Pimsleur is one of the oldest and most famous language learning programs in the world.

Their Irish course is a purely audio-based program that focuses on getting you to speak from day one.

Pimsleur does a fantastic job at training your pronunciation.

However, it’s extremely limited in scope and won’t make you fluent on its own.

If you want a complete, modern, and comprehensive way to learn the language, I highly recommend Talk In Irish instead.

Keep reading to see my full breakdown of the Pimsleur Irish course.

How pimsleur irish works

Pimsleur relies on a scientifically proven method called spaced repetition.

You listen to a 30-minute audio track and repeat phrases out loud.

The narrator prompts you to say things in Irish at specific intervals.

This forces your brain to recall vocabulary just before you’re about to forget it.

There are no textbooks or written exercises involved in the core lessons.

You simply sit back, listen, and speak.

The strong point: pronunciation training

Irish pronunciation can be tricky for beginners to grasp.

Pimsleur tackles this by breaking down challenging words syllable by syllable.

They use a highly effective technique called back-chaining.

This means you learn to pronounce a long word by starting at the very last syllable and working backward.

You also hear native Irish speakers delivering the dialogue at a natural speed.

This helps you develop an authentic accent very quickly.

If your only goal is to sound like a local, Pimsleur is a great tool.

Where pimsleur irish falls short

Despite its great pronunciation drills, Pimsleur Irish has some major limitations.

The biggest issue is that the course is incredibly short.

Pimsleur only offers one single level for the Irish language.

This level consists of just 30 audio lessons.

Once you finish these 30 lessons, you’ll only know basic tourist phrases.

Another massive issue is the lack of dialect transparency.

Irish has three main regional dialects: Munster, Connacht, and Ulster.

Pimsleur teaches the Munster dialect but never actually tells the learner this.

This can cause massive confusion if you try to use other learning materials later.

Finally, Pimsleur completely ignores spelling and grammar.

Irish spelling rules are vastly different from English.

You’ll eventually need to learn how to read and write if you want to be fluent.

Talk in irish vs pimsleur

Because Pimsleur is so limited, you’ll inevitably need a primary course to actually learn the language.

This is exactly why Talk In Irish was created.

Talk In Irish is the most comprehensive platform available for learning the Irish language today.

We cover all three major dialects so you know exactly what you’re learning.

Our platform includes interactive exercises, deep grammar explanations, and extensive vocabulary lists.

We also provide crystal-clear native speaker audio for every single phrase.

While Pimsleur stops at basic greetings, Talk In Irish takes you all the way to advanced fluency.

Cost and subscription details

You can access Pimsleur through a monthly app subscription model.

Their app gives you access to all of their languages for a flat monthly fee.

This is a fair price if you plan to study multiple different languages at once.

However, paying a monthly fee just for 30 short lessons of Irish isn’t very cost-effective.

You’ll outgrow the course material in less than a month.

Final verdict

Pimsleur Irish is an excellent supplementary tool for improving your accent.

The audio prompts and back-chaining method will train your mouth to make the right sounds.

Unfortunately, it’s simply not a complete course.

You’ll hit a brick wall after 30 days of study.

For a complete, long-term learning journey, sign up for Talk In Irish today.