Trilingual Road Signage

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Here is an article one of our listserv members was shown on recent visit
to Northern Ireland last weekend. It comes from last week's edition of the
local "Mourne Observer"  in South County Down which covers towns such as
Newry, Newcastle and a few others along the coast and those slightly
inland.

Three languages for Down signs?


TOWN and village signs in Down District could soon read in three different
languages - English, Irish and Ulster Scots.

Following a meeting of Down District Council's Cultural Issues Group last
Wednesday, it was recommended to the local authority's Policy and
Resources Committee that the names of all towns and villages in the
district should appear in the three languages.

Speaking after the meeting, group chairman Carmel O'Boyle [SDLP ie John
Hume's party] explained that plans were afoot to consult the people of the
district before any policy was adopted. She said: "People will have an
opportunity to comment on what we have recommended. "We cannot have a
different policy for different areas in the district but we will need a
two-thirds majority of the respondents in favour of change.

"One member of the group, Cllr Jim Wells (DUP) [Rev Ian Paisley's party],
expressed concern that some people would be opposed to the name of their
village appearing in Irish, and he referred to Clough as an example.
"Since Clough is already an Irish word and means 'stone,' it was not a
particularly good example to choose. "The point is," concluded Cllr
O'Boyle, "we want to reflect all cultures through our signage and that
signage must be uniform throughout the district."

                                 OPPOSED

Ballynahinch Councillor Wells told the Mourne Observer he was "totally
opposed" to the proposal, stating that, "nobody from the Unionist
community and very few Nationalists would be in favour." "No one in Down
District wants this to happen. Everyone understands English and that's the
only language we need. "The signs would probably be vandalised in Unionist
areas, so it would be a complete waste of money," he added. Sinn Fein
Councillor Eamonn McConvey favoured the proposal and suggested that Cllr
Wells' response sought to encourage vandalism.

He said: "I support the idea because it promotes equality and incorporates
all communities. Everyone is being represented so there should be no need
for vandalism. "If it were to get the go-ahead, we would be the only
district to recognise all three languages."