Limerick council to correct Irish language spelling errors on signs
Signs Criticised Some Been The Pedestrian Of Their For Have Translations
Limerick council has said it will rectify an issue that has seen Irish language spelling mistakes on signage aimed at tourists.
As part of the €1.2m Limerick Wayfinding and Orientation Signage Project, signs and maps were installed throughout Limerick City to enhance its tourism offering.
The Irish version of the ‘Welcome to Limerick’ states ‘Fáilte Roimh Luimneach’ which literally translates to ‘We Welcome Limerick’.
Another issue raised was the translation of Thomond Park, the home of Munster Rugby, which is ‘Páirc Thuamhan’ in Irish, but was translated as ‘Páirc na Thuamhan’ on the signs.
In total, 70 new pedestrian wayfinding and orientation signs were set up in the city in a bid to direct visitors to key locations across Limerick’s metropolitan area.
Fine Gael councillor Olivia O’Sullivan attended several meetings where members of the council raised the issue of the errors in the Irish spellings.
“ We received several presentations at different stages of this project. Councillors raised the issue of translations and querying whether something was correct on mock-ups that we saw.
"We didn't see final designs but on the mock-ups that were being presented to us, we were assured that all the Irish translations would go through a process before the end of the project to make sure they were correct,” Ms O’Sullivan told the .
It is understood that Limerick City and County Council does not have an Irish officer, and instead uses an external translation service to facilitate the use of the language on official communications and documents.
Ms O’Sullivan said that overall the project is a positive one that was a "long time coming". She said the signage makes the tourism offering in the city more significant.
A spokesperson for Limerick City and County Council confirmed that the issue will be rectified, but that the signs will not need to be removed.
“An Irish Language Translation Service was consulted on more than 100 Irish translations on 18 Map Totems, 19 Route Markers and 33 Finger Posts. The errors occurred on text that was not sent to the service in error,” said a spokesperson for the council.
“The council is consulting with the sign supplier to rectify the errors. A timeline has not yet been determined,” they added.