I have found ALL remarks expressed here, both interesting and logical. As a native born speaker of "the tongue", I believe that colloquial, rather than colloquy, is at the root of non-speakers who wish to learn to speak "the tongue'. Gael, like Latin, is a DEAD language in comparison to English. The only way to grasp the essence, is by listening to it like a baby, and speaking it like one too. I should add, that one of my Grandfathers' was a Irish speaker, and till the day he died, I never had a problen understanding him. When I first came to this country, I engaged in limited conversation with people here who were learning, or had a touch of the gab; I soon realized that I was spending more time trying to break long formed habits of speach, than in actual conversation. My friend George (old hiker) has been attending classes to learn the language, and is coming along nicely, but he still thinks in ENGLISH GRAMMAR CONSTRUCTION. I suggest that by relaxing and making a multitude of mistakes, you will ENJOY the journey, rather than looking to your destination. No one is going to take your birthday away if you speak with an accent or mix up the SUBJECT AND PREDICATE. Here endeth the lesson.LOL