https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpq14g3j3p9o

Irish signs at station do not diminish English, review says

The minister has announced plans to install Irish language signage at Grand Central Station

By Brendan Hughes
BBC News NI political reporter
Published
1 hour ago
Irish language signage at Belfast's Grand Central Station "in no way detracts or diminishes" from English, according to a new Stormont review.

It is the second "equality screening" assessment of the bilingual signage plans by Stormont's infrastructure minister.

Sinn Féin's Liz Kimmins has been facing court action in a dispute with unionist politicians over the proposals.

The latest review found the plans could have both a minor positive and negative impact on different groups of people.

But it said the use of the Irish language at the public transport hub "does not diminish the entitlements" under the Good Friday Agreement of those with a British identity.

Kimmins announced her plans to install Irish language signage at Grand Central Station at a cost of almost £150,000 in March.

The proposals were paused following legal action by loyalist activist Jamie Bryson and supported by unionist politicians.

He has argued the decision was controversial and cut across several Stormont departments, meaning it should have been brought to the Northern Ireland Executive for agreement.

"Equality screening" is used by public authorities in Northern Ireland to assess their plans against legal requirements to promote equality of opportunity and good relations.

'Carefully considered'
A screening exercise in March found the signage plans would have a "minor positive" impact and concluded a wider equality impact assessment was "not required".

But following a complaint over this, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has reviewed its screening decision, external.

It found the signage proposal met the criteria for a "positive minor impact", as a way to "better promote equality of opportunity and/or good relations".

But it also found it "equally met" the criteria for a "negative minor impact".

It said this was because "those who do not understand, speak or appreciate the Irish language may attest the introduction of this policy does not provide better opportunities to promote equality of opportunity and/or good relations".

The review continued: "While the promotion of bilingual signage in BGCS (Belfast Grand Central Station) is considered as a potentially positive impact for those who understand, speak and/or appreciate the Irish language it in no way detracts or diminishes from the main language, which is English which will be available for those who do not understand, speak or appreciate the Irish language."

The screening form said DfI has "carefully considered" the use of Irish language signage at Grand Central Station.

"In this instance the general use of the Irish language in BGCS does not diminish the entitlements of those whose right to their British identity is guaranteed in the Good Friday Agreement," it added.

"The use of bilingual signage on both Scotland and Wales public transport clearly demonstrates this point."

It comes as disputes continue at Stormont and in local councils over the display of Irish on bilingual street signs.

Last month Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), claimed Irish has been used by some as a "weapon of cultural dominance".

by Tonymac81

25 comments

  3. This is going to be hilarious when the gweat wegal Eagle from Donaghadick, Bumhole of the Bailey, legal action backfires and further reinforces the Irish Language at Grand Central.

    Be careful what you wish for, that reverse midas touch in full effect.

    I’m sure however it will be the wadical wepublican elite who have infiltrated the judiciary that has done this. Lol

    Edit

    Unionism needs to understand it’s only a language. The sheer sight of it will not cause them to renounce their British or planter heritage or become Irish in the slightest way.

    Even DUP minister Gordon Lyons the gornless fuck hitched his wagon to Bumholes legal action, what an embarrassment that Unionism is being lead by the nose by Bumhole.

  4. Wales piping in. Get a grip. Bilingualism in these islands does nothing whatsoever to diminish English.

    Arguably, bilingualism can diminish the ‘native’ language by the explicit presence of the inclusion of English.

  5. Kind of destroys the argument that Anti-Irish campaigners have been shouting about. The main language is clearly English and will remain so. Adding Irish as well, does not harm or diminish anyone’s identity and introduces some equality.

  6. Of course it doesn’t, PUL just don’t want to see any reflection of the other community in shared spaces.

  9. 0.3% of people here use it as a main language. Reality check.

  10. As a Protestant and an ex Orangeman, I’m glad to see the introduction of Irish language signs. A guy in my lodge spoke fluent Irish (ulster dialect) not a word ever said,but this is a problem for the backward thinkers. If Northern Ireland is to be a shared space among loyalists and republicans then having dual language signs is beneficial and a good step forward.

  11. For 400 years these planters have tried to wipeout our culture and Irish heritage.

    To have the cheek to say it’s not their heritage and it offends them is an absolute joke, especially as they are the ones who are so anti immigration.

    We are trying to restore the language back to the status it once had before they came here.

  12. they love throwing up the cost of £150 000 to install the signs in the trainstation – but how much has it cost in wasted time to do these reports & how much will the legal fees + court costs run into ? and for what? because Unionism/Loyalism dont actually want to be like the rest of the UK where Wales & Scotland have similar schemes and instead must be opposed at all costs in a framed culture war … agaisnt anything Irish …

    if they are worried about the taxpayers money – why are they so keen to squander it just to get some headlines showing they oppose Irish …

  13. “If my native language threatens the foundation of your state, it probably means that you built your state on my land”.

  14. Nice to see it’s not just swivel eyed loons in Scotland and Wales who get into hysterics if a sign is in Gàidhlig or Cymraeg.

    Edit: my shite spelling/typos.

  15. As an English person I don’t care at all about bilingual signs. It’s very baffling.

  17. They needed a fucking review to figure this out? Christ wept. I hope someone’s been keeping track of how much taxpayer money the DUP has wasted.

  18. >Last month Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), claimed Irish has been used by some as a “weapon of cultural dominance”.

    So Minister Gordon Lyons, who no doubt identifies as British while living on the island of Ireland, whose job is as a minister for Stormont which is a semi-devolved sub regional assembly which is subordinate to Westmintser, to the British Parliament; he says Irish is being “used as a weapon of cultural dominance”.

    Gordon Lyons who is a minister for the DUP, a party which seeks to maintain British settler colonialism in Ireland at all costs, a party which seeks to perpetuate the British colonialism which was initiated by mass ethnic cleansing, genocide, mass displacement, forced famines and cultural erasure including the effective banning of the Irish language by Britain…Gordon Lyons claimed Irish has been used by some as a “weapon of cultural dominance”?

    Gordon Lyons who had no problems announcing funding to “Orange Fest” or attending Orange Marches where sectarian bigots sworn to maintain the Protestant Ascendancy over Catholics in Ireland and where bands play songs about being “Up to our necks in fenian blood”….Gordon Lyons claimed Irish has been used by some as a “weapon of cultural dominance”?

  20. Tá sé an-aisteach, seasann dílseoirí ar son cónaí in Éirinn, ach is fuath leo gach rud Éireannach.

  21. An explanation of Loyalism:

    A United Ireland existing would be discrimatory against Loyalists. But apparently Northern Ireland existing is not discrimatory against Nationalists.

    The Irish language being present on signs is discriminatory against English speakers. But apparently the English language being present on signs is not discrimatory towards Irish speakers.

    Experts in hypocrisy, amateurs in self-awareness.

  22. We need to spend taxpayer money on a report to say what everyone with a few GCSEs above grade C already knows. Just so we do something we knew would already happen.

    Fucks sake.

  23. The Loyalists’ cultural identity appears to be the wish to supress the cultural identity of the Irish.

    In Britain, it is perfectly normal for bilingual signs in Welsh-speaking and Scottish Gaelic -speaking areas. It’s Northern Ireland which is out of step of the rest of the UK, here.

  24. How much money do we burn on this kind of thing when public services and everything else is being hammered?

  25. >Kimmins announced her plans to install Irish language signage at Grand Central Station at a cost of almost £150,000 in March.

    I was in agreement until this bit.

    Same people were likely enraged by £5.5k spent on the JD Vance ancestry report. But 27x the amount on signs for a single station to make it look prettier is fine.

    At least the JD Vance thing gains favour with a future US president, gets Northern Ireland in the news, attracts Scots-Irish Americans to visit.  

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