I bought this camera four days ago, and the pics were good quality for the piece of tech (first two pics). Ever since that first day, the pics have been almost foggy? Has this happened to anyone else? The recent pics are trash as you can see (last two)
I bought this camera four days ago, and the pics were good quality for the piece of tech (first two pics). Ever since that first day, the pics have been almost foggy? Has this happened to anyone else? The recent pics are trash as you can see (last two).
DUP Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has wiped out funding for a project crucial to helping councils with dual language policies, including the proper translation of street signs into Irish.
The shock move to remove funding for the near four-decade old Northern Ireland Place-Name Project has the potential to halt or severely delay council plans to erect Irish-English street signs, critics say.
It comes amid an ongoing and often acrimonious debate over bilingual signage, pitting those arguing for policies lowering the approval threshold for new signs, led by Sinn Féin, and those opposed, particularly Mr Lyons’ DUP.
Mr Lyons was challenged to explain why the funding understood to be approximately £90,000 a year was taken away from the organisation, with questions asked on whether it was “politically motivated”.
A Department for Communities (DfC) spokesperson said the project “has received funding at various points from a number of Northern Ireland departments”.
“The latest funding agreement for the project concluded at the end of April. In addition to the conclusion of funding, the project has faced ongoing staffing challenges,” a spokesperson said.
“Arrangements are in train to ensure that the Project’s database remains available to researchers.”
In a statement, the project said it “has now reached the end of its current funding period and the team is in the process of winding down activities”.
“We regret that we are no longer in a position to respond to requests for information or translations. We appreciate your understanding as we conclude this phase of its work,” it added.
“Any update will be shared here should the situation change in the future.”
The Place-Name project was born in 1987 with the aim of researching the origins and meanings of local place-names, based on a collection of over 30,000 names of settlements and physical features.
The Place-Name Project has lost all of its funding
Names derived from sources stretching back over 2,000 years – from Ptolemy’s Geography to the first Ordnance Survey conducted in Ireland between 1824 and 1846 – were identified and catalogued, the project explains on its website.
In recent years, the project led by Professor Mícheál Ó Mainnín and assisted by a full-time researcher and volunteers has played a vital role in ensuring the proper Irish translation is included on new dual language street signs.
Funding in three-year cycles has been provided by the DfC for the past six years, prior to which it was managed by the Department of Finance.
Conchúr Ó Muadaigh, advocacy manager with Conradh na Gaeilge, said the Place-Name Project is “written into the street naming policies of our local councils as the academic service that provides the final translation for our dual-language street name signs”.
It has provided “that excellent service in the face of ever-increasing demand in recent years”.
“The news that the Place-Name project is ‘winding down activities’ and no longer taking applications essentially means the project will be closed due to a lack of funding,” he said.
Mr Ó Muadaigh added: “At best, the Department for Communities has completely failed to give the project the necessary long-term financial support and backing to allow them to continue.
“At worst, many may see this as a DUP controlled department essentially shutting down the engine room that informs all dual-language street signs, taking aim once more at the Irish language and the rights of our community.
“The department....must move to urgently clarify this long-term funding.”
“The decision to withdraw this funding will have serious consequences for local councils and their ability to continue that work,” SDLP communities spokesperson Mark H Dukan said.
“The communities minister was aware that funding was required for this team to continue and must now explain clearly why it has been denied,” the Foyle MLA said.
“Given the importance of this work to the Irish language, there are legitimate questions about whether this decision was politically motivated.”
Mr Durkan added that the project has “played an important role in translation work for dual-language signage, which is becoming increasingly common”.
“It’s deeply disappointing that a project which has contributed so much to life in Northern Ireland has been forced to cease operations after nearly three decades,” he said.
“The NIPNP has helped us better understand our shared history, the places we come from and how many of those place names came to be.
“It has also been vital in supporting the Irish language, tracing the links between original Irish place names and the versions used today.”
Sinn Féin MLA Com Gildernew said he raised the issue directly with Mr Lyons.
“The Place-Names Project has been vital in enabling us to better understand our rich heritage through its research and preservation work,” Mr Gildernew said.
“I will be raising this again with the minister as a matter of urgency.”