Ireland (island)

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For other uses, see Ireland (disambiguation).

Ireland (Irish: Éire; Ulster-Scots: Airlann) is an island in north-western Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), an independent state covering five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

There is no cross-border flag universally accepted as representing both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland. This can be a problem in contexts where a body organised on an all-island basis needs to be represented by a flag in an international context.

Saint Patrick's Saltire[]

The Saint Patrick's Saltire was incorporated into the Union Flag in 1801 by way of the Act of Union 1800 to represent Ireland within the new United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Irish tricolour[]

Main article: Republic of Ireland

The tricolour of green, white and orange, the official flag of the Republic of Ireland, was originally intended by nationalists to represent the entire island.

Four Provinces flag[]

The Four Provinces Flag of Ireland is a quartering of the arms of the four provinces of Ireland, Munster, Connacht, Leinster, and Ulster. The order of the provinces varies. Various all-Ireland sports teams and organisations use the Four Provinces Flag of Ireland and a four province Crest of Ireland.

Erne flag[]

This flag was initially used on the Shannon–Erne Waterway, which is bisected by the border. Rather than flying a national flag, boats fly this green, white and blue flag. It is endorsed by the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland, an all-island organisation. This design is, however, very similar to the national flag of Sierra Leone.

Harp flags[]

The harp (or cláirseach) has long been a symbol of Ireland, being first recorded in a French roll of arms known as the Armorial Wijnbergen, which dates to the late 13th century. During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the harp became adorned with progressively more decoration, ultimately becoming a 'winged maiden'.

Blue harp flag[]

The lower left quadrant of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom has featured a harp on a blue field, representing Ireland since 1603. The current version, designed in 1953, uses a winged-maiden harp and consists of a golden cláirseach with silver strings on a blue background. The shade of blue in the field was known as Saint Patrick's Blue when used in 1783 for the regalia of the Order of Saint Patrick.

Green harp flag[]

The flag of a harp on a green background was first used by Owen Roe O'Neil in 1642. The change from blue to green started in the 17th century with Owen Roe O'Neill and Confederate Ireland, The colour green became associated with Ireland from the 1640s onwards. This was a common flag used to represent Ireland during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It consisted of a gold cláirseach on a green background. It was associated with moderate nationalism at a time when the tricolour was confined to more radical movements. It is the same as the modern Flag of Leinster. It was used by the Irish team at the 1930 British Empire Games.

Sporting flags[]

Several all-island sporting organisations send representative teams to compete internationally. In some cases, a flag unique to that organisation is used in lieu of a national flag. Typically such flags include one of the traditional symbols of Ireland.