Northern Ireland Councils Face £60,000 Bill for Vandalized Irish Street Signs

Irish language and bilingual street signs in Northern Ireland have been subjected to vandalism over 300 times in the last five years. According to figures obtained by BBC News NI, local councils have spent nearly £60,000 on repairing and replacing the damaged signage. Some signs were defaced with paint or graffiti, while others were burned, stolen, or pulled down. Almost two-thirds of these incidents occurred within the Mid Ulster District Council area. This council reported 209 instances of damaged bilingual signs since 2020, incurring repair and replacement costs exceeding £21,000. Responses released under the Freedom of Information Act indicate that Fermanagh and Omagh District Council recorded 74 incidents, and Belfast City Council documented 23. Additionally, there were 15 incidents in the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area and four reported in Derry City and Strabane District Council. The remaining six local authorities in Northern Ireland stated they either do not have dual language street signs or have no record of any such incidents. Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh, from the Irish language campaign group Conradh na Gaeilge, asserted that there was “no justification for anti-Irish hate crimes.” He explained that dual language signage “demonstrates inclusiveness” and helps reveal the linguistic origins of many place names. “Increasing visibility of the language also leads to increased normalisation of the language, which is particularly important in our shared spaces,” he stated. Social Democratic and Labour Party assembly member Patsy McGlone, an Irish speaker, characterized the vandalism as “disgraceful.” He expressed being “particularly disappointed” by the extent of incidents in his Mid Ulster constituency. “This is a shared community where people live and work alongside each other in mutual respect. The vandalism of these signs is in no way representative of that,” he commented. “The Irish language belongs to all of us, it poses no threat to anyone and I would call for those behind these incidents to cease immediately.” The formulation of policies to promote the Irish language has been a source of political disagreement between unionists and Irish nationalists. Traditional Unionist Voice councillor Ron McDowell stated he would “condemn utterly any vandalism,” but added that many unionists felt signage was being “foisted upon communities that don’t see themselves as having an Irish identity.” “We have nothing against the Irish heritage, but what we see across the city, across Northern Ireland, is an abuse of the language,” he said. The Belfast councillor argued that it was being “used as a weapon” to “green” the city and other council areas. “And that’s why there’s such a strong resistance from people in local communities,” he further added. In September, European language experts noted that many councils in Northern Ireland make it excessively difficult for Irish street signs to be approved and displayed. However, the group, from the Council of Europe, also observed that street signs remain “a highly contentious topic.” The UK government intervened in 2022 to introduce Irish and Ulster Scots legislation for Northern Ireland, following a political stalemate at Stormont regarding these laws. Key elements of this legislation, such as appointing an Irish-language commissioner and a commissioner for Ulster Scots and the “Ulster-British” tradition, have not yet been advanced. Dr Ó Tiarnaigh from Conradh na Gaeilge stated that local councils “have a duty to take resolute action to promote Irish.” “This will be an urgent matter of concern for the long overdue Irish-language commissioner,” he concluded.