Road signs in Mayo which were incorrectly spelt are to be corrected following years of lobbying by Castlebar man Seán Ó Héalaí.
Following a meeting with Mr Ó Héalaí, the county engineer, local area engineers, and the council’s Irish language officer, it was announced that Mayo County Council’s local area engineers are engaged in an ongoing review of road signs throughout the county. This is in compliance with a motion proposed by Councillor Paddy McGuinness and adopted unanimously at a meeting of Mayo County Council in September 2006.
All remaining incorrectly spelt signs on the county’s regional roads will be replaced by the end of September 2009 to show correctly spelt placenames in accordance with Section 21 (c ) of the Official Languages Act 2003.
All signs will show the official Irish language spellings of place names, strictly in accordance with those shown on logainm.ie and/or An t-Ordú Logainmneacha (Ceantair Ghaeltachta ) 2008 (Dréacht ).
All road signs will be approved by Mayo County Council’s Oifigeach na Gaeilge and the county engineer Joe Beirne prior to their being ordered, paid for, and erected.
Mr Ó Héalaí said Mayo County Council is to be congratulated on being the country’s first Gaeltacht county council to set out a clear blueprint for ensuring the replacement of mis-spelt road signs throughout the county.
