Saint Patrick's Flag
Encyclopedia
Saint Patrick's Cross is a red saltire
(X-shaped cross) on a white field. In heraldic
language, it may be blazon
ed Argent
, a saltire gules
. Saint Patrick's Flag is a flag
composed of Saint Patrick's Saltire.
The flag is sometimes used to represent Ireland
and takes its name from Saint Patrick
, the patron saint
of Ireland. The antiquity of the association with Ireland and Saint Patrick has been questioned. The cross was used in the regalia
of the Order of Saint Patrick, a British chivalric order
established in 1783 by George III
, and later in the arms and flags of a number of institutions. After the 1800 Act of Union joined Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain
, the saltire was added to the British flag to form the Union Flag
still used by the United Kingdom
.
Saint Patrick's Cross is rejected by many Irish nationalists as a British invention. In modern usage, it is sometimes associated with Northern Ireland as there is no universally accepted flag for the island of Ireland
.
, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
, forwarded to his superiors in London in January 1783:
The Order of Saint Patrick was created in 1783 to mark the Constitution of 1782
which gave substantial autonomy to Ireland. The order was a means of rewarding (or obtaining) political support in the Irish Parliament
.
The origin of the cross used in the badge is unclear. Many subsequent commentators have assumed that the saltire was simply taken from the medieval arms of the FitzGerald
s (or Geraldines). William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster
was the premier peer in the Irish House of Lords
and a founder member of the Order of Saint Patrick. Michael Casey suggests that Lord Temple, pressed for time, had based the Order's insignia on those of the Order of the Garter
, and simply rotated its George's Cross through 45 degrees.
While there is earlier evidence of saltires used in representations of Ireland, it is scanty and equivocal; instances have been explained away as the Geraldine arms, or sometimes as the Spanish Cross of Burgundy. The CAIN
website states:
The arms of Ireland since the sixteenth century have been a gold harp with silver strings on a blue field. Some contemporary commentators in Ireland condemned the Order's red saltire as an alien symbol. While there had previously been crosses associated with Saint Patrick, they were not X-shaped.
A variety of sources show saltires in use earlier than 1783 in Ireland.
The design on the reverse
of some Irish coins (groat and half-groat) minted c.1480 includes two shields with saltires. At this time, Gerald FitzGerald
was Lord Deputy of Ireland
, and the shields are considered to be his arms.
English and German picture maps of the battle of Kinsale of 1601/2 show the combined Irish–Spanish forces under a red saltire. This is presumed to be the Cross of Burgundy, the war flag
of the House of Burgundy
(merged into the House of Habsburg) that ruled Spain, rather than an Irish flag.
The arms of Trinity College Dublin, attested from 1612, show flags flying from two castle turrets. One is a red cross on white, interpreted as St George's Cross; the other is a red saltire on white, interpreted as representing Ireland.
Contemporary reports of the ensigns of the Irish Catholic Confederation
during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
state that each had a canton with a red saltire on a gold field. A 1645 picture map of the Siege of Duncannon
shows Preston
's Confederates under a saltire.
A 1915 book about flags claims that The Protectorate
of the 1650s briefly used a flag containing the St George's cross in the first and fourth quarters, St Andrew's cross in the second, and a red saltire on white in the third to represent Ireland. Several drawings of Union flags, including one of HMS Henry
made c.1661 by Willem van de Velde, the elder, include a red saltire as in the post-1800 Union; but there is no official evidence for such a design.
Several atlases and flag books in the late 17th and 18th centuries show a red-saltire–on–white flag for Ireland; including Paulus van der Dussen's (c.1690), and Le Neptune françois, a marine atlas published in Amsterdam in 1693, where it is depicted with the legends Ierse above and Irlandois below — Dutch and French for "Irish". Jan Blaeu's 1650s atlas has a saltire on white for Ireland, which is hand-coloured red in some copies.
, patron of Scotland, although modern vexillology
allows only a blue-and-white design to be so called. A February 1783 newspaper complained that "the breasts of Irishmen were to be decorated by the bloody Cross of St Andrew, and not that of the tutelar Saint of their natural isle". Another article claimed that "the Cross of St Andrew the Scotch saint is to honour the Irish order of St Patrick, by being inserted within the star of the order [...] a manifest insult to common sense and to national propriety".
An open letter to Lord Temple, to whom the design of the Order of St. Patrick's badges were entrusted, echoes this and elaborates:
As against this, a 1785 newspaper report from Waterford
states:
is a gold harp on a blue field. It represented Ireland in the flags of earlier unions: the Commonwealth Flag (England and Ireland, 1649) and the Protectorate Jack (England, Ireland and Scotland, 1658). It also featured on the Royal Standard since James I
.
The Celtic cross
and Brigid's cross
are other crosses which have been used as symbols of Ireland.
in 1997.
Flags in Northern Ireland are controversial
, their symbolism reflecting underlying political differences. Saint Patrick's Cross is sometimes used as a cross-community symbol with less political baggage than either the Union Flag
or the Ulster Banner
, seen as pro-Unionist, or the Irish tricolour used by Irish nationalists
.
It is one of two flags authorised to be flown on church grounds by the Church of Ireland
, the other being the Compasrose Flag of the Anglican Communion
. This was the recommendation of a 1999 synod committee on sectarianism
. For similar motives, it is the basis of the police badge of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland
. David McNarry
suggested it should be allowed in Northern Irish number plates analogous to the flags allowed on English, Scottish, and Welsh plates.
Saint Patrick's Flag is often seen during Saint Patrick's Day
parades in Northern Ireland
. Flags are handed out by Down District Council
before the Downpatrick
parade, near Patrick's burial place at Down Cathedral
. In Great Britain, Saint Patrick's Flag was flown in place of the Irish tricolour at the 2009 parade in Croydon
, prompting complaints from some councillors. It is flown on Patrick's Day by Bradford
City Council. It is one of the flags approved by the Orange Institution
for display during Orange walk
s. The all-island bodies for men's and ladies' bowls
compete internationally under the Saint Patrick's flag.
At the 1935 celebrations in London for George V
's silver jubilee, "The cross of St. George representing England and Wales
, and the saltires of St. Andrew and St. Patrick, representing Scotland and Ireland" were flown separately and used in combination. At the time the Irish Free State
was a separate Dominion
within the British Commonwealth. In 1986, government policy during state visit
s to London was to fly the crosses of George, Andrew and Patrick and the Welsh Dragon
. The government clarified that the Union Jack was the flag of Northern Ireland, not the Patrick's Cross or the Ulster Banner
.
that merged the kingdoms of Great Britain
and Ireland
, a red saltire was incorporated into the Flag of the United Kingdom
as representing Ireland. Regardless of the uncertainty over its origins, the saltire gules on a white field was used in the arms adopted by various Irish organisations, and some outside Ireland.
The arms of Cork city
show red-saltire flags on the two towers, though not on versions prior to 1800. Coleraine Borough Council
includes Patrick's cross, as Patrick is said to have given Coleraine
its name.
The original arms of the Royal Irish Academy
in 1786 did not have the saltire, but those granted in 1846 do. There are red saltires in the arms of the Queen's University in Ireland (est.1850, arms granted 1851; dissolved 1879) and its successor Queen's University Belfast (est.1908, arms granted 1910); and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
. The Royal Dublin Society
's flag, dating from c.1902–12, has a red saltire, but its significance is unknown. The Irish Free State Girl Guides
, descended from the Unionist British Girl Guides
, had a Patrick's Cross on the flag it used from its establishment in 1929 until the 1937 Constitution
. The Church of Ireland diocese of Connor
's arms, granted in 1945, include Patrick's Cross in memory of his supposed enslavement at Slemish
.
The cross is incorporated in the badge of the Reform Movement
, a "post-nationalist" pressure group in the Republic of Ireland
seeking closer ties with the United Kingdom.
The Patrick's Cross was on the flag proposed in 1914 of the County Down
unit of Irish Volunteers
. A writer in The Irish Volunteer complained that The O'Rahilly
should have known the cross was "faked for Union Jack purposes".
The cross appeared on the house flag of Irish Shipping, founded 1941, and that used by Irish Continental Line in 1973–9. It replaced the St George's Cross
in 1970 on the flag of the Commissioners of Irish Lights
. The badge of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
, designed by John Vinycomb, incorporates the cross and the arms of the four provinces. The Urban District Council of Rathmines and Rathgar was granted arms in 1929, a year before it was absorbed into Dublin Corporation
; these featured a Cross of St Patrick and a Celtic Cross.
In 1932-33 a variation of the flag with a St. Patrick's Blue
background was adopted as the badge and flag of the short-lived Blueshirts. This militant group incorporated right-wing, conservative and some former-unionist elements in opposition to the then left-wing republican
Fianna Fáil
party.
A flag combining St Andrew's Cross
, St Patrick's Cross, and the Red Hand of Ulster
has been used by Ulster separatists
, who wish to see Northern Ireland leave the United Kingdom and become an independent state, not joining together with the Republic of Ireland.
The Church of England
Diocese of Truro
, established in 1876, has a Patrick's cross in its arms, representing Cornwall's Celtic heritage
. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
, whose cathedral is St Patrick's
, incorporates the cross. St. Patrick's High School, Ottawa
has the cross in its flag and arms.
— officially "a crimson cross of St. Andrew on a field of white"; and the Flag of Florida
and the Flag of Valdivia
, both derived from the Spanish Cross of Burgundy
. The Flag of Jersey
is said by to derive from a misreading of "Ierse" as "Jersey" in a 1693 Dutch flag book: "Ierse" is Dutch for "Irish".
The arms of West Dunbartonshire
derive from the former arms of the burgh
of Clydebank
, including a red saltire as the arms of Lennox
. Since Old Kilpatrick
, a legendary birthplace of Saint Patrick, is in the district, the association of Saint Patrick's Cross may be considered appropriate, if coincidental.
Saltire
A saltire, or Saint Andrew's Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter ex . Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on such a cross....
(X-shaped cross) on a white field. In heraldic
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
language, it may be blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
ed Argent
Argent
In heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
, a saltire gules
Gules
In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....
. Saint Patrick's Flag is a flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
composed of Saint Patrick's Saltire.
The flag is sometimes used to represent Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and takes its name from Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
, the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Ireland. The antiquity of the association with Ireland and Saint Patrick has been questioned. The cross was used in the regalia
Regalia
Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
of the Order of Saint Patrick, a British chivalric order
Chivalric order
Chivalric orders are societies and fellowships of knights that have been created by European monarchs in imitation of the military orders of the Crusades...
established in 1783 by George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, and later in the arms and flags of a number of institutions. After the 1800 Act of Union joined Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
, the saltire was added to the British flag to form the Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
still used by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Saint Patrick's Cross is rejected by many Irish nationalists as a British invention. In modern usage, it is sometimes associated with Northern Ireland as there is no universally accepted flag for the island of Ireland
Cross-border flag for Ireland
There is no cross-border flag universally accepted as representing both jurisdictions on 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...
.
Origins
The earliest unequivocal use of the cross is in the official description of the badge of the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick that Lord TempleGeorge Nugent-Temple-Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham
George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham, KG, PC was a British statesman. He was the second son of George Grenville and a brother of the 1st Baron Grenville.-Career:...
, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, forwarded to his superiors in London in January 1783:
The Order of Saint Patrick was created in 1783 to mark the Constitution of 1782
Constitution of 1782
The Constitution of 1782 is a collective term given to a series of legal changes which freed the Parliament of Ireland, a Medieval parliament consisting of the Irish House of Commons and the Irish House of Lords, of legal restrictions that had been imposed by successive Norman, English, and later,...
which gave substantial autonomy to Ireland. The order was a means of rewarding (or obtaining) political support in the Irish Parliament
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...
.
The origin of the cross used in the badge is unclear. Many subsequent commentators have assumed that the saltire was simply taken from the medieval arms of the FitzGerald
FitzGerald
The surname FitzGerald is a translation of the French-Norman fils de Gérald, or son of Gerald . Variant spellings include Fitz-Gerald and the modern Fitzgerald. The name can also be used as two separate words Fitz Gerald...
s (or Geraldines). William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster
William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster
William Robert FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster, etc. KP, PC was an Irish liberal politician and landowner. He was born in London.-Career:...
was the premier peer in the Irish House of Lords
Irish House of Lords
The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from mediaeval times until 1800. It was abolished along with the Irish House of Commons by the Act of Union.-Function:...
and a founder member of the Order of Saint Patrick. Michael Casey suggests that Lord Temple, pressed for time, had based the Order's insignia on those of the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, and simply rotated its George's Cross through 45 degrees.
While there is earlier evidence of saltires used in representations of Ireland, it is scanty and equivocal; instances have been explained away as the Geraldine arms, or sometimes as the Spanish Cross of Burgundy. The CAIN
Conflict Archive on the Internet
CAIN is a database containing information about Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland from 1968 to the Present. The project began in 1996, with the website launching in 1997. The project is based within the University of Ulster at its Magee campus...
website states:
The arms of Ireland since the sixteenth century have been a gold harp with silver strings on a blue field. Some contemporary commentators in Ireland condemned the Order's red saltire as an alien symbol. While there had previously been crosses associated with Saint Patrick, they were not X-shaped.
Earlier use of saltires in Ireland
The design on the reverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
of some Irish coins (groat and half-groat) minted c.1480 includes two shields with saltires. At this time, Gerald FitzGerald
Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare
Gerald Mór FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, KG , known variously as "Garret the Great" or "The Great Earl" , was Ireland's premier peer...
was Lord Deputy of Ireland
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the King's representative and head of the Irish executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and later the Kingdom of Ireland...
, and the shields are considered to be his arms.
War flag
A war flag is a variant of a national flag for use by the nation's military forces on land. The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign — the battle ensign...
of the House of Burgundy
House of Burgundy
The House of Burgundy was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, descending from Robert I, Duke of Burgundy, a younger son of Robert II of France....
(merged into the House of Habsburg) that ruled Spain, rather than an Irish flag.
The arms of Trinity College Dublin, attested from 1612, show flags flying from two castle turrets. One is a red cross on white, interpreted as St George's Cross; the other is a red saltire on white, interpreted as representing Ireland.
Contemporary reports of the ensigns of the Irish Catholic Confederation
Confederate Ireland
Confederate Ireland refers to the period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. During this time, two-thirds of Ireland was governed by the Irish Catholic Confederation, also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny"...
during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in England, Ireland, and Scotland between 1639 and 1651 after these three countries had come under the "Personal Rule" of the same monarch...
state that each had a canton with a red saltire on a gold field. A 1645 picture map of the Siege of Duncannon
Siege of Duncannon
The Siege of Duncannon took place in 1645, during the Irish Confederate Wars. An Irish Catholic Confederate army under Thomas Preston besieged and successfully took the town of Duncannon in south eastern Ireland from its English Parliamentarian garrison...
shows Preston
Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara
Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara was an Irish soldier of the 17th century. He was a descendant of Sir Robert de Preston, who in 1363 purchased the lands of Gormanston, County Meath, and who was keeper of the Great Seal in Ireland some years later....
's Confederates under a saltire.
A 1915 book about flags claims that The Protectorate
The Protectorate
In British history, the Protectorate was the period 1653–1659 during which the Commonwealth of England was governed by a Lord Protector.-Background:...
of the 1650s briefly used a flag containing the St George's cross in the first and fourth quarters, St Andrew's cross in the second, and a red saltire on white in the third to represent Ireland. Several drawings of Union flags, including one of HMS Henry
HMS Henry (1656)
Dunbar was a 64-gun second rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, originally built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England at Deptford, and launched in 1656....
made c.1661 by Willem van de Velde, the elder, include a red saltire as in the post-1800 Union; but there is no official evidence for such a design.
Several atlases and flag books in the late 17th and 18th centuries show a red-saltire–on–white flag for Ireland; including Paulus van der Dussen's (c.1690), and Le Neptune françois, a marine atlas published in Amsterdam in 1693, where it is depicted with the legends Ierse above and Irlandois below — Dutch and French for "Irish". Jan Blaeu's 1650s atlas has a saltire on white for Ireland, which is hand-coloured red in some copies.
Contemporary evidence
Some contemporary responses to the badge of the order complained that an X-shaped cross was the Cross of St AndrewFlag of Scotland
The Flag of Scotland, , also known as Saint Andrew's Cross or the Saltire, is the national flag of Scotland. As the national flag it is the Saltire, rather than the Royal Standard of Scotland, which is the correct flag for all individuals and corporate bodies to fly in order to demonstrate both...
, patron of Scotland, although modern vexillology
Vexillology
Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum, meaning 'flag', and the Greek suffix -logy, meaning 'study'. The vexillum was a particular type of flag used by Roman legions during the classical era; its name is a diminutive form of the word velum...
allows only a blue-and-white design to be so called. A February 1783 newspaper complained that "the breasts of Irishmen were to be decorated by the bloody Cross of St Andrew, and not that of the tutelar Saint of their natural isle". Another article claimed that "the Cross of St Andrew the Scotch saint is to honour the Irish order of St Patrick, by being inserted within the star of the order [...] a manifest insult to common sense and to national propriety".
An open letter to Lord Temple, to whom the design of the Order of St. Patrick's badges were entrusted, echoes this and elaborates:
As against this, a 1785 newspaper report from Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
states:
Other symbols of Ireland
The coat of arms of IrelandCoat of arms of Ireland
The arms of Ireland is blazoned as Azure a harp Or, stringed Argent . These arms have long been Ireland's heraldic emblem. References to them as being the arms of the king of Ireland can be found as early as the 13th century...
is a gold harp on a blue field. It represented Ireland in the flags of earlier unions: the Commonwealth Flag (England and Ireland, 1649) and the Protectorate Jack (England, Ireland and Scotland, 1658). It also featured on the Royal Standard since James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
.
The Celtic cross
Celtic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
and Brigid's cross
Brigid's cross
Brigid's cross, Brighid's cross, or Brigit's cross, often with the "Saint" prefix, or Cros Bríde, Crosóg Bríde or Bogha Bríde, though not recorded before the seventeenth century, is an Irish symbol. Though a Christian symbol, it possibly derives from the pagan sunwheel. It is usually made from...
are other crosses which have been used as symbols of Ireland.
Use of the flag
The St. Patrick's flag is the flag of St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, and is flown on Degree days and other important occasions. Its use is not affected by the creation of a separate National University of Ireland, MaynoothNational University of Ireland, Maynooth
The National University of Ireland, Maynooth , was founded by the Universities Act, 1997 as a constituent university of the National University of Ireland. It is Ireland's second oldest university, having been formed from St Patrick's College, Maynooth, itself founded in 1795.The university is...
in 1997.
Flags in Northern Ireland are controversial
Northern Ireland flags issue
The Northern Ireland flags issue is one that divides the population along sectarian lines. Depending on political allegiance, people identify with differing flags and symbols, some of which have, or have had, official status in Northern Ireland....
, their symbolism reflecting underlying political differences. Saint Patrick's Cross is sometimes used as a cross-community symbol with less political baggage than either the Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
or the Ulster Banner
Ulster Banner
The Ulster Banner, more commonly known as the Ulster flag, Northern Ireland flag or the Red Hand of Ulster flag, was the flag of the Government of Northern Ireland between 1953 and 1972. Since that government was abolished in 1972, the flag has become a symbol of Ulster loyalism and is not...
, seen as pro-Unionist, or the Irish tricolour used by Irish nationalists
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
.
It is one of two flags authorised to be flown on church grounds by the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
, the other being the Compasrose Flag of the Anglican Communion
Compasrose Flag of the Anglican Communion
The Compasrose Flag of the Anglican Communion was designed in 1954 by Canon Edward N. West of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York for the Second International Anglican Congress in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
. This was the recommendation of a 1999 synod committee on sectarianism
Sectarianism
Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...
. For similar motives, it is the basis of the police badge of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland
Police Service of Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary which, in turn, was the successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary in Northern Ireland....
. David McNarry
David McNarry
David McNarry MLA is a Unionist politician from Northern Ireland. He stood for the Ulster Unionist Party in North Down in the 1982 Assembly elections but failed to be elected. He is now a UUP MLA for Strangford, elected in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. He is currently UUP chief whip...
suggested it should be allowed in Northern Irish number plates analogous to the flags allowed on English, Scottish, and Welsh plates.
Saint Patrick's Flag is often seen during Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...
parades in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Flags are handed out by Down District Council
Down District Council
Down District Council is a Local Council in County Down in Northern Ireland. The Council is headquartered in Downpatrick. Other towns in the Council area are Ardglass, Ballynahinch, Castlewellan, Clough, Crossgar, Dundrum, Killough, Killyleagh, Newcastle, Saintfield, Seaforde and Strangford...
before the Downpatrick
Downpatrick
Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...
parade, near Patrick's burial place at Down Cathedral
Down Cathedral
Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town.-History:...
. In Great Britain, Saint Patrick's Flag was flown in place of the Irish tricolour at the 2009 parade in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, prompting complaints from some councillors. It is flown on Patrick's Day by Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
City Council. It is one of the flags approved by the Orange Institution
Orange Institution
The Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...
for display during Orange walk
Orange walk
Orange walks are a series of parades held annually by members of the Orange Order during the summer in Northern Ireland, to a lesser extent in Scotland, and occasionally in England, the Republic of Ireland, and throughout the Commonwealth...
s. The all-island bodies for men's and ladies' bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
compete internationally under the Saint Patrick's flag.
At the 1935 celebrations in London for George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
's silver jubilee, "The cross of St. George representing England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
, and the saltires of St. Andrew and St. Patrick, representing Scotland and Ireland" were flown separately and used in combination. At the time the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
was a separate Dominion
Dominion
A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...
within the British Commonwealth. In 1986, government policy during state visit
State visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a foreign head of state to another nation, at the invitation of that nation's head of state. State visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations, and are marked by ceremonial pomp and diplomatic protocol. In parliamentary democracies, heads...
s to London was to fly the crosses of George, Andrew and Patrick and the Welsh Dragon
Flag of Wales
The Flag of Wales consists of a red dragon passant on a green and white field. As with many heraldic charges, the exact representation of the dragon is not standardised and many renderings exist....
. The government clarified that the Union Jack was the flag of Northern Ireland, not the Patrick's Cross or the Ulster Banner
Ulster Banner
The Ulster Banner, more commonly known as the Ulster flag, Northern Ireland flag or the Red Hand of Ulster flag, was the flag of the Government of Northern Ireland between 1953 and 1972. Since that government was abolished in 1972, the flag has become a symbol of Ulster loyalism and is not...
.
The saltire in combination
With the 1800 Act of UnionAct of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
that merged the kingdoms of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
and Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
, a red saltire was incorporated into the Flag of the United Kingdom
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
as representing Ireland. Regardless of the uncertainty over its origins, the saltire gules on a white field was used in the arms adopted by various Irish organisations, and some outside Ireland.
The arms of Cork city
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
show red-saltire flags on the two towers, though not on versions prior to 1800. Coleraine Borough Council
Coleraine Borough Council
Coleraine Borough Council is a local council mainly in County Londonderry and partly in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Its headquarters are in the town of Coleraine. Small towns in the area include Garvagh, Portrush, Portstewart and Kilrea...
includes Patrick's cross, as Patrick is said to have given Coleraine
Coleraine
Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections...
its name.
The original arms of the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
in 1786 did not have the saltire, but those granted in 1846 do. There are red saltires in the arms of the Queen's University in Ireland (est.1850, arms granted 1851; dissolved 1879) and its successor Queen's University Belfast (est.1908, arms granted 1910); and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland , is a Dublin-based medical institution, situated on St. Stephen's Green. The college is one of the five Recognised Colleges of the National University of Ireland...
. The Royal Dublin Society
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
's flag, dating from c.1902–12, has a red saltire, but its significance is unknown. The Irish Free State Girl Guides
Irish Girl Guides
The Irish Girl Guides is a Girl Guides organisation in the Republic of Ireland.Together with the Catholic Guides of Ireland, it forms the Council of Irish Guiding Associations...
, descended from the Unionist British Girl Guides
Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...
, had a Patrick's Cross on the flag it used from its establishment in 1929 until the 1937 Constitution
Constitution of Ireland
The Constitution of Ireland is the fundamental law of the Irish state. The constitution falls broadly within the liberal democratic tradition. It establishes an independent state based on a system of representative democracy and guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected...
. The Church of Ireland diocese of Connor
Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland)
The Diocese of Connor is in the Province of Armagh of the Church of Ireland.-Overview and history:Christianity has been present in Connor Diocese for over 1500 years. Tradition holds that St. Patrick herded sheep on Slemish, in the heart of the Diocese, when first brought to Ireland as a slave...
's arms, granted in 1945, include Patrick's Cross in memory of his supposed enslavement at Slemish
Slemish
Slemish, historically called Slieve Mish , is a volcanic plug in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies a few miles east of Ballymena, in the townland of Carnstroan.Slemish is the remains of the plug of an extinct volcano...
.
The cross is incorporated in the badge of the Reform Movement
Reform Movement (Ireland)
The Reform Movement is an organisation whose goal is to have the Republic of Ireland become part of the Commonwealth and to promote British culture throughout Ireland....
, a "post-nationalist" pressure group in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
seeking closer ties with the United Kingdom.
The Patrick's Cross was on the flag proposed in 1914 of the County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
unit of Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
. A writer in The Irish Volunteer complained that The O'Rahilly
The O'Rahilly
Michael Joseph O'Rahilly , self-described as The O'Rahilly was an Irish republican who took part in the Easter Rising, during which he was killed in the fighting.-Early life:...
should have known the cross was "faked for Union Jack purposes".
The cross appeared on the house flag of Irish Shipping, founded 1941, and that used by Irish Continental Line in 1973–9. It replaced the St George's Cross
St George's Cross
St George's Cross is a red cross on a white background used as a symbolic reference to Saint George. The red cross on white was associated with St George from medieval times....
in 1970 on the flag of the Commissioners of Irish Lights
Commissioners of Irish Lights
The Commissioners of Irish Lights is the body that serves as the lighthouse authority for Ireland plus its adjacent seas and islands...
. The badge of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland is a learned society based in Ireland, whose aims are 'to preserve, examine and illustrate all ancient monuments and memorials of the arts, manners and customs of the past, as connected with the antiquities, language, literature and history of Ireland'. ...
, designed by John Vinycomb, incorporates the cross and the arms of the four provinces. The Urban District Council of Rathmines and Rathgar was granted arms in 1929, a year before it was absorbed into Dublin Corporation
Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council is the local authority for the city of Dublin in Ireland. It has 52 members and is the largest local authority in Ireland. Until 2001, it was known as Dublin Corporation.-Legal status:...
; these featured a Cross of St Patrick and a Celtic Cross.
In 1932-33 a variation of the flag with a St. Patrick's Blue
St. Patrick's Blue
St. Patrick's blue is a name applied to several shades of blue considered as symbolic of Ireland. In British usage, it refers to various sky blue shades associated with the Order of St. Patrick. In modern usage in the Republic of Ireland, it may be a darker shade. While green is now the usual...
background was adopted as the badge and flag of the short-lived Blueshirts. This militant group incorporated right-wing, conservative and some former-unionist elements in opposition to the then left-wing republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
party.
A flag combining St Andrew's Cross
Saltire
A saltire, or Saint Andrew's Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter ex . Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on such a cross....
, St Patrick's Cross, and the Red Hand of Ulster
Red Hand of Ulster
The Red Hand of Ulster is a symbol used in heraldry to denote the Irish province of Ulster. It is less commonly known as the Red Hand of O'Neill. Its origins are said to be attributed to the mythical Irish figure Labraid Lámh Dhearg , and appear in other mythical tales passed down from generation...
has been used by Ulster separatists
Ulster nationalism
Ulster nationalism is the name given to a school of thought in Northern Irish politics that seeks the independence of Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom without becoming part of the Republic of Ireland, thereby becoming an independent sovereign state separate from England, Scotland and Wales...
, who wish to see Northern Ireland leave the United Kingdom and become an independent state, not joining together with the Republic of Ireland.
The Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Diocese of Truro
Diocese of Truro
The Diocese of Truro is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury.-Geography and history:The diocese's area is that of the county of Cornwall including the Isles of Scilly. It was formed on 15 December 1876 from the Archdeaconry of Cornwall in the Diocese of Exeter, it is thus one...
, established in 1876, has a Patrick's cross in its arms, representing Cornwall's Celtic heritage
Kingdom of Cornwall
The Kingdom of Cornwall was an independent polity in southwest Britain during the Early Middle Ages, roughly coterminous with the modern English county of Cornwall. During the sub-Roman and early medieval periods Cornwall was evidently part of the kingdom of Dumnonia, which included most of the...
. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
, whose cathedral is St Patrick's
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
, incorporates the cross. St. Patrick's High School, Ottawa
St. Patrick's High School (Ottawa)
St. Patrick's High School, located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is a Catholic high school publicly funded under the Ontario school system as part of the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board...
has the cross in its flag and arms.
Unrelated flags
Other flags in which a red saltire on a white field feature include the Flag of AlabamaFlag of Alabama
The current flag of the state of Alabama was adopted by Act 383 of the Alabama state legislature on February 16, 1895:The cross of St. Andrew referred to in the law is a diagonal cross, known in vexillology as a saltire...
— officially "a crimson cross of St. Andrew on a field of white"; and the Flag of Florida
Flag of Florida
The flag of the State of Florida consists of a red saltire on a white background, with the seal of Florida superimposed on the center. The design was approved by a popular referendum in 1900...
and the Flag of Valdivia
Flag of Valdivia
The flag of Valdivia is a red saltire on a white field. It is thought to have originated from the Spanish Cross of Burgundy Flag as the city of Valdivia in southern Chile was a very important stronghold of the Spanish Empire. It is virtually identical to the flag of Saint Patrick, although...
, both derived from the Spanish Cross of Burgundy
Cross of Burgundy Flag
The Cross of Burgundy flag was used by Spain 1506-1701 as a naval ensign, and up to 1843 as the land battle flag, and still appears on regimental colours, badges, shoulder patches and company guidons...
. The Flag of Jersey
Flag of Jersey
The flag of Jersey comprises a red saltire on a white field, and in the upper quadrant the badge of Jersey surmounted by a yellow "Plantagenet crown"...
is said by to derive from a misreading of "Ierse" as "Jersey" in a 1693 Dutch flag book: "Ierse" is Dutch for "Irish".
The arms of West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. Bordering onto the west of the City of Glasgow, containing many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages as well as the city's suburbs, West Dunbartonshire also borders onto Argyll and Bute, Stirling, East...
derive from the former arms of the burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
of Clydebank
Clydebank
Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...
, including a red saltire as the arms of Lennox
Lennox (district)
The district of Lennox , often known as "the Lennox", is a region of Scotland centred around the village of Lennoxtown in East Dunbartonshire, eight miles north of the centre of Glasgow. At various times in history, the district has had both a dukedom and earldom associated with it.- External...
. Since Old Kilpatrick
Old Kilpatrick
Old Kilpatrick is a village in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland.The village is on the north bank of the River Clyde immediately to the north of the Forth and Clyde Canal, three miles from Clydebank on the road to Dumbarton. The Great Western Road runs through Old Kilpatrick, and the next village to...
, a legendary birthplace of Saint Patrick, is in the district, the association of Saint Patrick's Cross may be considered appropriate, if coincidental.