Irish language street signs installed across Belfast with spelling mistakes

A number of Irish language street signs have been installed across Belfast with spelling mistakes.

Belfast City Council recently installed a number of the new dual-language signs at locations across the city, after they were applied for by local residents, however five of these have been found to contain errors.

SDLP South Belfast councillors Gary McKeown and Séamas de Faoite have said that it is “unbelievable” that the signs could be installed with spelling mistakes and have called for an investigation into how this has happened.

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One recently installed sign on Haypark Avenue off Sunnyside Street, was spelt Ascaill Pharie an Fheir when it should have been spelt Ascaill Pháirc an Fhéir.

Botanic SDLP councillor Gary McKeown said: "It’s unbelievable that bilingual signs could reach the point of installation with spelling mistakes. From what we understand, there are a number of locations in the city that where this has happened.

"This is unacceptable, and it’s essential that there’s now an investigation to find out how this happened.

“We have got agreement that these signs will be replaced ASAP and that ones that are due to be installed will have the correct spelling. We have also asked for a mechanism to be put in place so that all bilingual signs are double-checked against translation before they are erected.”

Lisnasharragh SDLP councillor Séamas de Faoite added: “These translations were correct when they came to Committee – so where did things go wrong? If it were with a contractor, the cost should not be at the expense of the ratepayer. Why were these signs not checked before they were erected to ensure they aligned with the official translations provided to the council?”

A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: "Belfast City Council is aware of spelling errors on five dual language street signs in three different streets.

"These are currently in the process of being replaced at no additional cost to the council. A quality check is also underway of other recently installed signage.

“We apologise for this error and will be urgently reviewing our quality assurance processes to ensure this does not happen again.”