We were delighted to be joined in studio by Fatti Burke (real name 'Kathi') on this morning's show, where she told us all about her latest offering, 'Foclóiropedia'.
Fatti is no stranger to Weekend Breakfast, as she has previously been in to chat about the first two parts of this trilogy, 'Irelandopedia' & 'Historopedia'.
Her latest work is described as "Irish as you've never seen it before", and after having a glance through it - that description hits the nail on the head!
Fatti and her dad John (who was in with her the first time and the country fell in love with) wanted to take a different approach in helping children learn Irish. With John being a gaeilgeoir, and retired primary school teacher, and Fatti being from a younger generation, they have fused both their innovation together to create something special.
They have worked very closely with other experts in the English-Irish translation field, to bring a brilliant balance between old and new words in our every day vocabulary making the book informative and interesting for readers of all ages.
Then we have the amazing illustrations throughout every page - all drawn by the gifted hands of Fatti. The artist feels children find her pictures very relevant as, "I think I draw like they do".
The experience has thought her lots about gaeilge (like what 'pus' actually means), and has even helped her with learning Dutch believe it or not. The author moves to Amsterdam in the coming days, so explained the uncanny similarities between the two languages to Alison.
This book makes Irish lots of fun and is a real visual treat for anyone in the four corners of Ireland - and beyond. Her work is very unique, and with the last two books selling over 100,000 copies we have no doubt this will also go from strength to strength.
Available now in all good bookstores and a perfect gift for the child in your life (Christmas is coming *cough cough*).
Have a listen to their chat in full here:
You can listen to Weekend Breakfast, every weekend here on Today FM - Saturday Breakfast 8-11am & Sunday Breakfast 7-10am.
