This is a list of flags which have been, or are still today, used in Ireland.
Island of Ireland
The following flags have been used to represent the island of Ireland as a whole, either officially or unofficially.[citation needed]
Flag
Date
Use
Description
1386–1542
The heraldic banner of the Lordship of Ireland was based on its coat of arms. The earliest depiction of the 'triple crown' motif is found on the arms granted by Richard II to Robert de Vere as Lord of Ireland in 1386. "They were borne, apparently as the arms of Ireland, in the funeral procession of Henry IV in 1413. They appear as a device on the Irish coinage of Edward IV (1461–83), Richard III (1483–85), Henry VII (1485–1509), and the pretender, Lambert Simnel (1487). Edward IV specified them as the Irish arms in an indenture of 1483".[1] The 'triple crown' motif has been traditionally associated with St. Edmund, the Saxon king of East Anglia (855–869) who is today one of the patron saints of England. The flag of East Anglia was a St. George's Cross with a blue coat of arms featuring three gold crowns – visually similar to the arms of the province of Munster. In his work 'Vicissitudes of Families', Bernard Burke, the Ulster King of Arms, proposed that St. Edmund's Banner was borne during the Norman Invasion of Ireland. A section of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin is dedicated to St. Edmund, although his iconography is not displayed.
The banner of the Lordship of Ireland was based on the arms and feature three golden crowns ordered vertically on a blue background with a white border. It is blazoned: "Azure, three crowns in pale Or, bordure Argent."
The flag is a heraldic banner and features the Red Hand of Ulster, a six-pointed star for the six counties of Northern Ireland and the British Crown on a de Burgh Cross.
1929–1973
Ensign of the former Northern Ireland government.
The blue ensign defaced with the letters GNI. Used on vessels of the Northern Ireland government.
A tricolour, with three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white and orange; (the green symbolises Catholicism, the white Peace and the orange Protestantism, therefore the flag represents peace between Catholics and Protestants). This is the flag and ensign of Ireland.
1945–present
The standard of the president of Ireland was adopted in 1945, after the establishment of the Office of the President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann) in 1937. "This flag was approved by the Government on 13 February 1945. A number of technical decisions were made at the same time, including the decision that... the strings of the harp be yellow (in settlement of the question raised by Edward MacLysaght, who had insisted that the strings should be white)".[5] The Presidential Standard was introduced prior to the inauguration of Ireland's second President Seán T. O'Kelly and therefore, it was raised at Áras an Uachtaráin in the presence of President Douglas Hyde on 24 May 1945, a month before the inauguration of his successor on 25 June 1945.[2] The standard is flown over Áras an Uachtaráin and on vehicles used by the president. The flag is never flown at half mast and never takes precedence over the flag of Ireland.
The flag features a blue field and a gold harp with 14 diagonal golden strings.
Defence Forces flags
Naval Service
Flag
Date
Use
Description
1947–present
The Irish Naval Jack was adopted in 1947 after the establishment of the Naval Service (Ireland) (an tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh) in 1946.[1] It is flown at the bow and used to represent Ireland along with the Naval Ensign. The Naval Jack is flown "by Irish Naval Ships at the Jack staff when at anchor, moored, alongside or when under way and dressed with Masthead Ensigns. It is hoisted and half masted at the same time and in like manner as the Naval Ensign."[6]
Double-sided square banner. The primary colour is navy blue on both sides. The obverse side carries the Defence Forces badge at the centre superimposed over a pair of crossed silver foul anchors. The colour is bordered by a two-inch wide gold fringe Naval Service.
1996–present
Naval Service Colour Flag
Double-sided square banner. The primary colour is navy blue on both sides. A navy blue flag containing the state harp at its centre surrounded by a naval knotted rope decoration.Naval Service.
Air Corps
Flag
Date
Use
Description
Irish Air Corps Flag
Composed of Red and yellow diagonal strips on a blue field with the emblem of Irish Air Corps at its centre, the emblem of Irish Defence forces on upper left and the Air Corps roundel on bottom right. This is the flag of the Irish Airforce Corps.
Army
Flag
Date
Use
Description
1966–present
The Military Colours of the 1st Brigade of the Irish Defence Forces were part of a set of six unit Colours that were designed in 1964. It was originally known as the Southern Command until the reorganisation of the army in 2012. There are now only two Brigades responsible for military operations in Ireland.
The Military Colours of the 1st Brigade are a field "divided per bend, or diagonally, yellow above and blue below, with a centrepiece of a stylised ship with a red hull and white sails encircled by a parti-coloured antique crown of yellow and blue. This device is a combination of details of the arms of the province of Munster and the city of Cork."[1] 'Óglaigh na hÉireann' is written across the top, which is the official Irish title for the Defence Forces (Ireland). 'An Cead Briogaid' is written at across the bottom and means '1st Brigade' in Irish. The badge of the Irish Defence Forces is placed in the right-hand corner (fly).
1966–present
The Military Colours of the 2nd Brigade of the Irish Defence Forces were part of a set of six unit Colours that were designed in 1964 and were the first to be completed. They "were carried for the first time in the army parades and marches which formed part of the Dublin celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 rising at Easter 1966".[1]
The Military Colours of the 2nd Brigade are "divided per pale, or vertically, in two stripes, blue and green. The centrepiece shows a rising sun in yellow, on which are superimposed a flaming tower and a yellow harp device. The sun device is from the Irish Volunteer colours of 1914, the tower is from the arms of the city of Dublin and the harp is from the arms of the province of Leinster".[1]Óglaigh na hÉireann is written across the top, which is the official Irish title for the Irish Defence Forces. 'An Dara Briogaid' is written at across the bottom and means '2nd Brigade' in Irish. The badge of the Irish Defence Forces is placed in the right-hand corner (fly).
Air Defence Regiment Flag
Composed of an orange flag with a purple emblem of Air Defence Regiment at its centre.
Teal coloured flag with white border containing the emblem of the Medical Corps at its centre.
Defence Force Training Centre (DFTC)
Flag
Date
Use
Description
The Colours of the Defence Forces Training Centre represent the place "for all Defence Forces training, education and logistical units".[7]
The Colours of Defence Forces Training Centre feature a navy field, the shield of the Defence Forces Training Centre in the middle, its name in Irish at the bottom: ‘Airmheán Traenála Óglaigh na hÉireann’ and the badge of the Irish Defence Forces in the right-hand corner (fly). The shield depicts an oak leaf and two acorns. The Training Centre is located at the Curragh Camp in County Kildare. The name Kildare is the anglicised form of the Irish 'Cill Dara', which means 'church of the oak'.
Coast Guard
Flag
Date
Use
Description
Coast Guard Flag
White background flag containing the emblem of the coast guard at its center, this is the flag of the Irish Coast Guard.
The arms of the nine-county province of Ulster form a composite achievement, combining the heraldic symbols of two of that province's best known families, namely the cross of de Burgo and the dexter hand of O Neill (Ua Néill, later Ó Néill) Kings of Ailech and Tír Eoghan.
The province of Munster has been heraldically symbolised by three golden antique crowns on an azure blue shield. A crown of the type now known as antique Irish forms an integral element of a thirteenth-century crozier head found near Cormac's Chapel on the Rock of Cashel. In the case of the 'king-bishops' of Cashel, the placing of the antique crown on their crozier was a symbolic assertion of their right to the political sovereignty of Munster.
The arms of Connacht use a dimidiated (divided in half from top to bottom) eagle and armed hand. Ruaidhri O'Conchobhair, King of Connacht, is surmised to have been conceded the arms of Schottenklöster for the Irish monastery founded in Regensburg,[8] which approximate to the Connacht Flag of 1651
A silver stringed golden harp on a green background. Possibly the oldest and certainly the most celebrated instance of the use of the harp device on a green field was the flag of Owen Roe O'Neill. It is recorded that his ship, the St Francis, as she lay at anchor at Dunkirk, flew from her mast top 'the Irish harp in a green field, in a flag'.
No history of flag use
The ancient Kingdom of Meath (Mide) was represented by the emblem of a king seated on a throne. There is no history of a flag ever being used, however an emblem was used which derived from iconography rather than classic heraldry. "The old province of Meath, which is nearly coextensive with the present day Diocese of Meath, is heraldically personified by a representation of a royal personage seated on a throne... It is, of course, fitting that Meath, wherein stood Tara, the symbolic site of the Kingship of Ireland, should be shown heraldically by a representation of a royal personage, or majesty, seated on a throne. The arms of Meath were apparently used at one time as the arms of Ireland, i.e. a majesty on a sable (black) background, the provincial arms being displayed on an azure (blue) field".[9]
The flag of Mide features a light blue field with a king sitting on a throne. The sceptre and outstretched right hand symbolise sovereignty and justice respectively. Today this emblem is used by the Meath GAA team but not the Meath County Council.
City and town flags
Flag
Date
Use
Description
1885–present
The flag of Dublin City was adopted in 1885 by the Dublin Corporation. In the canton it features 'three burning castles' which are part of the coat of arms of the city that were officially granted in 1607 by the Ulster King of Arms, Daniel Molyneux. The arms was a corruption of the earlier seal of Dublin that featured one castle with three watchtowers on the obverse and a ship on the reverse, whose earliest mention was in 1230. The seal of Dublin was based on the arms of Bristol as King Henry II granted the city to his men of Bristol with the 1171 Charter. This meant that Bristol merchants took control of colonisation of the Dublin city after the Norman invasion of Ireland.[10] The flag is flown over Dublin City Hall, the Mansion House and around the city, both indoors as well as outdoors. It acts as the de facto flag of the Dublin City Council.
The flag of Dublin City features a green field with a gold harp and three white two-towered burning castles on a navy canton. The gold harp represents both Ireland and Leinster, while the three burning castles are the lesser coat of arms of the city. Green and blue are the two national colours of Ireland.
1890–present
Flag of Belfast is a heraldic banner that is based on the shield of the coat of arms of the city. The arms were granted in 1890, two years after Belfast was awarded city status by Queen Victoria. Although the banner was adopted in 1890, it has seldom been used. "The precise origins and meanings of the symbols contained on the Coat of Arms are unknown. But images such as the bell, the seahorse, the ship and the chained wolf were all used by 17th-century Belfast merchants on their signs and coinage. The seahorse, which is used twice, shows the maritime importance of Belfast, as does the ship at the base of the shield".[11]
The flag of Belfast is a horizontal bicolour of white and light blue. It features a silver bell in a red canton, a triangle of Vair(type of heraldic pattern) and a ship on waves with a Saint Patrick's Saltire as a naval ensign and masthead.
2012–present
The flag of Drogheda town was adopted by Drogheda Borough Council in 2012 and features a triband of red and black which are considered to be the 'town colours' and the coat of arms of Drogheda town. The exact origins of the arms are obscure due to the records being lost in a fire. Some believe that the 'castle and ship' element on the shield is derived from the arms of Bristol, in the same way as the 13th century Dublin seal. Others feel that the castle represents Saint Laurence Gate, while the ship stands for the river Boyne and Drogheda port. The 'star and crescent' emblem has the same origin as the coat of arms of Portsmouth and is taken from the arms of Richard I of England (Lionheart) who adopted it during the Third Crusade. The three lions 'passant guardant' are also derived from Richard I who began to use the emblem in 1198 to represent his position as King of the English, Duke of the Normans and Duke of the Aquitaines. These emblems honour the king, during whose reign Drogheda was granted its charter in 1194 by Hugh de Lacy. Since the 'Local Government Reform Act 2014' that came into effect from 1 June 2014, Drogheda Borough Council no longer exists and is now part of Louth County Council.
The flag is a vertical triband of red-black-red and features the coat of arms of Drogheda in the centre. The town's motto reads: Deus praesidium, mercatura decustranslates, which means "God our strength, merchandise our glory".
2013–present
The unofficial flag of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council was adopted in August 2014. It was originally designed and used for Bratacha 2013 – Ireland's first ever 'Festival of Flags and Emblems'.[12] The design concept was based on a combination of the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council emblem, the coat of arms and on a loose translation of the County motto: Ó Chuan go Sliabh, meaning ‘from harbour to mountain’. Today the flag flies every weekend at the County Hall in the town of Dún Laoghaire.
The unofficial flag of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council has a yellow field and features a green shamrock with two strokes – green and blue. The green stroke represents the mountains, while the blue one stands for the sea. This reflects the fact that the county is bordered by the Irish Sea and the Wicklow Mountains.
The upper flag is simply a banner of arms, with the city arms: Sable a human skeleton Or seated upon a mossy stone proper and in dexter chief a castle triple towered Argent on a chief of the last a cross gules charged with a harp or and in the first quarter a sword erect also gules. The skeleton commemorates the many who starved to death during the Siege of Derry (1688–89). A red flag was hung from St Columb's Cathedral during the siege and a red (or crimson) flag has become a symbol of Protestant identity in the city,[13] used by the Apprentice Boys of Derry,[14] and the "bloody flag" is sometimes described as the flag of the city as well.[15][16][17]
2017–present
The Tallaght Unity Flag / An Bratach Aontacht Thamlachta
The Tallaght Unity Flag features a red deer. The green triangle in the lower left corner represents the landscape surrounding Tallaght. The flag also includes three blue, eight-pointed stars on the right side, reflecting a design captured during the Battle of Tallaght in 1867 and with blue representing inclusivity and unity.[18]
The flag features a green field with a coat of arms quartered with the arms of the four provinces of Ireland. The association represents the whole island of Ireland and this is reflected in the flag.
A dark blue field with the Irish Flag in the canton and a harp in the fly, with three crowns (arranged two above and one below) beneath the harp, and the year "1720" beneath the crowns.[25]
1831–1846
Ensign of the Royal Irish Yacht Club
A white field divided by a red St. George's Cross, with a Union Jack in the canton, and a gold harp on a blue background in the lower fly.
A Blue Ensign with the letters "C.D.B." in red in the fly, with a crown above them and a harp below them.
1907–1916
Ensign of the Congested Districts Board for Ireland
A Blue Ensign featuring a harp with a crown above it the fly, with the letter "C" to the left of the crown, the letter "D" above it and the letter "B" to the right of it, all surrounded by a red lozenge.
circa 1900–1922
Ensign of the Department of Agriculture
A Blue Ensign with a white disc in the fly containing a smaller blue disc surrounded by a wreath of shamrocks in which there is a harp.[37]
A green flag with a gold pike topped with a red phrygian cap, superimposed over which is a gold harp, and a gold scroll bearing the slogan "Erin Go Brah" in black beneath the harp.
1846–1848
The green silk flag of the Saint Patrick's Battalion of the Mexican Army may have incorporated the old Irish Harp flag (illustrated), which may date back to the Irish Confederacy. However, no original depictions are extant, and period descriptions of it differ.
Green background with Irish Harp, shamrocks and Motto Erin Go Bragh in Gold
Flag of Queen's University Belfast is a heraldic banner that is based on its coat of arms which were granted on 24 March 1910, two years after the establishment of the university. The arms are similar to those used by the Queen's University of Ireland which existed from 1850 to 1879.[38]
The banner is a Saint Patrick's Saltire that features a book, a sea horse, the Red Hand of Ulster, a harp and a British crown. The book stands for the university, the sea horse represents Belfast, the Red Hand is for Ulster, the harp symbolises Ireland and the crown is for the British monarchy. The university's arms are blazoned as: "Per saltire azure and argent, on a saltire gules, between in chief an open book and in base a harp both proper, in dexter a hand couped of the third, and in sinister a sea-horse vert gorged with a mural crown of the fourth, an Imperial crown of the last".
The flag of the University of Dublin incorporates its coat of arms which were granted in the nineteenth century on a blue field. The flag is flown over Trinity College Dublin on commencements days.
Flag of Vexillology Ireland was adopted by the Genealogical Society of Ireland on 4 July 2013. It was first used to represent the society at the 25th International Congress of Vexillology (ICV) in Rotterdam which was held from 4–10 August 2013.[citation needed]
A gold rising sun with nine rays against a red background, and a red hammer and sickle within the sun.
1914–present
The Starry Plough Banner made its first appearance at an Irish Citizen Army meeting on 5 April 1914. It was flown on O'Connell Street above the Imperial Hotel (Clery's) during the 1916 Easter Rising. It was believed to have been destroyed but was later discovered. It had been seized by a British officer who returned the flag to the Irish government in 1955. The flag was in a decrepit condition until it was restored with funding from the Irish Labour Party in 2013 and displayed at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History. It is believed that the banner was designed by the art teacher William H. Megahy. His original drawing featured a blue rather than a green field and was presented to the National Museum in 1954 by the playwright Seán O'Casey who was the secretary of the Irish Citizen Army before the Easter Rising.[1] A statue of James Connolly with a bronze depiction of the Starry Plough that featured on the banner is located underneath the railway bridge on Beresford Place in Dublin. It was at this location that Connolly frequently addressed political and trade union rallies. The banner is still used today in the form of a flag by certain Irish socialist groups.
The banner features a green field bordered by a gilt fringe with a gold stylised representation of an agricultural plough that is superimposed by 7 silver stars forming the constellation Ursa Major, commonly known as 'the Plough'.
1934–present
"In 1934, the largest trade union, the Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU), introduced a simplified version of the Starry Plough with a sky-blue field, resembling the Alaskan flag adopted 7 years earlier. It was adopted as the emblem of the Irish Labour movement, including the Irish Labour Party, although they eventually dropped it".[39] Today the flag is used by various Irish socialist, nationalist and republican groups.
The Starry Plough flag (An Camchéachta) features a light blue field with 7 five-pointed white stars forming the constellation Ursa Major, commonly known as 'the Plough'.
1916
On 24 April 1916, a flag with the inscription 'Irish Republic' was hoisted alongside the Irish tricolour over the General Post Office, Dublin during the 1916 Easter Rising as a proclamation of the Irish Republic. A photograph was taken of it flying on the south-eastern corner of the GPO by a guest staying in the Metropole Hotel. "It remained on the roof throughout the week, survived the bombardment and the fire which destroyed the G.P.O and was eventually removed by the troops after the insurgents' surrender, either on Sunday, 30 April or on the following day. A photograph taken at the time shows a group of soldiers holding it upside down at the base of Parnell monument in O'Connell Street. Thereafter, it was placed in the Imperial War Museum, London. It was presented by the British government to the Irish government on the fiftieth anniversary of the rising in 1966".[1]
The flag features a green field with the inscription "Irish Republic" written in white and yellow (gold) letters in the form of Gaelic script. It measures 4 feet 3 inches by 5 feet 6 inches and is now on display at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History.
1858
Flags used by the Fenian Brotherhood[citation needed] which was founded in Dublin on St Patrick's Day 1858.
Two flags used in the past by the Fenian Brotherhood. The first flag is based on the American 'Stars and Stripes' It has four bars representing the provinces of Ireland and 32 stars representing the counties.
The second flag is a green banner defaced with 32 gold stars to represent the Irish counties. It was captured from the Fenians during the Battle of Tallaght, 1867.
Flag of the Orange Order, a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and a small number in the Republic of Ireland.
An orange field with a purple five-pointed star in the lower fly and a St. George's Cross in the canton.
The Purple Standard, used by some Orange Order marching groups.
A purple field with an orange five-pointed star in the lower fly and a St. George's Cross in the canton. Effectively an inverted version of the primary Orange Order flag.
Flag of the Apprentice Boys of Derry, a Protestant fraternal organisation based in Derry City, Northern Ireland.
A gold symbol of the Eucharistic Congress on a light blue field.
Former national flag proposals
Flag
Date
Use
Description
Proposed in 1951
Flag endorsed by both Sligo and Dublin County Councils. This proposal involved adding a blue Celtic Cross to the centre of the Irish tricolour to symbolise the Christianity and Faith of the Irish people. It appeared in the Drogheda Independent on 13 January 1951.[41]
The Irish tricolour defaced with a blue Celtic Cross in the centre.
