From Gaelport:

Liotríocht.com, a company located in the Muskerry Gaeltacht in Cork, yesterday announced that the first ever Irish language eBooks were on sale on the company’s website. Readers will be able to purchase titles by renowned writers such as Maidhc Dainín Ó Sé and download them from Litriocht.com.

One of the greatest advantages on the new technology is lower prices for consumers says Tomás Mac Gearailt, the owner of Litriocht.com.

The process is simple with customers selecting the eBook on the website, placing it in the ‘basket’ and within a short period of time the book can be read on the customers computer or E-reader.

So far six eBooks (or rLeabhair as Litriocht refer to them) have gone on sale with prices on some eBooks 20% cheaper than the print edition.

Mr Mac Gearailt has been interested in this new technology for some time and believes that the time is right for Irish language eBooks to enter the market.

“The eBook market is growing at an increasingly strong pace as the legal complications are ironed out.” says Tom.

The company recently ran a survey of its customers, more than 60% said that they would like eBooks in Irish.

Six books by Maidhc Danín Ó Sé are available in digital form under a 3 month pilot scheme and Cló Litríocht, the publishing arm of the website is in talks with other writers to extend the range of eBooks on sale on the website.

http://www.gaelport.com/default.aspx?treeid=37&NewsItemID=4069


My comments: This could be a great cost savings for those of us who pay the big bucks to have things shipped! And do not despair if you do not have a reader, because Adobe has a program for free to read them on your computer if they're using the standard format for this. http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/

They are lovely people too.I bought a cd of the Rosary as Gaeilge from via the net,which duly arrived.Next I got a letter from Litríocht; the money had not been transferred.Imagine how crummy I felt - for a while I thoght it had disappeared into the ether.But it was still in my account.The lady at Litríocht said 'ah just stick in an envelope.'

Problem solved but I've never felt comfortable with e banking since.Do you have an address seanw,cos I'm sure they used to be the Kerry Gaeltacht?

Here is the address and phone that they give. I guess you can arrange to order and then deliver a check, then they email the file if it is an ebook. I am wary of ecommerce myself because I had some fraud on my account. It was all replaced, but that revealed to me how easy it was to lift my information!

Litriocht.com
Cill Chúile
Baile na nGall
Trá Li
Co Chiarrai

+353 (0) 669 155 237
Telephone

Hi Seán,

We are using standard PDF documents on Litriocht. We now have 11 titles available to buy, with authors such as Maidhc Dainín Ó Sé, Jules Verne (translated), Lewis Caroll (translated) and Panu Petteri Höglund.

We would like to hear what titles you would like to see in e-Book format. I can't promise we'll be able to get them all, but we will have a good try!

If anyone is worried about e-Banking / e-Commerce, we will accept a check, and the e-Book will be made available to download when the payment has been received. Our online payment system is very secure though.

Dara: I'm glad all was sorted out for you in the end.

Thanks

Paul Bailey
Litriocht.com

I can put a vote in for An Bíobla Naofa. The paper copy I have is smaller than the fine print on a contract!

Hi Seán,

Sorry its taken a while to respond, I've just had my account approved.

I'll look into the possibility, and will get back to you!

Paul

An Bíobla Naofa is a publication-disaster as things stand; it comes in two printed forms: the unwieldy (OOP) and the illegible. Seán's description of the latter is exactly right, the former is a 'tombstone' edition which is both too expensive and would kill students who had to carry it from class to class.

When I taught Teagasc Críostaí I ended up using the N.T. translated by the Church of Ireland canon, Coslett Quinn. The Hibernian Bible Society did a good job in producing a handy-sized, hardback edition. Interestingly, someone at their head office told me that they had had no intentions of re-printing it after the Catholic translation of the whole Bible should come out in paperback, UNTIL they saw the thing. They felt duty bound to continue to offer a legible NT.

BTW, I already have a CD-ROM of An Bíobla Naofa. Is this what you are looking for, a Sheáin?

Tá an CD ROM ar fáil ó www.fiosfeasa.com

Ach ní dóigh liom gur r-leabhar (e-book) atá ann. Tá an CD de dhíth i gcónaí, nach bhfuil?

Paul, bheadh leabhra an Athar Standún an-oiriúnach do lucht an ríomh-léitheoireachta dar liom. An tAinmhí atá i gceist agam nó Súil le Breith - iad go nádúrtha soléite. Léigh mise iad mar go raibh teacht agam ar leabharlann maith ach ní mar sin do chuile fhoghlaimeoir.

Cín Lae Amhlaoibh, b'shin ceann maith eile. Cheannóinn féin é d'ainneoin cóip scríofa a bheith agam. Nár dheas bheith ag geidimíneacht soir is siar ann agus mé ar an traen.

'Sea, a Sheáin.

Ba mhaith liom níos mó r-leabhair a bheith le fáil ar litriocht.com, cé ná cuirim suim sa leabhraibh atá déanta acu cheana féin (conas a deirtear "so far"?). Ach, ós i bhfuirm digiteach atáid na leabhair seo á soláthar, cad 'na thaobh ná tairgid siad taifeadta MP3 i dteannta leo? Tá leabhair fuaime mhaithe de dhíth, agus do bheadh sé rud iontach maith dá mbeadh leabhair fuaime déanta ag litriocht.com. Mar shampla, cad 'na thaobh ná iarraid siad ar Mhaidhc Dainin Ó Sé a leabhair féin a léamh ar chomhaid MP3? Agus Panu Petteri Höglund a leabhar féin a léamh i bhfuirm MP3 chomh maith? Mar a bhfuil a fhios agam go dtugann Panu cuairt ar an suíomh so, ní fheadar an mbeadh suím aige MP3 fuaime a sholáthar?

Do thosnaigh Gaeltalk (páirt eile den chuideachtain chéadna) comhaid fuaime MP3 a dhéanamh cúpla bliain ó shin, agus is féidir libh ceann díbh a éisceacht ar http://www.gaeltalk.ie/scealta/stories/mp3s/bg.mp3 . Cad a cheapann sibh? B'fhéidir go mbeadh suim acu arís ina ndéanamh, dá mbeadh a dhóithin daoine ann go mbeadh suim acu díol as an rud so? Dar liom, tá na comhaidh fuaime níos tábhachtaí go mór ná na leabhair digiteacha, cé gurbh fhéidir leo an dá rud a dhéanamh ar an am gcéadna.

B'fhearr liom na comhaidh fuaime sin a bheith ar fáil, léite sa tsaghas canúna go bhfuil an leabhar scríofa ar dtúis. Mar shampla, na leabhair atá scríofa ag Maidhc Dainin Ó Sé - ba chóir iad a léamh i nGaelainn Chiarraí. Litríocht Dhun an nGall - ba chóir í a léamh i gcanúint Ulaidh, agus araile. Agus an obair Phanu atá ar fáil anois - do léadh sé é ina ghlór nádúrtha Gaelainne. Do sholáthraigh Gaeltalk comhad fuaim chaibideal a haon Mo Sgéal Féin (ag PUL) sa bhlian 2008, agus é le héisteacht ar http://www.gaeltalk.ie/scealta/stories/mp3s/msf1.mp3, ach do bhíos ana-mhí-shásta leis, mar go bhfuil sé léite 100% sa Chaighdeán Oifigiúl, bíodh ná raibh an CO ina bheathaidh le linn an Athar Pheadair. Agus tá botún mór ann: léann sé "an feall i riocht dlí" (deceit in the guise of law) mar "an feall i ríocht dlí" (deceit in the kingdom of the law). [Éistidh leis timpeall 0.52 soicind]. Ba ghá leo daoine a fháil go bhfuil Gaelainn bhreá acu chun a léite.

An mbeadh suim ag aon duine agaibh comhaid fuaime ón nGaeltacht a cheannach?

(Message edited by david_w on April 07, 2010)

quote:

BTW, I already have a CD-ROM of An Bíobla Naofa. Is this what you are looking for, a Sheáin?

Perhaps so. I haven't used that before. If it's a straight PDF, I guess it qualifies as an ebook.

I have contacted a print-on-demand company about printing a copy for me of the 1858 New Testament in Clare Irish by Riobeard Ó Catháin - that would be smaller and more portable. I am fed up of having to deal with a non-searchable PDF full of images that take all day to load in Acrobat...

I think its a shame with the Bible, really in the interest of religion. It should be on the Church's website in plain text for all to read, copy, spread, etc. I understand they give the day's readings, but that's only one step in the process. I also understand the micro edition is for portability, but if you can't read the thing, then what's the use of having it be portable. The portable edition probably should have only been the New Testament.

As for non-searchable PDFs, the paper copy you're contracting isn't "searchable" either ...