Irish publishers are English say state
The launch today, Thursday 25 March, of a new system of grant-aiding
books in Irish to be run by the state's Bord na Leabhar Gaeilge will
be picketed by publishers of Irish books and by poets, writers and
commentators who are being discriminated against by the new system.
The majority of the proposals in the new scheme launched by the
Minister Éamonn O'Cuív of the Department of the Arts, Heritage,
Gaeltacht and the Islands have been praised, but an argument has
arisen over the necessity for publishers to use the English series of
the book numbering system, International Standard Book Number, ISBN.
No Irish series exists, though almost all other countries have their
own series.
ISBN International in Germany have stated that they have no
difficulty with an Irish series and they approached the Irish Book
Publishers Association (CLÉ) with a view to setting one up. CLÉ told
them that they were not interested in having a separate series or in
administering same, thus condemning all Irish publishers to be
recorded in future as English publishers. CLÉ represents publishers
in both English and Irish and ``exists to promote the publication,
distribution and sale of Irish books both at home and overseas''.
Bord na Leabhar Gaeilge is threatening to withhold grants from
publishers who refuse to be labelled English at the behest of the
manager of the state's wholesale book distribution company
Cisínteacht Dáiliúchán Leabhair who also happens to be a member of
the Bord, Diarmuid O Cathasaigh. O Cathasaigh when challenged on this
issue in the past said he didn't care if all the books in Irish were
wrapped up in the Union Jack provided it sold more books.
Pressure for the ``compulsory'' use of ISBN numbers allegedly came from
English chain stores, (Hodges Figgis, Easons and Waterstones)
operating in Ireland, who've said they'd refuse to stock books that
didn't have an ISBN number.
The largest Irish language publishers, Coiscéim, 500 titles since
1981, have stated in the past that they will never declare themselves
to be English publishers, which becoming part of the ISBN (English
series) would entail. They and several other publishers have vowed
that they will go to the wall if they have to to protect their
nationality against the imposition of this diktat of Bord na Leabhar
Gaeilge.
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