A Scottish spaniel is doing what generations of Irish students have struggled to do - he is learning Irish!
The seeing eye dog has been attending classes along with his owner, but Neil Smith happily admits it is the dog who has picked up the language quickest.
Ginger the assistance animal needed only three weeks to master a simple set of dog commands including: sit (suidh), stay (fuirich), come here (trobhad) and good dog (cu math).
The Church of Classes take place at Strone Church of Scotland near Dunoon in Argyl. Video: Church of Scotland on Youtube.
Owner Neil, who is profoundly deaf is very impressed with his hound.
He credits Ginger with broadening his social circle and bringing a new topic of conversation to the group, which takes place at his local church.
But it isn't just his owner who is surprised by Ginger's aptitude for language. The Scotsman reports it can take months or even years for people to grasp the Gaelic tongue, which is quite similar to Irish.
The newspaper reports the Right Rev Dr Angus Morrison, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, is “very impressed” by Ginger’s grasp of the language.
Teacher Elma McArthur says: "I have never heard of a dog learning it (Gaelic) as a second language before".
