A referendum aimed at reintroducing Irish language dual signage in the students’ union at Queen’s University in Belfast following its removal almost 30 years ago has won the overwhelming support of voters.
The proposal calling for the reintroduction of Irish signs on campus was backed by more than 5,000 students, representing 92 per cent of those who took part in the vote.
Just as the roll-out of Irish- and English-language street signage across Belfast has been divisive, so too was the referendum.
Members of the university’s Young Unionists society said before the vote that the reintroduction of the bilingual signage would create a “chill factor”.
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It argued that before Irish signage was removed from the students’ union in 1997, there had been a reluctance among some unionists to take jobs or engage with the body.
However, such concerns appeared to hold little sway with voters, who almost universally backed the proposals.
As well as dual signage, the university name will appear as Ollscoil na Banríona Béal Feirste, alongside the English-language equivalent, in an official bilingual logo.
An Cumann Gaelach, the Irish language society at Queen’s, hailed the result and said it reinforced what it already knew: “that there is significant interest, demand and support for the Irish language right across the Queen’s campus and beyond”.
In a statement issued shortly after the result was confirmed, the Cumann said the result would “completely alter the linguistic landscape of a university whose outdated monolingual approach has spanned across the decades”.
The Cumann suggested that its experience within Queen’s University had “become a microcosm of the everyday lived experience of countless Irish speakers right across the North where our most reasonable calls for equality are consistently sidelined or vetoed pending support or approval from a tiny minority who are fundamentally opposed to the Irish language”.
The statement said this approach had “fostered an environment of exclusion and marginalisation rather than that of inclusion and equality that the university should pride itself upon”.
It said it was looking forward to “the immediate reinstatement of dual-language signage in Queen’s Students’ Union and the erection of that same signage right across the Queen’s University campus”.
And it called on the university to provide a public time frame and commitment for the development and implementation of a comprehensive Irish language policy across the campus.
Acknowledging the result, the university said it was a reflection of “strong student engagement in an important campus debate”.
The statement said that student perspectives were “a valued part of the University community and contribute to ongoing discussions around inclusion, identity and cultural expression”.
It noted that there was already a “strong Irish language provision” and the campus and Queen’s would “continue to support and promote it as part of campus life”.
The statement went on to say that the university had “proactively engaged with both the Irish Language Commissioner and the Commissioner for Ulster Scots and the Ulster British Tradition”. It pointed out that the Irish Language Commissioner is developing proposals for public institutions and has asked for the time and space to complete this work.
“We look forward to working with both Commissioners on their proposals to the Northern Ireland Executive, which will help guide the University as it progresses work relating to language, culture and identity and inform our next steps,” the statement said.
