Irish language signage to be installed at Grand Central Station in Belfast
Irish language signage is set to be installed at the Grand Central Station in Belfast, the infrastructure minister has confirmed.
Liz Kimmins said it will be installed later this year and will include wayfinding, passenger information, safety and welcome signage.
The £340 million station is set to become the largest integrated transport hub on the island of Ireland, with services including trains between Belfast and Dublin.
Disappointment has been expressed by the Irish language community that the station, which started opening in phases last year, did not include Irish language signage.
Ms Kimmins was asked by TUV MLA Timothy Gaston during questions for her department at the Assembly whether she would commit to a consultation and an equality screening exercise before taking any decision on the installation of the signage at the station.
She responded by confirming the signage will be installed this year.
“I am committed to the visibility and promotion of Irish language across public services and in our society.
“Grand Central Station is not just for the people of Belfast, it is a transport hub for people right across the island and it's important therefore that it is reflective of all citizens.
“I've therefore taken the decision to install bilingual signage in Belfast Grand Central Station, and on all Translink's ticket vending machines.
“This is an important and positive development to demonstrate my support for the Irish language as a living language, which is used daily by citizens across the north.”
Mr Gaston said Sinn Fein once described every word spoken in Irish as “another bullet in the freedom struggle”, and queried why the minister was “abusing her position to fire cultural bullets in a situation that is situated in a loyalist heartland of Belfast”.
Ms Kimmins responded: “The Irish language is for everyone and it is reflective of the culture right across this island. The transport hub is not just for the people of Belfast, it is for all people right across our island and it's nothing to fear.
“I think the important point as well to make is that the Irish language is actually in law, and Belfast is one of the most thriving areas in the north, if not in Ireland, for the Irish language.
“I am committed to delivering equality for everyone across this island.”
It appears that there are no plans from the Department of Infrastructure for an equality impact assessment on the the plans to erect Irish language signage throughout the station.
DUP MLA Deborah Erskine has questioned the “misguided priorities” of Sinn Fein.
She said: “While people across Northern Ireland are dodging potholes on crumbling roads, or watching streetlights being ripped out in rural areas, the Minister is more focused on Irish language signs for a bus station. What will this cost? This money could and should have been better spent on fixing our roads and improving infrastructure for everyone. Once again, Sinn Fein prioritises their narrow agenda over the wider public good.”