Irish language signs erected in Disneyland

Signs written as Gaeilge will now feature in It’s a Small World ride.

After two years of campaigning, Stuart McHugh’s "crusade", as he describes it, has come to an end. 

McHugh shared the big achievement on his social media account after he was told that his efforts on advocating for Irish signs to be included in the exhibit have paid off. 

McHugh runs an account, DLP Tips ForIrish, and a website aimed at tourists who visit Disneyland Paris, sharing tips and advice. 

It’s a Small World is an attraction at the park that is based on animatronic dolls which sing songs in various languages. They are dressed in traditional clothing from around the world, and display signs in different languages. 

Given the big prominence and involvement of the park with Irish culture, including Irish-themed dolls, McHugh considered that the Irish language should also be featured among the languages and signs of the attraction.

“Lots of the cast at Disneyland Paris are Irish so I just kept asking the right people as much as I could”, he said.

Now, two signs joining the array of the rest of displays , saying “Fáilte” and “Slán go Fóill”, meaning “welcome” and “goodbye for now” in Irish are being displayed for the first time.

“It happened, we did it! I can’t believe it. Thank you so much to anyone at Disneyland Paris. You’ve made us proud, you’ve made me proud. Go raibh míle maith agat”, he said.

Born in Dublin and having attended an Irish speaking primary school, this was also a personal matter to Stuart, who deeply appreciates our native language.

Despite Disneyland Paris has not confirmed that the new additions resulted from McHugh’s campaign, he believes his hard work somehow influenced the change.