'Fight for bilingual signage continues' says Queen’s Irish language society'

THE Irish Language society at Queen’s University has vowed to continue its ongoing campaign for bilingual signage on the campus this academic year.

An Cumann Gaelach has been lobbying the university to erect bilingual signage for a number of years. The university has prohibited the formal recognition of the Irish Language through bilingual signage for more than 20 years. Bilingual signage which was once erected at the university was removed in 1997.

In 2018 the Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s Professor McElany suggested erecting bilingual signage on the campus would breach the university’s diversity and equality policy. He later apologised for any offence caused.

In recent years, the university has seen a huge demand for Irish language representation on campus with the historical introduction of an Irish Language Officer as part of the Students’ Union and the recent launch of the Irish language residential scheme.

This week, Queen’s University opened the new £41.8m Students’ Union building. The modern space is designed to meet a range of student needs through the provision of university student services. The major investment which is designed to be the hub of the university currently does not have bilingual signage erected in the new build.

Speaking with the Andersonstown News, An Cumann Gaelach have expressed that they will be continuing their campaign for visibility of the Irish language at the university.

“It will be our main focus throughout the year, as it always has been and we’re trying to get a lot of emphasis on those who aren’t studying Irish as their degree and branching out into other degrees and getting them involved, such as beginners and intermediate classes,” says President of the society, Malachaí Ó Donnghaile.

“We deserve to have our language seen, it’s our main language. I use it every day, most of the committee use it everyday.”

This year saw the launch of the Irish language residential scheme at the university, which was introduced following a series of campaigns by An Cumann Gaelach and activists from the Dearcán group.

The pilot scheme welcomed 12 students to the residential scheme this academic year. Queen’s University state that “the scheme is being implemented with the aim of providing students with an environment to speak the Irish language daily and to encourage and support the use of the language in the students’ personal and social lives outside of the study environment.”

Speaking about the new residential scheme, Malachaí Ó Donnghaile said: "We’re encouraging people to attend the launch of the Irish language accommodation at Queen’s on the 12th of October. We want people to be there to show that we want more of this. Twelve places isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully in the years to come there will be more spaces and we’ll get more houses.”

The President of Queen’s University’s Students’ Union Emma Murphy has said the campaign for bilingual signage “is really important”.

“I know Storm Eaton is the Irish Language Officer and I’m really keen to work with her this year to see what we can do campaign wise. I think having visibility to that would be amazing and it’s keeping the pressure on for signage,” says Emma.

"Hopefully with the Irish Language Commissioner, whenever that eventually goes through Westminster, that’s therefore more of a basis for Queen’s to get with that and follow the legislation there. I think having a presence at the Lá Dearg during the summer was very important for us as well.”