SingFónaic is a unique online Irish phonics programme designed for all primary schools, Gaelscoileanna and Gaeltacht schools. SingFónaic empowers children to learn the Irish phonics.

SingFónaic is simply used through an Internet connection. You can access SingFónaic on a mobile phone, tablet, desktop or on a laptop.

SingFónaic is a comprehensive Irish phonics programme that uses a systematic approach for tackling Irish reading, writing and spelling. Children are motivated to learn the basic Irish sounds through:

1. The Irish Alphabet
2. Phonics Levels
3. Rhymes
4. Poems
5. Songs
6. Games
7. Fun characters
8. Dictation lists

Children hear the focus sounds that are being taught when they click/select the graphemes / syllables / whole words.

In addition SingFónaic is an interactive Irish phonics programme. Children can:

1. Select the focus sound on the tablet
2. Select and hear the focus sound on the interactive television / whiteboard

We recommend that you use SingFónaic on a daily basis in short, enjoyable bursts i.e. 10-15 minutes. We have created phonics levels, rhymes, poems, songs, fun characters, dictation lists and games to inspire and compel children to learn the Irish phonics

I was teaching third class for a few years in a national school. I noted that the majority of pupils were not able to pronounce the basic sounds in Irish, for example the common sounds; ‘th’, ‘ch’, ‘sh’, ‘bh’. They found it difficult to pronounce common words and verbs correctly, i.e. fell, came, went, heard, stood, walked etc.

The pupils were using their English phonics store rather than their Irish phonics store when they tried to decode Irish words. The Primary Language Curriculum was published by the Department of Education in 2015. The new language curriculum emphasizes the teaching of phonics and phonological awareness to primary school infants up to Sixth class.

I decided to put together a structured Irish phonics program which is aligned with the new language curriculum. I contacted the Meath Local Enterprise Team. They suggested that I pilot a study with three primary schools.

The schools that participated in the pilot study were:

1. Holy Spirit School, Bettystown, Co. Meath
2. St. Mary's School, Donore, Co. Louth
3. Christchurch, Tallaght, Dublin 24

The pilot study lasted for a period of 6 weeks from January 2019 to February 2019. 16 teachers participated in the pilot study and this is part of the feedback I received at the end of the trial period:

Click here to read more feedback from the pilot study >>>

This is one of the most frequently asked questions.


We recommend that you teach the sounds of the Irish Alphabet from Junior Infants up to First Class.

The children will be able to name and sound all the letters of the Irish Alphabet. Please note that there will be a language transfer from English to Gaeilge.

A total of 24 sounds are taught (One letter, one sound);

• 14 consonants
• 5 short vowels (a, o, u, i, e)
• 5 long vowels (á, ó, ú, í, é)

We recommend that Level 1 (One letter, one sound) be taught to 1st class up to 2nd class

Level 1 consists of three sub-levels:

• Level 1 (a) - Monosyllabic words
• Level 1 (b) - Monosyllabic words with an extra consonant
• Level 1 (c) - Polysyllabic words

We recommend Level 2 (Two letters, one sound) from 3rd class up to 4th class.

Level 2 consists of three sub-levels:

• Level 2 (a) - The double letters (ll, nn, rr)
• Level 2 (b) - The sounds ‘bh’, ‘ch’, ‘dh’, ‘fh’, ‘gh’, ‘mh’, ‘ph’, ‘sh’, & ‘th’
• Level 2 (c) - The sounds ‘bhf’, ‘bp’, dt’, ‘gc’, ‘mb’, ‘nd’, ‘ng’ & ‘ts’

We recommend that Level 3 (Depiction of sounds) be taught from 5th up to 6th Class.

• Level 3 (a) - The sounds d, n, s, t
• Level 3 (b) - Depictions of consonants b, d, d’, f, g, h, m, n
• Level 3 (c) - Depictions of short vowels - a, o, u, e, i
• Level 3 (d) - Depictions of long vowels - á, ó, ú, é, í
• Level 3 (e) - Regular patterns - (e)ach(t), aith, án/an, (e)ann, eoir, ia, mhar, tar, ua

There is a fee of €59.99 for a yearly SingFónaic licence.

Please click here to learn more about school licence plans & pricing!

We will ask the teacher / principal to forward the following details to us:

1. Name of teacher - First name and Surname
2. Teacher's email address (select an email that you would like to use for SingFónaic)

The webmaster will create a unique password for the teacher(s). The teacher / subscriber will receive their login details via email.

Send an email to and we will contact you.

Yes, it's possible. The SingFónaic licence begins the day you subscribe and runs for the entire year i.e. 365 days.

Send an e-mail to if you have any questions about SingFónaic.

We would be delighted to hear your feedback!