Conradh na Gaeilge also granted access to papers as application to intervene postponed by Justice McAlinden in advance of further consideration by Ministers.
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins MLA announced the decision to have dual-language Irish-English signage in the £400m new transport hub on 24 March 2025.
Conradh na Gaeilge today, Thursday 11 September 2025, sought leave to formally intervene in support of the decision by the Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins MLA to erect dual-language signage at Grand Central Station in Belfast. The Judicial Review is being brought by Jamie Bryson against the Infrastructure Minister. Conradh na Gaeilge applied for leave to intervene in the Judicial Review in support of dual-language signage at Grand Central Station on 26 August 2025, having sought and received consent from the Minister for Infrastructure to do so.
Justice McAlinden did not today take a decision on the proposed intervention by Conradh na Gaeilge. Instead he requested the Ministers involved to consider the case further, and proposed that the input and expertise from the newly appointed Irish Language Commissioner be sought in relation to the decision to erect dual-language signage at Grand Central Station.
President of Conradh na Gaeilge, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, commented outside the High Court today:
“Conradh na Gaeilge welcomes the court's direction today to grant us access to the papers involved in the case, prior to our intervention being heard. More importantly, we believe Justice McAlinden’s proposal to seek the input and expertise of the newly appointed Irish Language Commissioner to be sensible and prudent. We would anticipate that the Irish Language Commissioner, who under the legislation will develop ‘best practice standards’, will come to the conclusion that dual-language signage in shared spaces is a best practice model enjoyed and enshrined in other countries with similar circumstances, ultimately supporting the Minister’s original position.”
“Conradh na Gaeilge believes the Minister was well within her remit to take this decision to erect dual-language signage in Grand Central Station in line with her Department’s duties regarding the promotion of Irish. The decision sits well within the letter and spirit of the Good Friday Agreement, calling for “resolute action to promote the language” and to “facilitate and encourage the use of Irish in speech and writing in public life”. The Minister’s decision was also supported by a motion passed by Belfast City Council, and formal advice given by Foras na Gaeilge, the cross-border agency tasked with providing statutory guidance to government on the promotion of Irish.”
“We consider dual-language signage, where English and Irish are placed side by side equally, to be a very physical manifestation of equality. There is nothing controversial about equality. International best practice and expertise tells us that promoting Irish alongside English on public signage leads to increased normalisation of the language, and in turn, increased tolerance and mutual respect.”
Niall Murphy, KRW Law, acting on behalf of Conradh na Gaeilge, commented:
“Our application to intervene in this case on behalf of Conradh na Gaeilge, was to support the decision to erect dual-language signage in Grand Central Station, and to assist the court’s comprehension of what we consider to be a positive duty on the Department under various international treaties. The decision sits well within the letter and spirit of the Good Friday Agreement, calling for “resolute action to promote the language” and to “facilitate and encourage the use of Irish in speech and writing in public life”. We welcome the decision by the Court to seek the informed opinion of the Irish Language Commissioner, which in time, will likely make this application redundant.”
Conradh na Gaeilge also wish to thank CAJ for their ongoing support in this case.
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NB. Separate Judicial Review proceedings, initiated by Conradh na Gaeilge, against the NI Executive and the Communities’ Minister regarding the failure to adopt an Irish Language Strategy, has been listed for review on Monday 15 September 2025. This will the 3rd Judicial Review brought by Conradh na Gaeilge on this issue since 2017.
