listed earlier) in the Usborne series of pictorial word lists. Affordable, colorful, attractively laid out. Great for visual learners.

Munster- Southern dialect. Usually ranked by users below other CD-book combinations. Supersedes 1962 Ó Sé & Sheils TY textbook.

See my review at site for details. Intermediate-to-Advanced. Emphasis on dialectical & colloquial distinctions between everyday vs. "school"/Standard Irish. 20 thematic lessons pair transcriptions & exercises with video interviews. More affordable than "Turas Teanga."

Expanded recently: I assume now all 3 levels of the RS system include Irish. The enormous expense prevents me from previewing it, however; little specific Irish language info on the RS website exists.

See my review at site. Should be "Fáilte"--brief Standard Irish course developed for learners coming into Ireland from abroad and those in foreign countries. Multicultural dimension distinguishes this vibrant, contemporary text (2 CDs can be bought separately from Gael-Linn); basic but appealing to learners liking variety.

Not seen, but may be based on her 1990's lessons necessarily expanding those in Ó Siadhail's more daunting "Learning Irish." Stenson also has an "Intermediate Irish" grammar & workbook sold via Amazon.

A Bostonian returns to Conamara to study Irish and travels about the Gaeltachtaí. See my review at site. Relevant, thoughtful, if rather quirky and offbeat narrative.

See my review at site. Subtitle should be "Goidel"-- academic study for linguists and sociologists, but useful incorporation of recent surveys of NI & Ireland regarding actual language use. Dense, but (nearly) up-to-date.

See my review at site. I like this as representative of Cois Fharraige Connemara Western dialect, that you may study in Ó Siadhail's "Learning Irish" set (see above).