A dual-language street sign in Belfast city centre has been vandalised, with the Irish wording sprayed over in black paint.

The sign on Marcus Ward Street displays both the English name and its Irish translation, "Sráid Mharcais Mhic an Bhaird". The Irish portion was obscured in the incident.

Belfast City Council approved the bilingual sign at a meeting in March 2024.

SDLP North Belfast councillor Carl Whyte described the act as another attack on the Irish language and on efforts to build a shared future. He said dual language signage threatens nobody and that those trying to erase it are on the wrong side of progress. He called for celebrating community diversity rather than allowing a small minority to drag society backwards.

The sign is located a few hundred metres from the Points Bar. In 2024, leaflets were placed on cars of students attending an Irish class at the bar stating that English is the mother tongue and that most Irish people should hate the Irish language.

Police have not commented on the incident.