Absolute Beginners: Irish - Stage 1 ONLINE - 7:30pm, Tuesdays

Please note that the ‘last booking’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier if courses are over- or under-subscribed. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure to enrol as soon as possible. 

Our classes celebrate the beauty of the Irish language and aim to develop appropriate levels of competency. Greater levels of fluency and confidence are achieved through an increased understanding of grammar and expansion of students' vocabulary.

Classes will be held online, using University of Liverpool provided online services. The course is 30 weeks in duration and the course fee is £190. The total number of contact hours for this course is 40.5 hours (ie one 90-minute session per week) but the recommended number of study hours to complete this level is 80-100 hours.

Textbook: Gaeilge Gan Stró! - Beginners Level
Students will also be expected to purchase their own textbook for personal use. We recommend that you do not purchase any books or other equipment for your course until we have confirmed the course is definitely running. Decisions are usually made around 7 days prior to the course starting.

All students will be issued with access to University of Liverpool online resources and are expected to register using the details provided following successful course registration. Failure to activate your University of Liverpool online account will seriously impact your learning experience.

For more information and for our full Terms and Conditions, please consult section 8 of the student handbook available on our Irish Languages website. 

Course Description

This module aligns with the A1 level in Irish according to the CEFR and the TEG, covering units 1–12 of the TEG A1 syllabus. Designed for absolute beginners or those with minimal knowledge, no prior Irish experience is required. Over 30 weeks, students will develop basic skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and understanding fundamental Irish grammar. By the end, students will achieve A1 proficiency, enabling them to perform simple everyday tasks in Irish, understand and use familiar expressions and basic phrases, introduce themselves, and ask and answer questions about personal details. They will interact simply if spoken to slowly and clearly, with basic cultural understanding and intercultural skills relevant to their proficiency level.

Term Dates (please note these are indicative only)

Classes are due to be held online on Microsoft Teams on Tuesdays from 7:30pm - 9:00pm.

• Term 1 – late September – early December
  (Half term end of October)
• Term 2 - mid-January – late March
  (Half term mid-February; no teaching week of St Patrick's Day)
• Term 3 - mid-April – late June
  (Half term end of May, no teaching first week of May due to (optional) Dingle Field Trip) 

Each term is 10 weeks long. Students do not have to enrol for each term. This is one continuous course. 

Contact info

For further information please contact irishlang@liverpool.ac.uk. 

Further info

We welcome anyone over the age of 16. If you are between 16 and 18 you will need to provide permission from your parent or legal guardian. Please contact us at irishlang@liverpool.ac.uk for the relevant form. For most courses, there are no entrance requirements.

Course Cancellations

If a course has to be cancelled, we will always inform you as quickly as possible. If a course is cancelled because of low numbers, a full refund will be issued to the same card that was used to pay the fee. Refunds will be identified on bank and credit/debit card statements as being from the University of Liverpool. We may also offer you a transfer to an alternative course if you wish, subject to any difference in fees and the availability of places.

If a student wishes to withdraw from a course, an emailed application for a refund must be received by the Institute of Irish Studies a minimum of 14 days before the course start date. No refunds will be issued after this date. All refunds are subject to an administrative charge of 10% of the relevant fee.

This does not affect your statutory right to cancel this contract at any time within the 14 days immediately following your registration on a course, without giving any reason.  In such a circumstance, you will be entitled to a refund of any course fee you have paid to the University prior to your decision to cancel. 

All notices of cancellation must be made in writing by email to irishlang@liverpool.ac.uk. 

Course Transfers

Your enrolment is for a specific course. Very occasionally students find they need to transfer to a different course. This happens most frequently in languages when the chosen study level is not the most appropriate for a student’s prior knowledge. Transfers can only be made for good reason, at the discretion of the department and subject to availability of course places. All course transfers must take place within 2 weeks of classes starting, in line with University regulations.

Our Irish language classes are run in collaboration with the Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith. We are greateful to The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe, Pobail agus Gaeltachta) for their generous support of these classes.