Irish Rail has apologised for a spelling mistake in Irish language signage at new turnstiles installed at its revamped Ceannt Station in Galway city.
The national rail operator said the incorrect spelling of the word “Ceannaigh” – the Irish for buy – on new turnstiles at the station was due to an “administrative error by a supplier”.
An Irish Rail spokesperson said the signs erected at the train station in the Republic’s first official bilingual city will be corrected “as soon as possible”.
A Gaeilgeoir passenger spotted the misspelt word “Ceannaig” on signage at the turnstiles.
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The signs were missing an “h” and, devoid of that letter, the word and sentence do not make sense.
“Galway is known across Ireland as a bilingual city where Irish and English hold equal status. It is a unique status that we are proud of,” said Adam Mac Aogáin, who spotted the error.
“To see the word ‘ceannaigh’, the first word on the signage, being misspelt in our primary train station that connects us to the rest of Ireland is a great disappointment.”
The spelling mistake appears eight times in print, on signs attached to four of the new turnstiles.
“We are sorry for this error – we review all signage and have very clear standards to ensure our bilingual signage has the required prominence and accuracy prior to being posted,” said Barry Kenny, corporate communications manager at the company.
“In this instance, the correct spelling was actually provided prior to printing, but due to an administrative error by a supplier, the incorrect spelling was printed. We will arrange to have this corrected as soon as possible,” he added.
The new turnstiles are part of a €70 million overhaul of Ceannt Station off Eyre Square. The redevelopment includes an increase in platforms from two to five, a new southern entrance and facade, a new roof, retail units, customer facilities and toilets. It is on track to be completed this winter.
