Victory for campaigners as bilingual signs go up at cemetery visitor Centre

IRISH language campaigners have welcomed the new external bilingual signage at Belfast City Cemetery Visitors Centre.

The long-awaited installation of the bilingual signage comes following a campaign led by the local community after Belfast City Council plans originally included English-only signage.

The signage is now reflective of West Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter which includes Irish medium schools, businesses, community centres, youth clubs among many others.

Speaking about the bilingual signage at the City Cemetery Visitor Centre, Cuisle Nic Liam of An Dream Dearg spoke of the challenge to achieve the installation.

“The Irish language community both here in Belfast and those visiting the Ceathrú Ghaeltachta will be delighted to finally see some progress being made in the provision of bilingual signage at Belfast City Cemetery’s brand new visitor centre.

“With that being said, we should never have been in this situation. The fact that the Irish language wasn’t taken into consideration at any stage in the design and development of the visitor centre, which is situated in the heart of West Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter and is surrounded by a number of Irish-medium schools, organisations and youth clubs, is but yet another clear-cut example of how Belfast City Council marginalised and excluded the Irish language from their decision-making and planning processes in recent decades.

"Rather than taking in the bespoke linguistic conditions in the council area, and specifically in the Gaeltacht Quarter, the centre was ultimately designed as an “English-only” space.

“The local community rightly challenged that planning decision, and a campaign began to ensure the centre was reimagined as a fully bilingual resource for local people, schools and visitors.

"The progress made is testament to the local Irish language community who stood their ground in what became a litmus test of Belfast City Council’s commitment to the Irish language in public and shared spaces.

"Whilst the outside of the building now reflects our bilingual reality, we are continuing to work with the Council to ensure the entire external signage trail in the Cemetery, and the internal educational resources in the centre, meet those linguistic needs and standards. This centre should set a high bar in terms of Irish language provision for other council facilities and centres across the city.

"Ná habair é, déan é.”

Piarais Mac Alastair, Project Officer at Forbairt Feirste, called on Belfast City Council to implement an Irish language policy for the entire council.

“This progressive step came about after of a community led campaign, when the centre was originally opened with English-only signage in the heart of the Gaeltacht Quarter. We are now working with the designers and Belfast City Council to make the visitor centre and all City Cemetery signage bi-lingual, work which we hopefully will be completed early in the new year.

“This lays bare the total lack of policy by Belfast City Council in regards to the Irish language and the effects it’s having on the Irish language community. It is hard to understand how a visitor centre in the heart of the Gaeltacht Quarter, with three Irish-medium schools, Irish language youth organization and hundreds of speakers in the vicinity can be opened with no sight nor sound of the Irish language.

“We call on Belfast City Council to urgently implement a robust and rights-based Irish language policy for the entire council, with strong language screening policy to ensure not only that Irish language is no longer omitted from the public space but that the Irish language community are treated with dignity and respect in their own language when dealing with Belfast City Council.”

A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: “Following a decision by elected members earlier this year, design and procurement of bilingual signage at Belfast City Cemetery is ongoing. A Ionad Cuairteoirí sign on the exterior of the visitor centre will be installed before Christmas, with the remainder of signage across the site due to be installed in phases in the new year.”