Business group under pressure after 'Grafton Quarter' backlash

A Dublin business group is coming under pressure to remove new Christmas lights in the city.

A sign welcoming shoppers to the Grafton Quarter has fallen foul of the public.

Dublin city's Christmas lights were officially switched on on Tuesday, marking the start of the festive season.

But the lights, which have been getting an upgrade over the past number of years, caused a stir on twitter.

A new 'Welcome to Grafton Quarter' sign, which replaced the old Nollaig Shona Duit greeting, left people questioning whether the famous street had been renamed.

The chief executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland told the Irish Times it was disrespectful to the Irish language and said that the old sign should be put back up.

While the head of the city council said he'd prefer a bilingual message.

Speaking this week, Dublin Town, which organises the lights, said the grafton quarter wasn't a new concept and that it was something adopted by businesses over the last number of years.

Richard Guiney, CEO of the group, insisted this is not a new concept.

"The businesses on Grafton Street have been referring to the area as the Grafton Quarter for the refurbishment of the street that's been going on over the last number of years," he said.

"I think there's a move towards that as a district brand."