Learning Russian In Dublin | My Experience

If learning a new language is something you’re interested in, maybe a new years resolution, then keep reading. I wanted to share my experience of learning Russian in Dublin. Since meeting my Ukrainian husband in 2014 I started to pick up a few words of Russian (In Ukraine they speak both Russian and Ukrainian, they learn both in school but they speak mostly Russian!) after we got married and spending our honeymoon in Ukraine, clueless not understanding anything I researched some Russian classes in Dublin. The name of a teacher ‘Irina Ramoniene’ came up a few times - I looked at classes in both Ballsbridge and Rathmines college and I ended up doing a beginners Russian course in Rathmines. It was 80EUR for 10 weeks starting in September. The classes were Monday evening at 6pm. The teacher of the course is the wonderful Irina. I had so much fun at the classes and really looked forward to them each week. 

We worked from two different books one text book and one exercise book. Starting off with the basics of the alphabet we learned to read and write in Russian. After the first course of 10 weeks I joined the next term in January 2017. We continued in the book and we made a lot of progress! A lot of people say Russian is a difficult language to learn but I’ve found the way Irina teaches it, very clear and I find it easy. Of course there are some areas like grammar that are a bit tricky!

The following autumn 2017 I joined the course again! Unfortunately we were moving January of 2018 so I was unable to do the spring 2018 course! 

If you are a beginner I would suggest to sign up for one of these courses, in either Ballsbridge or Rathmines! They have two terms January for 10 weeks and then September for 10 weeks. The prices are very reasonable and it will work for anyone working a 9-5 job as the course is held in the evenings one day per week.

For advanced beginners or intermediate I would suggest contacting Irina directly. She does private one on one sessions, group sessions and even sessions via Skype! It’s my resolution in 2019 to continue to study with Irina and improve my Russian to a point that I feel confident with it! 

Another great thing about learning Russian in Dublin with Irina is the community! Irina holds events every few months, a few weeks ago we attended the annual christmas party. We played games, learned some new phrases, met new friends and had some lovely food and drink. It is a great way to meet others who are learning Russian at all different levels. Some advanced, some intermediate and some total beginners! In October Irina held an event and we learned about and discussed the writer Ivan Turgenev, It was really interesting. The way Irina runs the clubs is that they are accessible for anyone, my mom attended this one with me and she really enjoyed it even though she doesn’t know any Russian. It’s great to learn about the culture, meet new people and practise the language at the same time! You can ‘Like’ Irina’s Facebook page to keep yourself up to date as she posts all upcoming events there!

Anyone based outside of Dublin who is still looking to learn Russian I really recommend the app Duolingo. I have used their Russian course a lot and it’s quite good. The beginning sections are a bit repetitive and simple but it has a good progression on to more complex subjects. The key with Duolingo is to be consistent, don’t just use it once a month, set up a timetable for yourself and aim to use it minimum twice per week. This way you are constantly using things you have learned.

Click for - Irina’s Facebook Page

Click for Irina’s Website

Or you can search online, Kalinka Language School Dublin