A NEW online Irish-language course has been launched, aimed at members of the diaspora and Irish people living abroad.
‘Irish 101’ is being run by Dublin City University (DCU) and aims to make it easier for people to learn Ireland’s native language.
Students will learn about Irish script and alphabet, along with exploring the Emerald Isle’s culture of dance, Gaelic sport, music, storytelling and literature.
The course is three hours a week for three weeks.
Dr Mairead Nic Giolla Mhicil from DCU said: "We're launching Irish 101, which is one of the first massive open online courses for the Irish language on the FutureLearn platform.
"This course is directed at the Diaspora, the new Irish, and those who perhaps want to have learnt Irish from a long time ago and want to go back and have a little bit of a refresher".
According to Ireland’s 2016 Census, more than 1.7 million people can speak Irish to a high standard – a slight decrease of 0.7% on the 2011 figure.
It is estimated that over 70 million people around the world can claim some Irish descent, including more than 36 million US citizens alone.
Organisers say that the new ‘Irish 101’ course is aimed at anyone who has an interest in Irish language and culture, regardless of their heritage.
