Letter: What Belfast Grand Central Station needs is more seats rather than Irish language signs
A letter from Martyn Boyd:
Some want them, some don’t, and many are ambivalent on the issue.
However, what Grand Central Station needs, beyond doubt, is more seats! It’s ridiculous, virtually nowhere to sit while waiting for a train or bus. So why not put the money earmarked for Irish language signs towards putting in more seating?
That would be beneficial to everyone. After all, Polish is the most routinely spoken minority language in Northern Ireland, far outstripping Irish as an everyday language.
Every Irish speaker in NI understands English, so none of them are being disadvantaged. Irish signage, culturally important as it may be, is not an imperative.
The station also needs a few ATMs, a newsagent and a pharmacy. It’s an empty cathedral, like something I’d expect to encounter in North Korea. Modern, spacious, bright, looks good, but empty. How long will we have to wait for it to be completed?
Martyn Boyd, Bangor