Irish-American businessman behind online Irish language bookseller leaves €14m estate

Tom Fitzgerald, the Irish-American entrepreneur behind the technical manual company Bard na nGleann and the online Irish language bookseller Litriocht, passed away in 2024, leaving an estate valued at just over €14 million. His will, recently published, details bequests to his family and several Irish charities, including the Simon Community, Focus Ireland, and the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA).

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In his will published by the probate office this week, Fitzgerald made provision for his family and several Irish charities including the Simon Community, Focus Ireland and the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA).

Fitzgerald, originally from Cill Chúile in the Kerry Gaeltacht, emigrated to the United States in the late 1960s. His early career included a stint in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War, followed by work on the Alaska pipeline. He later pursued higher education at the University of San Francisco and the London Business School.

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He was a native of Cill Chúile in the west Kerry Gaeltacht, emigrated to the United States in the late 1960s and enlisted in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War.

He founded Bárd International in Silicon Valley, specializing in technical manuals for major US companies. In the 1990s, he established Bárd na nGleann in west Cork, which has become a significant local employer with a global workforce. Fitzgerald also launched Litríocht in 1999, which has grown into the world's largest online Irish language bookshop, serving customers in over 65 countries.

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The business is a significant employer in the area and has remote or contract employees across the US, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Litriocht, recognized with two Golden Spider Awards for e-commerce and a letter of gratitude from the US Library of Congress for its cataloging efforts, has a catalog of over 6,000 books. Fitzgerald, also known as Tomas Mac Gerailt, was a founding chairman of Gaelscoil Bheanntraí. He is survived by his wife, Sally, and grandchildren, though his son William and daughter Kate predeceased him. His will directs annual charitable donations from his estate for as long as funds permit.

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It has since become the world’s largest online Irish language bookshop with customers in more than 65 countries and a catalogue that extends beyond 6,000 books.