There’s a Yahoo group where you can learn the Irish language on line at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/philo-celticsociety/ - you do have to have a Yahoo account.
I’ve now bookmarked that, thank you!
That’s where something like EasyReader comes in handy (another $70 to spend!). I can double click on any Irish word (even inflected forms) and not only do I get a definition and pronunciation in my chosen dialect, but I can “mine” the grammar, find the root form, other inflected forms, see examples of usage, etc. I can also double click on an English word and get a list of Irish words that correspond to it, again with definitions, pronunciations, examples of usage and inflections. I love it!
In my case, the goal is fluency, so I don’t really draw much of a line. When I went to Ireland last summer, I went with a half-empty backpack, so I could bring lots of books home with me (who needs clothes when you need room for books, right?). Which reminds me, I need to make my reservations for this:
http://www.grafxsource.com/Gaeilge/DeireadhSeachtaine.html
Looks like I’m getting mo thóin kicked up to level 4 this year, so I’d better start practicing!
Redwolf
Thank you, I’ve now bookmarked that one, http://www.irishforlife.com/, too.
The last time I was in Paris…
Mrs. D was impressed how well we…ahem.. got by, in the language.
Then…she picks up a newspaper from a counter and sez to me..
“What does that say?”
I had no idea whatsoever..to my eternal shame.
The thing that I have found with languages, is to speak them.
Use your ears and observational skills.
By the time I let the newspaper away from me I did have a bit of a grasp..
Phone..etiquettely…(rough that, I will admit)…
Speak first..the rest tends to follow…
Slan,
D. 
I got it, “Basic Irish, A Grammar and Workbook”. (ISBN13: 978-0-415-41041-0 (pbk))
I got it just today, and although I’ve only skimmed a few pages of it, I’m impressed by its “beginner’s” level of contents, apparently a good book.
So, here goes!
Ádh mór ort!
Redwolf
Update:
My having already been through several Routledge grammar publications, the Routledge Irish grammar at first appeared to fit into the same mold, so to speak. However, and according to the text’s foreword, it’s really more of a grammar supplement, going into some of the finer details apparently often glossed over by other, more traditional grammars, which could be a good thing for those who already have some idea as to what they’re doing, but which leaves a raw beginner such as myself grasping for elementary details, so to speak. Moreover, it appears that what I need could be a true “beginner’s” Irish grammar. Fortunately, it seems that there is an Official Standard Irish literary language, which unfortunately doesn’t extend to the spoken language, but which appears to be a good place to get started.
So, could you have any suggestion(s) as to a good, basic Irish grammar in English? That way, I could use the book I already have as the supplement it was intended to be.
Thanks!
Do you actually want a grammar book, or do you want a self-teaching book? I would recommend the latter, personally. Most grammar books are going to assume that you either already know the language or that you’re actively learning it from some other source, and so will tend to assume you know things that you don’t.
“Teach Yourself Irish” is a decent beginning method (and has the advantage of coming with audio CDs, so you can learn the phonics along with the grammar), modeled on the kind of language texts you may have had in high school, and is widely available in the U.S. “Progress in Irish” is quite a good beginning book as well, but tends to be more difficult to find here.
If you just want to get a basic overview, the on-line lessons from “The Irish People” are pretty good:
http://www.irishpage.com/irishpeople/
Those lessons will go a long way toward helping you understand the nuts and bolts of the language.
If it really is a grammar book you want, well…I have to say that the best of them are actually written in Irish. The two in English that I can recommend are Teach Yourself Irish Grammar, by Éamonn Ó Dónaill (this one comes with exercises for you to work, which is nice, but it does kind of assume that you’re not a total newcomer to the language) and “Irish Grammar – A Basic Handbook” by Noel McGonagle.
We review many of the most popular learning methods here:
http://www.learnirishgaelic.com/productcomparison/
Things are kind of buggy there at the moment, as we’re migrating to a different php format, but it should be working properly again there soon.
I wouldn’t rely too heavily on “The Standard” (aka An Caighdeán Oifigiul, known to most of us learners as “the C.O.”). Outside of schools and official documents, it really isn’t used much. Even most literature is in dialect.
Redwolf
Yes, the nuts and bolts of the language are just what I need. The text I got actually looks pretty good, but apparently glosses over some of the elementary nuts and bolts, to then go on to topics which are beyond my beginner’s level of understanding.
BTW, I otherwise do well at studying grammars as a self-teaching method. Never mind the frippery, please, just give me the facts!
Edit: After a Google search, http://books.google.com/, I found some of the texts you referred to, and a whole lot more!
However, I also checked out http://www.irishpage.com/irishpeople/, and I think I’ll hang out there for a while, as it looks like a good place to begin.
Thanks!
My favourite book-procuring site is http://www.litriocht.com . Lots of fun stuff there.
I got the DVDs for a tv series In the Name of the Fada, which was mostly execreble, but had a few interesting bits to it. One of the best was from a native speaker who had no idea what all the academic grammatical labels to things meant, and told the student to just say what he wanted and not worry about correct forms all the time.
If anyone is familiar with this series I have a question.
djm
I’ve bookmarked that site for future reference, thank you!
I’m familiar with the series. I thought it was hilarious, especially his on-stage explanation of “suas” vs. “thuas” 
Could have done with a few fewer “f*cks” though.
What’s your question?
Redwolf
Yes, I found his attempt to sound Dublin gutterish entirely too forced and hollow, detracting from the show.
In one episode, they are singing a song on a radio show. I know the tune with English lyrics: The Mingulay Boat Song. But those lyrics were written by a Scottish school teacher in 1911. What is the name of the Irish song so that I can go look up the lyrics? Thx,
djm
A favorite of mine: An Cailín Álainn!
Here are the lyrics:
http://www.navan.org/lyrics/an_cailin_alainn.html
Redwolf
Thx muchly. Now to go figure out the beats. 
djm
How would one know? 
It’s a long story, of a relatively obscure but most interesting language.
When it comes to speaking in a near Arctic climate, moreover, the Finns simply don’t waste their breath.
For instance: Tervetuloa suomeen! (pronounced as, TERveTUloaSUOmeen, and translated as, Welcome to the Finnish language!)