IRISH PRONUNCIATION
B. VOWEL SURPRISES (THE "DIPHTHONGS")
Here's a summary of pronunciation for the diphthongs:
ae | é |
ea | 2 ways: a (as in 'fat' or 'mat') and ah |
eo | ó |
ia | used to be spelled ía, which is the way it is pronounced (eee-ah, w/ stress at the front as always) . |
ua | ua used to be spelled úa, which is its pronunciation (ooo-ah, w/stress at front as always) |
ei | 2 ways: short eh or é |
ai | 3 ways: ah, aye, a (as in 'fat' or 'mat') |
ao | 3 ways: é-ah (w/stress at the front on é), ah-ú (w/ stress at front on ah), or í |
aoi | 2 ways: ah-í (stress at front as always), or í |