This is the website of the Irish Language Association of Australia. Read this page to learn more about us or come along to one of our classes to meet our teachers and students.
We meet every Tuesday evening at 7:30pm during school terms in Victoria and provide Irish Language classes at different levels. The classes are pitched at adult learners and are led by experienced teachers. There are no classes on public holidays. There is also a lunchtime conversation group which meets on alternate Wednesdays.
As well as the weekly classes we have occasional social nights and fund-raisers and of course we are always looking for ways to promote Irish. In January each year there is a residential summer school held on the long weekend, right here in Melbourne and it attracts students from all over Australia. In 2019 it will be known as Gaeltacht Melebourne and the booking form should be ready by September.
The address for our weekly classes is Level 1, 420-424 William Street, West Melbourne, Vic 3003, on the corner of Dudley Street, upstairs above the XIN FANG supermarket. There is parking in William street itself, or in Franklin street, adjacent to the south side of Victoria Market. This new venue is the Celtic Club's administration centre and is not licensed. But just across the street is the Royal Standard Hotel and within walking distance you can find The Last Jar and The Drunken Poet as well as Celtic at the Metropolitan.
Our postal address is now separate from the Celtic Club and all mail to the Cumann should be sent to the secretary at this address P.O. Box 594, North Melbourne, Vic 3051.
You are welcome to come and see our classes in operation but to enrol as a student you must be a member of our Association, which currently costs $40 per year and runs from January to December irrespective of when you join. Members receive a card valid for the current year. Here is a membership form along with our constitution which all intending members must first read and agree to.
We produce a quarterly newsletter entitled An Fhuinneog Ghaelach and all the back issues are still available on this website. You can also read the newsletter An Lúibín from local Gaelgeoir Colin Ryan.
If you are looking for Irish language classes elsewhere in Australia here is a recent list compiled by our counterparts in Sydney.
These are not classes in the educational sense and they cater more for ex-patriate Irish who just want to meet and chat as Gaeilge, so they may not be suitable for beginners. That said, there is usually no cost involved and no membership structure. The groups do tend to come and go frequently so we are unable to list them, but you may find details on facebook or other social media.
Finally, on our downloads page you can find the most frequently requested items for learners.