The Ulster Banner,[1] more commonly known as the Ulster flag, Northern Ireland flag[2] or the Red Hand of Ulster flag,[3] 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[4] and is not permitted to be flown from government buildings.[5] However, it is still used to represent Northern Ireland in some sporting events in which Northern Ireland competes.
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The flag is a heraldic banner taken from the coat of arms granted in 1924 which is based on the flag of England[6][7][8] and the flag of Ulster,[9] with the addition of a crown to symbolise the loyalty of Ulster unionists to the British Monarchy. As with the flag of Ulster, it contains the Red Hand of Ulster at the centre. The six pointed star represents the six counties that make up Northern Ireland. The flag is also sometimes referred to as the "Red Hand Flag", "the Flag of Northern Ireland", the "Northern Ireland flag" or as the "Ulster Flag" (not to be confused with the provincial Flag of Ulster).
In 1924, the Government of Northern Ireland was granted its own coat of arms by Royal Warrant and had the right to display these arms on a flag or banner. This right was exercised for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Between 1953 and the dissolution of the Government of Northern Ireland and the associated Parliament by the Parliament of the United Kingdom under Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973, the Ulster banner was used officially by the GNI and also as a de facto civic flag for Northern Ireland.
In 2004, Belfast City Council commissioned a study on the flying of flags which noted that the Ulster banner continued to be flown, alongside the Union flag by a number of local authorities in Northern Ireland. These include Ards Borough Council, Carrickfergus Borough Council and Castlereagh Borough Council.[10]
It is also used by the Northern Ireland national football team and to represent Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games.[11][12]
The Ulster Banner is used within the unionist and loyalist communities, along with the Union Flag. A variation of the flag places the Union Flag in the Canton, and another superimposes both the red hand and the outline of a map of Northern Ireland on the Union Flag.
The flag is regularly displayed by fans of the Northern Ireland national football team.[13][14]
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