NI Signs

From the BBC:
"Welcome to Northern Ireland signs 'for information"

The regional development minister has said 'Welcome to Northern Ireland' signs that have been put up in border areas are purely for information. Sinn Fein has said the signs are antagonising nationalists and are a waste of money. The minister Danny Kennedy said there was no "no great constitutional drama" about the signs and some people were "getting carried away". "They're welcoming visitors, particularly the many tourists who cross the border, to Northern Ireland and to remind them that speeds are measured in miles per hour, rather than the European measure of kilometres." However, Sinn Fein's Phil Flanagan said the signs had been put up "for political reasons".The Northern Ireland Tourist Board said the responsibility for all road signs lay with the Roads Service.

^ It does seem the signs are a big waste of money and a way to show the ministry's allegiance to the UK. When I crossed the Northern Ireland/Ireland border in 2010 the only signs I saw were ones that said they used miles and not kilometers. Those kind of signs have been used for many years while there have not been any "Welcome to Northern Ireland" signs used since Northern Ireland was created in the 1920s. People seem to have been able to adjust without those signs for over 80 years and so I see no reason to spend money or cause political problems. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19169469