Northern Ireland flags issue
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Northern Ireland flags issue is one which 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 the province.
There are various proposals as to what flag could represent Northern Ireland's various communities as a whole; see below for some suggestions.
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[edit] Official Governmental Flag and Emblem
[edit] Union Flag
The flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Flag (or Union Jack), is the only official flag used in Northern Ireland. It is made from an amalgamation of the crosses of St Andrew (representing Scotland), St George (representing England) and the St Patrick (representing Ireland).
The Union Flag is often flown by unionists and loyalists but is disliked by many nationalists and republicans.
[edit] Northern Ireland Assembly Emblem
The emblem of the Northern Ireland Assembly was designed to be inclusive across the community. It depicts flax, a traditional Ulster crop; there are six flowers, representing the six counties of Northern Ireland. The emblem has also been used to represent Northern Ireland on British one Pound coins. Whilst the emblem has not so far been divisive, it is not well known by the public. It is possible that this symbol may form the basis for a Northern Ireland flag in the future.
[edit] Former Official Governmental Flags and Emblems
[edit] Government of Northern Ireland Flag
Main Article: Flag of Northern Ireland
The former Government of Northern Ireland flag, or Ulster Banner, was used by the devolved Stormont government to represent Northern Ireland. It is currently still considered by many (especially unionists) to be the de facto civil flag to uniquely represent Northern Ireland and is still used by some organisations, notably the Northern Ireland football team, the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games team, and the Ulster rugby team. Some local councils, such as the predominantly-unionist Castlereagh, continue to fly it outside their offices.
The flag dates from 1953 (although the design appears in the Northern Ireland coat of arms which dates from 1924) and is based on the flag of the Irish province of Ulster which covered what is now Northern Ireland and three counties of the Republic of Ireland. There are three differences with the Flag of Ulster, namely the white background, the six-pointed star (representing the six Northern Ireland counties) and the crown.
This flag is flown in particular by loyalists and has become associated with loyalist paramilitaries. For this reason, and its inclusion of the British Crown, it is disliked by many nationalists and republicans. Some also believe that the star on the flag represents the Star of David.
Although some unionists would wish to see this flag used in the future as a Northern Ireland civil flag with governmental status, such a move would be unlikely to receive cross-community support.
[edit] Northern Ireland Coat of Arms
The coat of Arms for the Government of Northern Ireland was granted in 1925. It is no longer in official use, but since the grant is not rescinded, it is semi-official. A white stag bears the colours of the province of Ulster, and a lion bears the harp banner for Ireland. The latin motto Quis Separabit, (Who will separate us) refers to the desire of unionists for Northern Ireland to remain united with Great Britain.
[edit] Cross of Saint Patrick
The Cross of St Patrick is a red saltire (X-shaped cross) on a white field (background). It may have been based on the arms of the Fitzgerald family and is believed by some to have had nothing to do with Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint. It forms part of the Union Flag. It was used in an official capacity before the Partition of Ireland, and since then has been used on St Patrick's Day where it has been waved by individuals and flown at some council offices (notably Belfast City Hall). In the case of the City Hall, this happened first in 1994, after the council's Policy and Resource committee had passed a resolution approving its use in January of that year.
It is seen by some as a neutral flag representing the island of Ireland on St Patrick's Day and is used on the emblem of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. It has also been used as the basis for the flags of some U.S. states, such as Alabama and Florida.
A number of people wish to see this flag used officially for Northern Ireland, though some nationalists dislike its previous use in British contexts. Others dislike its use for Northern Ireland because it is seen as one of the few flags that can be used to neutrally represent the entire island of Ireland.
[edit] Other Flags
[edit] Ulster Flag
The Flag of the nine-county Ulster is sometimes flown by nationalists, especially in Gaelic Athletic Association contexts, though it also appears on the coat of arms of the Ulster Unionist Party. It was the basis for the Government of Northern Ireland Flag.
[edit] Four Provinces Flag
The four provinces flag incorporates the flags of the four Irish provinces of Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connacht; and represents the entire island of Ireland. It is used by nationalists and by some all-Ireland institutions such as the Irish Rugby Football Union. It is seen as a more neutral flag than the Irish Tricolour.
[edit] Irish Tricolour
The flag of the Republic of Ireland, the Irish Tricolour is regularly flown by Republicans and Nationalists to show their support for a United Ireland. The colours represent Irish Catholics (green), Protestants (orange) and the desire for peace (white) and was originally designed by Irish Nationalists in the 19th century to represent a united independent island. In its original 19th century form, the orange band was at the mast-side of the flag. In the early 20th century when the flag was re-adopted by Irish nationalists it was altered to have the green band closest to the mast.
Despite this, any use of the flag in Northern Ireland is opposed by most unionists and loyalists. The Flags and Emblems Act, 1954 which had been enacted by the Unionist Government at Stormont effectively outlawed its display. This act was subsequently repealed by the UK Government at Westminster.
The flying of the Irish Tricolour by nationalists in Northern Ireland on St Patrick's Day is particularly controversial as Saint Patrick represents all the people and all of the island, not just the Republic of Ireland or its citizens.
Although the flag was originally designed to represent the entire people of Ireland, it is unlikely that this flag would ever be used in the event of a United Ireland (which would contain one million Unionists) and a more inclusive flag would need to be adopted for that purpose.
Despite these concerns, some local councils have debated the usage of the flag. Belfast City Council for example, had this flag in the Lord Mayor's official office, when put in place by former Sinn Féin Lord Mayor Alex Maskey, MLA, along with the Union Flag. When the SDLP's Alban McGuinness was previously Lord Mayor, however, he side-stepped the issue by having neither flag in his office.
Usage of the flag in Northern Ireland has been debated in recent years, with Belfast City Council discussing (in September 2003), amongst other things, using the flag to fly alongside the Union Flag on designated occasions. The debate, however, all but collapsed after the long term suspension of the Northern Ireland government.
[edit] Ulster Nation Flag
This flag is 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 flag is made up of St Andrew's cross (below), St Patrick's Cross (above) and the red hand and star from the Northern Ireland flag (above).
[edit] St Andrew's Cross
St Andrew's Cross is the traditional flag of Scotland, and is one of the flags which makes up the Union Flag. It is used by some Loyalists in Northern Ireland to highlight their Scottish ancestry. St Andrew was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ and the flag is said to have been inspired by a white cross of cloud appearing on a blue sky.
[edit] Possible Replacements
As there is currently no unique official flag for Northern Ireland, there have been various suggestions about what should be done. Apart from reusing an existing flag (such as the Cross of St Patrick), various new designs have been created.
This flag was being considered by the UK Government in the late 1990s and was leaked to BBC News[citation needed]. It was never officially proposed. It is essentially the old NI Government Flag with the crown removed and some yellow taken from the Province of Ulster Flag.
When this flag was shown by journalists to various people around Belfast the reaction was mainly unfavourable. Although some liked its inclusive nature, typical responses were along the lines of "We already have a flag, it's the Union Jack" or "We already have a flag, it's the Tricolour".
Another attempt to create a flag which the community could support is shown here. It was featured recently on local TV station UTV, and was inspired, in part, by the Police Service of Northern Ireland standard, which had been agreed upon by the four main parties. This, in theory, could give the flag a greater degree of validity than other proposed flags.
It uses various symbols to bring together the diverse identities of the Northern Ireland people. In the centre of the flag is St. Patrick's Cross. The star shape, which no longer bears any resemblance to the Star of David, has six points, representing the six counties. The flag also has six symbols (clockwise from top):
- The Scales of Justice (representing equality and justice)
- The Harp (a traditional Irish Symbol)
- A Torch (representing enlightenment and a new beginning)
- An Olive Branch (a peace symbol from Ancient Greece)
- A Shamrock (a traditional Irish symbol, used by St Patrick to explain the Christian Trinity)
- A Crown (representing the monarchy albeit not using a recognisable crown symbol)
This flag is a hybrid between the St. Patrick's Cross and the Ulster Banner. It adds the Red Hand of Ulster and the six-pointed star to the St. Patrick's Flag, but does not add the crown and dispenses with the St. Georges' Cross found on the Ulster Banner. Although nowhere near as common as the Ulster Banner, it can be regularly seen being displayed by supporters at Ulster rugby matches as a neutral unique flag to represent Northern Ireland.[citation needed]
In 2003, the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (the only Assembly Party that claims to represent both Nationalists and Unionists) came up with a few suggestions. The picture to the left shows a BBC artist's impression of these ideas, taken from a BBC Newsline report [1]. The flags shown represent, from left to right, a flax flower, the map of Northern Ireland (which is also re-created to the right) and a few steps from the Giant's Causeway. (Compare with the Korean Unification Flag and the Flag of Cyprus.)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Symbols in Northern Ireland - Flags Used in the Region by Dara Mulhern and Martin Melaugh; illustrated article from CAIN Project (Conflict Archive on the INternet)
