The adventures of "an gasúr Harry Potter agus a chairde" in "Scoil Draíodóireachta Hogwarts" were celebrated in Galway city at the weekend at the official publication of JK Rowling's first best-seller "as Gaeilge".
Artists and actors Little John Nee, Máire Éilis Ní Flatharta of Ros na Rún and Padraic Breathnach joined over 100 children for the party in Kenny's Bookshop, hosted by British publishers Bloomsbury and booksellers Tom and Des Kenny. And if the official translator, Máire Nic Mhaoláin, thought her work was over when she completed Harry Potter agus an Órcloch , she was mistaken.
"How long did it take ?", "who is your favourite character?" and "are you going to translate any more of the series" were some of the many questions fired at Ms Nic Mhaoláin by Potter experts from Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh in Knocknacarra, Scoil Iognaid in Galway city centre and Scoil Naomh Shéamus Naofa in Barna.
Ms Nic Mhaoláin, who is originally from Co Down and worked for many years as an editor with An Gúm, spent about nine months working on the commission. She hadn't read the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone before, although it was "in the house".
"Like many adults, I thought it was a children's book, but it isn't at all."
Mr Des Kenny said that the initial print run of 25,000 was not only remarkable but was a vote of confidence in the "Erse" by an English publisher. "And it has to be the fastest children's classic to find itself in the Irish language," he said.
The Irish language edition coincides with a first translation of the tale in ancient Greek by a Cambridge University classics graduate and lecturer, Mr Andrew Wilson.
It took him several years and he believes that it may be the largest text written in classical Greek for 1,500 years.
Bloomsbury commissioned both translations after some 35 million copies of Ms Rowling's first three Harry Potter novels had already broken publishing records. The five novels in the series have been translated into 200 languages.
Ms Rowling, reputed to earn about €56,000 a day, was absent for Saturday's party in Galway
