I worked with my Irish teacher (native speaker) all last year to help her perfect her Spanish. She never could get the Spanish
rolled "r" down. She could sort of do the single hit, but not the multiple version. Lughaidh, if you love the sound of those rolled "r"s then just say, "Tan rapido corre el ferrocarrill" It's all in there.
When we were kids and used to play "army" we would make machine gun sounds with our tongues beating on the roofs or our mouths. I told her just to do that. I asked, "Didn't you ever make a machine gun noise with your mouth when you were a kid?". She laughed and said no.....she had never done that. I guess that's part of the difference of growing up in Texas versus Ireland.
I default into using those type "r"s when I speak Irish and I've wondered if that's okay. I didn't hear that much of that in Donegal in the summer, but when I tone it down it has a nice Irish sound to it. I often hear students just speak Irish with an English "r" and it sounds very "gringo" to me. Bríd.....you are more lucky than you can imagine not having had to have learned Irish.
I wish I could have done it that way as well,
Ag obair liom
Féabar Mac (faberm)