Draft legislation brings Dingle name change row close to resolution

THE long-running Dingle name change row is coming closer to resolution, it has emerged.

New draft legislation, published by Environment Minister John Gormley, will allow the popular tourist town and fishing port have a bilingual name.

It will be known as Dingle /Daingean Uí Chúis in accordance with the wishes of people in the town who, in October 2006, voted in a local plebiscite on the issue.

The plebiscite returned a majority of more than 90 per cent in favour of the bilingual name.

The row started in 2004 when Gaeltacht Minister Eamon O’Cúiv, acting under the Placenames Order of the Official Languages Act, changed the name of the town to An Daingean.

The decision caused an outcry locally, especially among tourism interests who claimed the use of the Irish name only would cause confusion and make it more difficult for visitors to find their way to Dingle.

Some visitors would be unable to understand the Irish-only signage on roads leading to the area, it was claimed.

Minister John Gormley, however, has now published draft legislation as part of the Local Government Bill 2010.

It provides for the Irish version of An Daingean to be Daingean Uí Chúis and for the English version to be Dingle.

These versions of the name will supersede the name set out in the 2004 Placenames Order.

But, the English version of the name cannot be used on signposts until the law is changed.

This continues to be a source ofirritation to some people in the Dingle area who, over the past few years, have been putting the English version of the name on signposts which just had An Daingean.

These “unofficial” signs can be seen on roads leading to Dingle from places such as Killarney.

However, a spokesman for Kerry County Council pointed out that people who put the English version, Dingle, on road signs, had no authority to do so.

He also said the council could not do anything until the law had been changed, as they were still legally bound under the placenames legislation and Official Languages Act

Dingle is in the Gaeltacht and current legislation states that towns and placenames within the Gaeltacht must be referred to in Irish only on road signs.