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Custy's Traditional Music Shop in Ennis, Ireland, has embraced the Internet

ENNIS, Ireland (CNN) -- You wouldn't expect Custy's Traditional Music Shop, tucked in a winding back street in this small Irish town, to be at the cutting edge of technology.

But two years ago Frances Custy and her partner, John O'Connor, paid around $8,500 to buy a computer, link it to the Internet and create a Web page.

"Maybe five or six years ago, we had a lot of Japanese people -- Japanese and American people especially -- coming over saying, 'Lads, you have a really good product here, use your e-mails! Get the Web site going!' We were illiterate. We didn't know what they were saying," says O'Connor.

"We have a very simple operation here. Very soul-ly. Very heart-y. We were petrified that if we brought something as horrible or as alien as a computer into the operation, it would ruin the whole simple equation."

Their site, www.custysmusic.com, completely changed the nature of their small business. Rather than relying on the seasonal tourist trade, sales through the Web are year-round.

"It's working in a small way ... tiding us over in a really slow time, which would be the non-season, the non-festival time. But it's working really well. I mean, we're not making millions here, (but) its kind of alleviating the horrors of financial ruin," says O'Connor.

The project has proved so successful that soon the Web site is to be expanded with a Japanese-language version.

"I think Irish music really is touching, if you really listen to the heart of Irish music, Japanese people can recognize that. I think if we introduce to them to the real Irish music that's available here, many Japanese people would be attracted," says Fu Akamine, who is working on the Japanese site.

At one time if you wanted to hear Irish music you would have had to travel to Ireland or seek it out at a specialist shop. Now the Internet is making traditional Irish music far more accessible to people worldwide.

Irish music shop finds Web audience
Custy's Traditional Music Shop expands business into Japanese-language Web market

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