Primark has apologised after an employee at its Belfast store was warned her Irish-language Christmas jumper could be deemed offensive.

A female employee at the Northern Irish capital’s store was said to have worn a jumper that said “Nollaig shona”, which is Irish for Happy Christmas, The Irish Times reported.

She was then asked to visit the office and told some people could find the Irish writing offensive.

The employee was also told Spanish-language clothing would be acceptable, but Irish-language clothing is not, and ordered to report to the firm’s head office over the issue.

Primark has since apologised over the incident.

The clothing and homewares retailer, which specialises in low-priced goods, was founded in Ireland in 1969 under the name Penneys.

The company confirmed the incident occurred, and said it does not have a policy that prevents the use of Irish language on clothing.

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In a statement to Sky News, it added: “We support an inclusive workplace where everyone should feel welcome at work.

“We are really sorry that this incident took place, this was an isolated event that should not have happened, and we are taking steps to provide further guidance to our colleagues on our workwear policy.”

Primark still operates in Ireland under its original name.

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