Sandy Row protest over Irish language signs at Belfast Grand Central station

Dozens of protesters have staged a demonstration against proposed Irish language signs at Belfast’s Grand Central Station.

Crowds gathered on Monday evening in response to Stormont Infrastructure minister Liz Kimmins’ announcement last month that signs in both English and Irish will appear at the transport hub in the city centre.

Irish language campaigners staged a protest at the station shortly after the opening of the new £340m station late last year, with demonstrators claiming members of Belfast’s Gaeltacht community felt “excluded” from the hub due to a lack of Gaelic signage.

Mark who helped organise the rally criticised the decision saying the minister is new to the position and has not engaged with residents.

“This was a decision made by a minister who’s been in post for only a short time, and she’s not attempting to reach out to the community.

“This area has been economically gutted and culturally attacked by imposing a language on which people here don’t speak.

“My grandmother was a fluent Irish language speaker. I don’t have a problem with people having a personal love for their Irish language. My difficulty is whenever it’s coerced speech on signage, which isn’t needed.

Sandy Row residents and traders march to Grand Central Station to hold a protest. PICTURE: MAL MCCANN

“There’s £200,000 offered to shopkeepers in this area for the damage that has been done by TransLink and almost the equivalent is going to be spent on Irish language scenes. It could be better used.”

Trader Paul McCann told The Irish News that it was “not right” that traders received £200,000 while Irish language signage would cost £150,000.

“We’re not in Ireland, we’re in Ulster. It’s not our language. It’s not our native language, either. You know, it’s a Gaelic language from a foreign country.

“Traders received £200,000 to help with the impact on business during the building works but I’ve still bills to pay. Then we’re told £150,000 is going into these Irish language signs. It’s a kick up the backside.”

William Dickson, of the Blackstaff Residents Association, referenced a quote that “every word of Irish spoken is like another bullet being fired in the struggle for Irish freedom.”

He claimed: “There are two entrances to this station; one here in Sandy Row and another at the Grosvenor Road, which had a rich protestant history before the ethnic cleansing in the 1970s, which is never publicly spoken about.

“Promoting the Irish language is seen as rewarding the republican people for the ethnic cleansing and extending republican territory.

“We wish to see a station that everyone can feel welcome in. We need a careful and sensitive approach to any proposal around the installation of Irish language signs at the site.

“We are here tonight calling upon our MLAs to stop Liz Kimmins’ solo run of forcing the Irish language signs in and around the station.

“We do not fear the Irish language, but we do not want it rammed down our throats either.”

The new signage, estimated at £150,000, was expected to appear at the hub later this year, but work has halted after a legal challenge.

Residents’ groups in Sandy Row have been critical of several aspects of the new transport hub, including the demolition of the Boyne Bridge and the impact on traders in the area.

Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson is seeking a judicial review against the Department for Infrastructure over the decision, stating it was taken “without executive approval”.

However, Ms Kimmins has defended the decision and said she was “keen to continue to push this”.

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