Lisburn and Castlereagh Council installs first Irish language street sign

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council has erected its first bilingual street sign featuring Irish.

The sign has been installed at Glen River Mews in Glenavy, after members of the council’s Environment and Sustainability Committee agreed upon it in November.

The council had previously heard concerns raised by DUP Alderman James Tinsley over neighbours being “fearful” that other residents would know whether or not they had supported the signs.

However, a Sinn Féin councillor believes the bilingual sign will be the first of many for the Killultagh District Electoral Area.

Gary McCleave said: “This is a huge step forward as we aim to build a society with rights and equality at its core.

“I commend the local community who were the driving force behind the campaign and since the decision was made a few months ago I have been inundated with requests on how other streets within our council area can have dual language signage.”

Alliance councillor Claire Kemp said: “This is a significant development, and I welcome the introduction of this signage, which reflects the strong support of residents in Glen River Mews.”

The Glenavy bilingual sign came about following the initial request of one third of residents.

The council’s policy, which is unchanged from 2015, is to then consult all eligible adults on the electoral register living in the street in question.

A threshold of two-thirds of those residents is needed to bring the request back to be approved by councillors.

A council report showed that out of a total of 15 residents 14 were in favour, while one gave no response.

However, a second area at Riverside Court in Glenavy with 48 residents failed to meet the threshold, with 26 in favour, two against, and 19 not responding.