BELFAST City Council has approved £100,000 to increase dual-language street signage, in a motion backed by the DUP.
At a full meeting of council on Monday, councillors agreed to provide the funds to support the erection of dual-language street signs in the newly expanded Gaeltacht Quarter of the city, in a move hailed as "significant progress" by Conradh na Gaeilge. Sinn Féin, the DUP and the SDLP all supported the motion.
This will see the second phase of a 2024 project to erect dual-language street signs in the Gaeltacht Quarter implemented. The boundary of the Gaeltacht Quarter has been officially extended by Council to include Baile Andarsan/Andersonstown, Bóthar Seoighe/Shaws Road and Bóthar an Ghleanna/Glen Road.
In 2024 the first phase of the scheme supported the erection of 764 dual-language signs across 301 streets in the Gaeltacht Quarter, from Bealach Uí Chinnéide go Páirc an Mhuilinn, as recognised by the City Council during that period.
This approach was adopted to process all streets in the area in a single batch. All houses received a letter and streets could alternatively opt for a full survey by notifying the council.
It is estimated that this blanket approach in 2024 was estimated to have saved Belfast City Council over £185,000 when costed against a street by street full-survey basis for the 309 streets originally identified in the Gaeltacht Quarter.
Conradh na Gaeilge welcomed the cross-party ratification of the project by councillors. Cuisle Nic Liam, Language Rights Coordinator, and Chair of Craobh Uí Thuama, a local branch of Conradh na Gaeilge located in Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, said that this was an important development.
“Bilingual signage is an internationally recognised measure to ensure increased visibility of the Irish language. That increased visibility leads to increased normalisation of the language and in turn increased tolerance to bilingualism in general," she said.
"Considering over 90 per cent of our placenames come directly from Irish, this is a linguistic restorative language project that will see Irish returning to areas and streets where it was previously banned."
Cuisle praised the official extension of the Gaeltacht Quarter, saying that Conradh na Gaeilge are "delighted to see the scheme finally extended to include Bóthar Seoighe, Baile Andarsan and Bóthar an Ghleanna, approved by cross-party support in Council".
"This project will ensure the Irish language will be seen on streets right across the Gaeltacht Quarter, from the top of Bóthar Seoighe to the bottom of Bóthar na bhFál. The scheme will also reduce the delays on applications across the city as hundreds of applications remain unfulfilled since the new policy was introduced in 2022.
"Conradh na Gaeilge will continue to work towards full equality for the Irish language in Belfast City Council based on best-practice policies as has been promised in legislation.”
