Dia duit! That’s Irish for hello, if you’re not brushed up on your Gaeilge. Irish Gaelic, or Gaeilge, is taught at the UW in non-credit, informal classes by language sciences instructor Rebecca Shields MA’02, PhD’09. The in-person courses are part of a UW–Madison community outreach service that invites students and Madison community members to join conversations in Irish and learn the language, without needing any previous experience — beidh fáilte mhór roimh dhuine ar bith. For UW–Madison students who are especially taken with the language, the UW encourages learners to apply for international summer study programs, including the Summer Gaeltacht Awards through Fulbright Ireland-USA and the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship. But if you’re looking for a more immersive Irish experience stateside, advanced language learners can join the UW’s Irish language table which meets in the School of Human Ecology each week. The group practices speaking, reading, and singing in Irish. And there’s no better time to start practicing, because the Badger football team is set to play the Pittsburgh Panthers in Dublin in 2027.
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