Duolingo Irish Alternative
Duolingo's Irish course is the most popular but stops at vocabulary and a single dialect. blas. is the alternative built for everything Duolingo skipped: séimhiú and urú drilling, An Caighdeán, labeled regional forms, full conjugation, and reading.
Start learning Irish freeDuolingo treats Irish like any other language. Gaeilge has features that need specialised tools.
No mutation drilling
Dedicated séimhiú and urú drills with the triggers explained, practised until automatic
One dialect, unannounced
Transparent standard track: written Irish follows An Caighdeán and dialectal forms are marked when they appear
No grammar explanation
Full grammar engine: conjugation, noun mutations, sentence patterns explained and drilled
Generic spaced repetition
FSRS-5 algorithm tracking every word, rule, and grammar point independently
Séimhiú and urú are the wall every Irish learner hits. blas. drills them with spaced repetition until they're reflex, not recall.
One of 12+ drill types covering vocabulary, grammar, conjugation, reading, conversation, and more.
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Free to start. No credit card needed. Available on iOS, Android, and web.
Start learning Irish freeMost users hit a ceiling around A2 with no grammar explanations and no reading practice. blas. is built to push past that.
There's a simple streak counter, but no aggressive nudges, hearts, or leagues. The focus is on learning, not retention mechanics.
Not directly, but you can skip the early chapters if you already know the basics. A placement is on the roadmap.