Book 3:
Lessons
Menu

Preface
Phonetics

PReface

This third part of Simple Lessons in Irish deals chiefly with the translation into Gaelic of the English verb to be, the great difficulty after the pronunciation has been mastered. As will e seen, the Gaelic verb to be, with prepositions, is used to express a great many ideas for which in other languages separate verbs are needed. I have tried to make the lessons as cloear and as simple as possible, remembering that the great majority of Gaelic students have no teacher. This will explain how in some cases, as advanced students have remarked, the lessons are almost tooe asy. Those who are preparing hurriedly for written examinations may pass lightly over the easy part of the book until they readh § 596, where the verb is is introduced.

Further parts of this series will be issued by the Gaelic League as soon as possible. Queries regarding points in these lessons will be answeredin the Gaelic Journal, and students will find in the current numbers of the Journal very valuable assistance and information up9on all matters connected wth the national language and literature.

The increasing numbers of students of Irish, and of teachers who have opened classes, as well as the growing interest in Irish publications, are all very encouraging. I would direct the attention of students to Father O'Leary's little book on is and atá recently published.

The preliminary expenses of this volume have been paid by the Gaelic Societies of San Franscico, Providence, RI, and New York (Captain Norris), and by some of the readers of the Gaedhal of Brooklyn. To them the volume is gratefully dedicated.

I am also deeply indebted to my friend Mr. John MacNeill, B.A., Editor of the Gaelic Journal, who has revised and corrected these lessons.

EUGENE O'GROWNEY
Tucson, Arizona, USA 1895

note that
phonetic
symbols
are not
necessarily pronounced
as in English

See § 13-16