A development agency promoting the Irish language has criticised Belfast City Council over English-only signage on a new bike shed in the Gaeltacht Quarter.

Forbairt Feirste Project Manager Piarais Mac Alastair said the installation in the Bog Meadows area represents a backward step and contradicts commitments to protect and promote Irish. He argued that the council’s recognition of the Gaeltacht Quarter and its inclusion in the West Belfast Language Plan demand bilingual signage.

Mac Alastair called for an end to English-only public policies, urging authorities to install multilingual signs that reflect the community. He noted that Irish is a living language with legal recognition and should have a proper place in public spaces.

The shed carries the Department of Infrastructure logo, but a spokesperson said the scheme is the responsibility of Belfast City Council, not the department.

Belfast City Council adopted an Irish Language Policy in October 2025 after a judicial review was dismissed in April. The policy, confirmed in early June, commits to dual-language signage at all council facilities, with priority given to sites in the Gaeltacht Quarter. It also includes provisions for pictorial and tactile options.

Last year, a similar controversy arose when Ulster Wildlife unveiled an English-only mural in Bog Meadows, drawing criticism from Irish language advocacy group Conradh na Gaeilge.