Irish Flags
Flags in Ireland have dated back hundreds of years with different representations of cultures, family clans and areas within Ireland. The following information gives a brief insight to some of the flags of Ireland. Click on the image to get more information on each Irish flag.
In
Irish Bhratach Náisiúnta is the National Flag of Ireland or better known
as the Tricolour. It is the official national flag of the Republic
of Ireland and was first introduced as the national flag for the Irish Free
State in 1922 but was not given official status until the Constitution of
Ireland in 1937.
The
flag of the four provinces in Ireland represent all of Ireland as one
and is made up of the flags of each province of Ulster, Munster, Leinster
and Connacht. The four provinces flag is used by nationalists in Ireland
and is flown by different organisations such as sporting clubs.
This
flag of Ulster is the original flag that represents the old nine counties
of Ulster, before six counties has been partitioned into Northern Ireland.
The closed thumb on the red hand is the old version of the Ulster flag
with the new flag using an open thumb.
The
Munster flag represents six counties in the province which are Clare,
Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. Munter is Ireland most
Southern province and the flag is similar to that of the Dublin flag that
shows three castles instead of crowns.
The
Connacht flag represents five counties that are Galway, Leitrim, Mayo,
Roscommon and Sligo and the province is know as the West of Ireland. The
province of Connacht has a large Irish speaking community also known as
the Gaeltacht in Galway and Mayo.
The
Leinster flag represents the largest population of the four provinces
and is made up of counties Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford,
Louth, Meath, West Meath, Offaly, Wexford and Wicklow.
The
Presidential Standard flag of Ireland is the flag that represents the President
of Ireland and is flown over the presidential palace in Dublin, also known
as Áras an Uachtaráin. The flag is never flown at half mast and is to never
take precedence over the official flag of Ireland, the Irish tricolour.
Saint
Patricks Flag serves no real official status in Ireland but did have semi-official
status in 1783 when the flag represented the Order of St Patrick foundation
in Ireland. The origin of the St Patrick cross design is somewhat unknown
but does date back to the 1400’s. St Patricks cross was implemented into
the Union Jack in the 1800’s to represent Ireland as part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.