Irish heraldry are the forms of heraldry, such as coats of arms, in Ireland. It is regulated in Ireland by the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland and in Northern Ireland by Norroy and Ulster King of Arms.
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In English, achievements of arms are usually described (blazoned) in a specialized jargon that uses derivatives of French terms. In Irish, however, achievements of arms are described in language which, while formal and different from plain language, is not quite so opaque as Anglo-Norman terminology is in English. Nevertheless Irish heraldic terminology is a kind of specialized jargon. Examples used since 1943 include the use of Irish gorm and uaine for blue and green, as compared to the French-derived azure and vert used in English blazon.[1]
| Tinctures | Metals | Paints or Colours | Furs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escutcheons | |||||||||
| English | Or | Argent | Azure | Gules | Vert | Purpure | Sable | Ermine | Vair |
| Irish | Ór (órga) | Airgead (airgidí) | Gorm | Dearg | Uaine | Corcra | Dubh | Eirmín | Véir |
| Ordinaries Ríphíosaí |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Chief | Pale | Fess | Bend | Bend sinister | Chevron |
| Irish | Barr | Cuaille | Balc | Bandán | Clébhandán | Rachtán |
| Ordinaries Ríphíosaí |
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| English | Cross | Saltire | Pall | Pall subverted | Pile | Bordure |
| Irish | Cros | Sailtír | Gabhal | Gabhal aisiompaithe | Ding | Imeallbhord |
| Division of the field | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Party per fess | Party per pale | Party per bend sinister | Quarterly | Quarterly charged with an inescutcheon |
| Irish | Gearrtha | Deighilte | Cléroinnte | Ceathair-roinnte | Ceathair-roinnte móide lársciath |
| Lines of division | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Wavy | Indented | Engrailed | Invected | Nebuly | Embattled | Dovetailed | Potenty |
| Irish | Camógach | Eangach | Clasach | Dronnógach | Néállach | Táibhleach | Déadach | Cathógach |
The Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland, sometimes incorrectly called the Office of Arms, is the Republic of Ireland's authority on all heraldic matters relating to Ireland and is located at the National Library of Ireland. The office was constituted on 1 April 1943, taking over the records of the Ulster King of Arms, a crown office dating from 1552.
It has jurisdiction over:
The Coat of arms of Ireland is blazoned as Azure a harp Or, stringed argent - a gold harp with silver strings on a St. Patrick's Blue background. The harp, and specifically the Clársach (or Gaelic harp), has long been Ireland's heraldic emblem. It appears on the coat of arms which were officially registered as the arms of the state of Ireland on 9 November 1945. The harp has been recognised as a symbol of Ireland since the 13th century[2]
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