DUP hits out at plans for Irish language signs across Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter

The DUP has slammed the concept of an Irish language Gaeltacht Quarter in Belfast after a council committee agreed to blanket coverage of dual-language street signs in the area to save money.

At a recent Strategic Policy and Resources Committee meeting, councillors agreed plans for bilingual street signs across west Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter.

It has 417 streets, 108 of which already have been signed.

Of the remaining 309 streets in the Gaeltacht Quarter, approximately 48 have live applications under the current policy.

There are around 700 streets across the whole of the city with outstanding applications for dual-language street signs.

Sinn Féin originally proposed the motion, highlighting the potential for City Hall to save hundreds of thousands on a bulk designation, rather than individually surveying streets in which an overwhelming majority would be in favour of Irish street signs.

A council report states: “In March the council agreed to progress with dual language street signage in the Gaeltacht Quarter en bloc as a cost saving measure, subject to equality screening and when finance becomes available, with a report to be submitted to the committee in due course.

“This decision was called in and subject to a barrister’s opinion, which concluded that the call-in did not have merit.

“Party group leaders were advised of the barrister’s opinion via email on 7th July 2023 and were advised that officers would implement the decision and a report will be brought to a subsequent meeting of SP&R Committee in due course outlining the result of an equality screening, the financial implications and any other associated matters.”

A council officer told the committee a draft equality screening was done on the proposal to erect the dual language street signs en bloc within the Gaeltacht Quarter, and the decision was “screened out as having minor impacts”.

She added: “In any interface areas or specific streets of concern, members will be able to raise objections to engage the wider policy.”

The estimated cost of signage for the streets currently identified within the Gaeltacht Quarter is in the region of £135,000, with an extra £9,652 to be spent on a mail drop and advertising.

Signs in Irish have been a source of ongoing controversy, with nationalists recently criticising some signs that had spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Sinn Féin’s Ciaran Beattie put it to the council officer that the cost of going through each Gaeltacht application individually would be £359,370, meaning the ‘en bloc’ approach would save the council £209,718.

The officer said: “Those assumptions are correct, but they are assumptions based on the number we could carry forward through the en bloc approach.”

The committee also confirmed certain streets which form the boundary of the Gaeltacht Quarter are not to be included as part of the area, including the full length of Donegall Road.

The streets that will not be included are yet to be named.

Councillors agreed plans for bilingual street signs across west Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter

While not voting against the plan, new DUP councillors raised criticism of the very concept of a Gaeltacht in Belfast.

DUP Councillor Ian McLaughlin said of the map boundary: “If this isn’t the actual blueprint for the boundary, then we shouldn’t be using it.

“People see this and assume that’s what it is. And people will try to expand it quite soon anyway. I’m not in agreement with the boundary.

“When I first heard the term ‘Gaeltacht Quarter’ many years ago, there were two streets around Culturlann – it has grown substantially. I need to understand where these boundaries have come from.

“Will this be capped at £135K? If it is, we would probably be better to employ someone to spell the signs correctly, so you avoid a lot of nonsense when it goes to production.”

He added: “I have grave concerns about the corridor of peace walls that exist along the full length of Springfield Road. There are serious community relations issues right along that corridor, where the peace walls are the biggest in Belfast, and show no sign of being removed.

“This signage, whether we admit it or not, demarcates social lines across this city. It will exclude a part of west Belfast. It is basically republican west Belfast within that boundary, and it will be set apart from the rest of the city.

“If they want to be a place apart, that is a matter for themselves. But my point is that community relations will be impacted along the full length of the peace walls.

“I don’t think it is right that signage should be put along peace walls. Signs at interfaces can and will be divisive. And I don’t think the council is giving enough consideration to that.”

DUP councillor Bradley Ferguson said: “Anybody wants to learn Irish in this city, learn it, knock your pan in, I couldn’t care less.

“But with the Irish language, there is an attempt by some to use it as a political football to beat unionists around the head with, and that’s where the backlash comes from.

“We talk about a Gaeltacht Quarter. Is there an Ulster Scots Quarter in the city? Better still, on the Cregagh Road where I represent, is the headquarters of the Orange Lodge and a unionist majority. Will we draw a line around that and call it an Orange Quarter?”

SDLP councillor Séamas de Faoite said: “I am disappointed to hear again the perception that this is about isolating people or creating additional barriers in the city.

“We just have to look at what happens in parts of east Belfast where there is an understanding of the Irish language which has extended through the work of Turas, with Linda Ervine and other individuals demonstrating that the Irish language is open and welcoming for everybody.

“Like so many things in our city, it does not have to be defined by political binaries. We have to be able to understand our city is a diverse place, and that this is not an attempt to make anyone feel unwelcome.

“We have to challenge that mindset and break down those barriers as much as we can.”

The West Belfast Gaeltacht was formally created in 2010, after consulting firm Deloitte was commissioned by An Cheathru Ghealtachta Teo and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to prepare a plan for the development of Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter. The council is currently working on the Deloitte mapping of the quarter.

The council report states: “Under the current policy, only those residents on the electoral register are surveyed. This involves officers attending the Electoral Office to identify those residents and then hand delivering surveys to their property.

“It is instead proposed that one letter per identified property, addressed to the ‘occupier’, will be posted out to all properties in the identified streets within the Gaeltacht Quarter.

“This will explain the en bloc approach and how residents can make their views known about their individual street and will give the opportunity generally to highlight any equality of opportunity and good relations issues as outlined in the equality and good relations section below.

“A newspaper advert will also be placed that will outline the approach and ways that objections can be registered to ensure coverage of the proposal.

“If a resident is in favour of the proposal to erect the street signs en bloc, then there is no requirement for them to formally respond to the letter. If a resident is not in favour of the proposal, they will be able to write / email / contact the Council to advise of this.

“If the council does not receive any objection to the en bloc approach for a particular street in the Gaeltacht Quarter within 30 calendar days of issuing the letter, the council will move to erect the second name plate(s) on that street and will arrange for them to be installed as part of a planned schedule within a capital project."