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SINN FÉIN VICE president Michelle O’Neill has said she “commends the activists” who took part in a protest yesterday over the lack of Irish language signage at Belfast’s new Grand Central Station.
Around 100 Irish language campaigners staged a demonstration in the new transport hub after it officially opened without any Irish language signage.
Members of Irish language campaign group An Dream Dearg placed a large flag bearing the group’s logo across the floor of the station yesterday.
An Dream Dearg was founded to progress an Irish Language Act in Northern Ireland.
Dr Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh, a spokesperson for An Dream Dearg, said an “entire community has been excluded”.
🔈 #BéalFeirste @dreamdearg 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pwqlUGnvNn
— Conradh na Gaeilge ⭕️ (@CnaG) September 12, 2024
The new €400 million transport hub officially opened on Monday, having welcomed its first passengers last Sunday morning.
The station will open in phases, with train services to begin later this year.
It’s set to become the largest integrated transport hub on the island of Ireland, replacing the Europa Bus Centre and the former Great Victoria Street Station.
However, the new station quickly garnered criticism for lacking signage in the Irish language.
At the official opening on Monday, Sinn Féin MLA and Transport Minister John O’Dowd said he was “disappointed we haven’t reached a resolution” around Irish language signage in the transport hub.
O’Dowd said it is “important that the Irish language is visible” and that he was working with Northern Ireland’s public transport service Translink on the issue.
O’Dowd added that he was “confident that this will be successfully resolved, and we will see more visibility of the Irish language in this and other public buildings”.
Speaking following a meeting of the North South Ministerial Council at Dublin Castle today, Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill said it’s a “hugely positive development” that the new station is open.
She also said that she “commends the activists for being on the ground”.
However, O’Neill added that “we have to get to the point where we have that dual language signage”.
She noted that Transport Minister O’Dowd has “committed to working with the sector and ensuring that’s the case for the full opening when we come to that point next year”.
Speaking on the Irish language more generally, O’Neill pointed to the passing of the Irish Language Act as a “significant win for all of the activists and those of us that have been very passionate about it”.
The plan includes an Irish Language Commissioner and a commissioner to develop language, arts and literature associated with the Ulster Scots/Ulster British tradition.
O’Neill said “we’re now in that implementation phase” and that she’s hopeful that “in the immediate period ahead, we’re going to recruit commissioners for all the offices that were agreed on the legislation”.
Speaking alongside O’Neill, Tánaiste Micheál Martin remarked that “there’s been a tremendous flourishing of the Irish language on the island more generally”.
He said “there’s a much more relaxed engagement to the language and a more comfortable relationship with the language than might have been when I was going to primary school”.
“Sometimes we need to look at the positives and try to advance those positives and bring people with us,” said Martin.
Irish language activists are holding a protest at the new Belfast Grand Central Station after failure to erect dual-language signage following its opening. pic.twitter.com/3nHFnhotH7
— Andersonstown News (@ATownNews) September 12, 2024
While he said there are “challenges and difficulties in different communities” in engaging with the Irish language, he added that “as someone who’s a former teacher of the Irish language, I always see it as a force for sharing community”.
“That’s the kind of approach I would take, and I would work with language organisations across the island in terms of advancing the enjoyment of the Irish language,” said Martin.
He also noted that “different traditions on the island historically have contributed to saving many aspects of the Irish language”.
Martin pointed to Church of Ireland authorities “who were the scholars of an early era and who did so much to preserve Irish language texts prior to Irish independence and so forth”.
“Different traditions have been part of the Irish language,” said Martin, “so we need to create that broader community which doesn’t see language as a threat to facilitating the growth of different languages, cultures and traditions.”
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Christ that was difficult to read, the journalistic equivalent of constipation. Took about 5 solid pushes to get to the end of a load of shite which recommends basically giving up your potentially lucrative position in finance or IT to take up a role of fitness instructor.
7. Retire early
Moving job beats taking the easy way out and emigrating.
What’s wrong with being a fitness instructor?
@ mr McShite..’to give up a lucrative appointment ‘ I fear you missed the whole point of the article…and I wish you all the lucrative success you deserve (with $uck all happiness ) ….M@ron!!!
What’s really gonna happen is that your dreams are challenged very early in life, aspirations to change the world are wiped out as society is gonna try and convince you that you’re only too lucky to have a job so you’re gonna bullsh@t your way into an organisation, tell them you can turn things to gold and lose yourself in the process! Once your in the door your gonna be one of two people – one that stomps on people’s heads to get to the top of that ladder and would throw their mother under a bus to get advancement and live out your days constantly striving for that carrot, convincing yourself (and others) that you’ve made it. or 2 – be the guy who’s a stepping stone for number 1. you’ll retire at 60 ( if you aren’t canned before that) and live out your golden years in silent regret as to why you didn’t change careers sooner! Don’t let youth be wasted on the young. Follow your dreams kids. If Paul Murphy can be TD, you can be an astronaut!!!
Paul Murphy is an Astronaut Or a spacecadet?
Paul Murphy is a better td than most. At least he stands for something which can’t be said for many others who just roll over.
I think that parents have a duty to encourage their children to follow their dreams. Admittedly, some children are more focussed than others, but i believe everyone can find their passion in life if they believe they have the freedom and support to seek it. Parents are best usually placed to give this.
A friend of mine’s father was a man of science and industry, studying maths and physics and later entering the oil industry. My friend decided to follow his dream and get into film. Admittedly, his family were in a position to support him financially through film school, but they also supported him emotionally. I know that his father often questioned the career choice, but the look on his face seeing his son addressing the audience after the premiere screening of his debut feature film in the London Film Festival spoke volumes. Pure pride.
Hmmm… I followed some of these steps… I wanted to be a make up artist so I trained and gif qualified, I got a mentor and did a lot of free work. But in the end I just want good enough. I know I’m not supposed to say that but it’s true. I’m not naturally artistic. I’m creative to a certain extent but I can’t draw a straight line so what I imagine in my head turns out a big mess . Now the training and work experience and practice were great and I loved the work I did with a passion but in an industry flooded with other make up artists and feck all work I had to look at it realistically. There is better artists out there . They have natural gifts and talents and I just can’t compete with my mediocre skills. Some might say I just gave up but I think I’m just looking at it realistically. So now I’m 33 and don’t know what to do ‘when I grow up’.
Become a writer. You have a flowing style and nice, self-deprecating wit. And apparently every 1000 words is equivalent to a picture anyway so you can live your dream through the back door :-)
That hallway could do with a lightbulb.
The girl in the pic has a strange cock.tus
How does one become a lazy gigolo?
Vote FG.
Do nothing and you’ll get screwed.
hhmm yeah no! out of all the people i know 1 dows that they love… 1! I know another whos killing themselves to break into what they love and are failing! Frankly i think the emphasis on career etc is too much… I think people should work whatever theu can and aim to be happier in life in general and focus on being good ppl. Articles like this fuel the world we live in now… ppl in a rush to they skip lunch, or cause crashes rushing to work, spend their lives in their office. I work, i stay where I am not because I love it, not because Im passionate about it… i stay because 1 i work with good ppl, 2 its money and 3 I get a good amount of time off to focus on the important things. A job is a job if you can do what you love brilliant Im happy for you… but dont waste your life chasing it… get a job to give you money and start living out of work.
“In the words of Wayne Gretzky, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Rockfrocks, 2015
* not plagiarism
Utter utter rubbish…sadly people pay to hear the kind of rubbish that’s in that article. ….I’m passionate about Salsa dancing….trust me I’ll never earn money at it…..In fact I’m spending alot of my hard earned money on it…..such utter mis guided claptrap.
have to agree. keep your passion and your work separate, lest disappointments in work impact on your happiness. I’ve seen that alot. that doesn’t mean don’t enjoy your job but don’t hang your happiness it.
Just ask Alan Watts – https://youtu.be/5QnZVZzosw8 – What if money didn’t exist. Makes you really think.
Wrong question Alan. This is “what if money were no object?” ie you have sufficient surplus to do what you want. The last serious attempt at making money not exist was led by Pol Pot in Cambodia in the 1970s. That did not have a happy ending (gross understatement).
Making money DOES MATTER….
6. Make sure to get to Electric Picnic!!!
Turning a passion into a career can still have the same effect. You still will have to do work you don’t necessarily want to do in order for income to pay the bills
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