Web Reader

Instruction Manual

Understanding the Controls

Icon Control Description
Drag Handle Click and drag to move the toolbar anywhere on the screen
Play / Pause Start reading the page or pause the current reading
Stop Stop reading completely
Skip Back Go back to the previous sentence
Skip Forward Jump to the next sentence
Volume Open a volume slider, like on a video player, to make the voice louder or quieter
Settings Open the settings menu — see "The Settings Menu" below
Help Open this instruction manual
Minimize Shrink the toolbar to save screen space. Click the speaker icon to expand it again.

The Settings Menu

Click the cogwheel button on the toolbar to open the settings menu:

Settings
Speed 100%
Dialect
Voice
  • Speed — Drag the slider to make the voice slower or faster
  • Dialect — Choose which Irish dialect to use (Connemara, Donegal, Kerry, or Waterford)
  • Voice — Choose a voice - (F) for female, (M) for male
  • Word definitions (Teanglann) — When on, double-click any word to see its Teanglann definition
  • Announce links and images — When on, the reader says "Link:" before links and "Image:" before image descriptions

Read a Full Page

1

Press the Play button

Click the green Play button on the control panel. The reader will start reading the page from the beginning.

Speed 100%
2

Watch the text highlight

As the reader speaks, the current sentence will be highlighted in yellow so you can follow along.

Tá'n tionscnamh ABAIR lonnaithe sa Saotharlann Foghraíochta & Urlabhra i Scoil na nEolaíochtaí Teangeolaíochta, Urlabhra agus Cumarsáide i gColáiste na Tríonóide. Tá sé maoinithe ag An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail agus Gaeltachta.

3

Pause or Stop

Click Pause to pause reading (click again to continue), or click Stop to stop completely.

Speed 100%

Read Selected Text

1

Select text and click Read

Click and drag your mouse to highlight any text on the page. A small Read button will appear near your selection. Click it to hear the selected text read aloud.

Tá'n tionscnamh ABAIR lonnaithe sa Saotharlann Foghraíochta & Urlabhra i Scoil na nEolaíochtaí Teangeolaíochta, Urlabhra agus Cumarsáide i gColáiste na Tríonóide. Tá sé maoinithe ag An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail agus Gaeltachta.Read

Keyboard Shortcuts

Note: Some shortcuts are managed by Chrome. Visit chrome://extensions/shortcuts to customize global shortcuts.

Play / Pause Alt + P
Stop Alt + S
Read Selection Alt + R
Full Page Read Alt + F
Next Sentence Alt + →
Previous Sentence Alt + ←
Next Paragraph Alt + ↓
Previous Paragraph Alt + ↑
Speed Up Alt + ]
Slow Down Alt + [
Toggle Panel Alt + W

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I don't see the control panel
A: Make sure the extension is turned on. Click the Web Reader icon in your browser toolbar and check that the toggle switch is green (on).
Q: I don't hear any sound
A: Check that your computer's volume is turned up. Also make sure you're connected to the internet - the reader needs an internet connection to work.
Q: The voice sounds wrong
A: Try changing the dialect or voice in the settings menu (the cogwheel icon on the toolbar). Different dialects sound quite different!
Q: The toolbar is blocking content on the page
A: You can move the toolbar by dragging the dotted handle on the left side. You can also click the minimize button to shrink it - click the speaker icon to expand it again.
Q: How do I turn off the extension completely?
A: Click the Web Reader icon in your browser toolbar to open the menu. Use the toggle switch at the top to turn the extension off. The toolbar will disappear until you turn it back on.

Installation Instructions

1

Copy the script tag

<script src="https://webreader.abair.ie/script.js" async></script>
2

Insert it before the closing </body> tag

<body>
  <!-- page content -->

  <script src="https://webreader.abair.ie/script.js" async></script>
</body>

Configuration

Optional. Define window.WebReaderConfig before the script tag to override defaults.

<script>
  window.WebReaderConfig = {
    locale: 'ga',
    panelPosition: { top: 80, left: 16 },
    collapseByDefault: true,
    speed: 1.0,
    dialect: 'ga_CO',
    voice: 'ga_CO_snc_piper',
    wordLookup: true,
    announceMedia: false,
    disableTeanglann: false
  };
</script>
<script src="https://webreader.abair.ie/script.js" async></script>

The reading defaults below (speed, dialect, voice, wordLookup, announceMedia) seed a visitor's settings on their first visit only. After a visitor changes a setting in the panel, their own choice is stored and takes over. disableTeanglann is a hard lock and applies on every load.

locale
Interface language. Accepts 'ga' (Irish) or 'en' (English). Defaults to 'ga'.
panelPosition
Initial panel coordinates as { top, left } in pixels. Falls back to the bottom-right corner.
collapseByDefault
Initial panel state on first visit. true (default) starts collapsed; false starts expanded. Once a visitor toggles the panel, their choice is stored in localStorage and overrides this setting.
speed
Default playback speed multiplier from 0.5 (slowest) to 1.5 (fastest); 1.0 is normal. First-visit default.
dialect
Default dialect. One of 'ga_CO' (Connemara), 'ga_UL' (Donegal), 'ga_MU' (Kerry), 'ga_MU_ar' (Waterford). Picks that dialect's default voice unless voice is also set. First-visit default.
voice
Default voice id, e.g. 'ga_CO_snc_piper' (Sibéal), 'ga_UL_anb_piper' (Áine), 'ga_MU_nnc_piper' (Neasa). Sets the matching dialect automatically. First-visit default.
wordLookup
Whether double-click Teanglann dictionary lookup starts enabled. true (default) or false. First-visit default; visitors can still toggle it.
announceMedia
Whether spoken "Link:" and "Image:" announcements start enabled. true or false (default). First-visit default.
disableTeanglann
Hard lock. When true, the Teanglann lookup feature is removed entirely — no double-click lookup, no Alt+L, and the toggle is hidden from the panel. Applied on every load, overriding wordLookup. Defaults to false.

React / Next.js Integration

The script must run in the browser. In React or Next.js, inject it from a client-side useEffect.

1

Add WebReader.tsx

"use client";

import { useEffect } from "react";

export default function WebReader() {
  useEffect(() => {
    if (document.getElementById("webreader-embed-script")) return;

    (window as any).WebReaderConfig = {
      locale: "ga",
      panelPosition: { top: 80, left: 16 },
    };

    const script = document.createElement("script");
    script.id = "webreader-embed-script";
    script.src = "https://webreader.abair.ie/script.js";
    script.async = true;
    document.body.appendChild(script);
  }, []);

  return null;
}
2

Mount it in the root layout

import WebReader from "./WebReader";

export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
  return (
    <html>
      <body>
        {children}
        <WebReader />
      </body>
    </html>
  );
}

Troubleshooting

Q: The panel does not appear after installation.
A: Confirm the tag is inside <body> rather than <head>, the file is saved, and the browser cache is cleared. Use a hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Shift+R on macOS.
Q: The panel starts collapsed.
A: This is the default. Expanding the panel persists the choice to localStorage for subsequent visits.
Q: Are non-Irish voices available?
A: No. All synthesised voices are Irish. The interface alone can be switched to English with locale: 'en'.
Q: Is there a usage fee?
A: No. The service is provided free of charge by the ABAIR research project. Attribution via a link to abair.ie is requested but not required.
Q: Where do I report issues?
A: Contact the ABAIR team through the form at abair.ie.