The fada – a slanting line over a vowel – is a way of indicating a particular pronunciation or meaning in Irish. Seán is the Irish version of John whereas sean means old.

On Monday the fada had a new meaning: affronted.

That, at least, is how Irish language activists, celebrities and a government minister greeted news that the National Transport Authority (NTA) was refusing to include the acute accent on names of commuters using Leap cards, a type of public transport pass.

The state agency blamed a “technical limitation” for its rendering of Bríd as Brid, Sinéad as Sinead, Séamus as Seamus and a host of other errors.

“There is no real excuse for it,” Liam Ó Maonlaí, the frontman of the rock group Hothouse Flowers, told Irish media. “Pretty much all printing technology has the capacity to print fadas. A lot of people in Ireland view this language as something to be ashamed of. It is a pity.”

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Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, a broadcaster, said the NTA’s excuse was “rubbish” and said private companies and state agencies had an obligation to get the language right. “I have three computers and they all take the fada. My name is my name. There is no excuse – whether public or private – if they want your business or you’re paying your taxes, that is your name. If you respect that person, then you have to respect their name.”

Seán Kyne, the minister of state for the Irish language, said all state bodies were obliged to provide services in Irish and English. “The assertion that the inclusion of fadas on Irish names is not possible because of technical difficulties does not, in my view, make sense.”

The NTA’s policy emerged after the transport minister, Shane Ross, complained that the son of a constituent wanted his Leap card to have the proper spelling of his name. The agency responded that it hoped to resolve the technical issue “at a suitable opportunity in the future”.

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The Irish language withered and almost vanished under British rule before making a comeback in recent decades. It remains unpopular with many schoolchildren who are obliged to study it. Some parents reportedly pressure psychologists to help students obtain exemptions by citing purported stress or anxiety caused by studying the language.