Why not try and learn one of the world’s most unique languages? Sponsored by the Basque Instituto Etxepare, UCC offers Basque for Beginners.

Basque, also known as Euskera, is a language spoken by around 850,000 people on both sides of the western Pyrenees in Spain and France.

It is considered a language isolate, as it does not belong to any language family; nor are its origins very clear.

The first written book in Euskera was published in 1545 by Bernard Dechepare: “Lingua Vasconum Primitae”. However, Basque songs, expressions and words appear in texts in other languages dating from the tenth century. 

The biggest mystery surrounding the language is not its origins, but its survival to the present day. This is sometimes explained by the fact that the Basques did not confront the Romans, but instead established alliances with them. Moreover, the differences between Euskera and Latin were so great that Latin did not appropriate the Basque language and thus push it into oblivion.

Today, Basque continues to thrive – why not take this opportunity to try and learn it.

The Basque Beginners I (A1.1) course (Autumn) will provide you with the knowledge you need to speak and understand basic Basque. We also offer a Basque Beginners II (A1.2) course (Spring) to further develop your Basque skills.

Below you can see the Basque courses that are currently available to book.

Our Evening Autumn Courses are now closed.

Registration for our Spring Term will open on December 15th 2024.

If you have any queries check our FAQ page or email splaslang@ucc.ie