Screen Reader Voices for Irish

The ABAIR team has developed voices for Irish that can be used as voices for screen readers. At the moment, they are available as a plugin for the NVDA screen reader (see next section What is NVDA?). The voices we have developed so far speak Connemara, Munster (Kerry) and Ulster (Donegal) Irish and are based on native speakers of these dialects.

Listen to an example of the Connemara Irish voice:

Listen to an example of the Munster Irish voice:

Listen to an example of the Ulster Irish voice:

What is NVDA?

NVDA is a free open source screen reader for the Windows operating system. It is easy to install on any Windows machine. Alternatively, it can be run directly from a memory stick (if you prefer to test it first). NVDA is fully featured, which means it offers the same functionality as other screen readers like e.g. JAWS. An overview of NVDA's features can be found here. Thus, users already familiar with other screen readers will find NVDA easy to use. What is more, NVDA can be installed alongside other screen readers, which means you can switch from one to the other without a problem.

For more information about NVDA check out their website NVAccess.

How do I get it?

In order to use the ABAIR voices for Irish, you need to do two things: first you have to install NVDA and second, you must download and install the ABAIR plugin for Irish. A step by step guide can be found in the download section.

Is the plugin for Irish free of charge?

Yes. The ABAIR plugin for the NVDA screen reader can be downloaded free of charge for private, non-commercial purposes. If you plan to use the plugin for commercial and / or public purposes, a permission to do so has to be obtained first (see also the licensing information on this website).

Will there be more voices and dialects in the future?

At the moment, the ABAIR plugin features all three major dialects of Irish: Ulster (Gaoth Dobhair), Connaught (Conamara) and Munster (Corca Dhuibhne). There are plans to create voices for other subvarieties of these three major dialects.