| List of UK flags |
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This is a list of flags used in Northern Ireland.
| List of UK flags |
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This is a list of flags used in Northern Ireland.
These are the flags used by the British Government, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Monarch in Northern Ireland.
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Since 1801 | The Union Flag, popularly known as the Union Jack, is used as the flag of the United Kingdom. | A superposition of the flags of England, Scotland, and the St Patrick's Flag of Ireland. |
 | Since 1837 | The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom. It is the banner of King Charles III in his capacity as King of the United Kingdom. | Split into quadrants, the first and fourth quadrants contain three gold lions passant on a red field (representing England); the second quadrant contains a red lion rampant on a gold field (representing Scotland); the third quadrant contains a gold harp on a blue field (representing Ireland). |
 | Since 1998 | The banner of the Northern Ireland Assembly. [1] [2] | Six flax flowers on a white field. |
 | Since 1998 | The emblem of the Northern Ireland Executive. | Representation of the Giant's Causeway and the words "Northern Ireland Executive" on a white field. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1783 | St. Patrick's Saltire, also known as the Cross of St Patrick, after the patron saint of Ireland. The flag appears within the Union Flag now the official flag of the United Kingdom. It is used by some Unionists, the Church of Ireland and is incorporated into symbols and emblems of various organisations and bodies throughout Ireland. | A red saltire on a white field. |
 | 1801–1922 | Flag of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of Ireland. |
 | 1922–1973 | Personal flag of the governor of Northern Ireland. | A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of Northern Ireland. |
 | 1924–1953 | The Ulster Banner , officially known as the Northern Ireland flag. Variant with the Tudor Crown used between 1924 and 1953. | |
 | 1953–1972 | The Ulster Banner , officially known as the Northern Ireland flag, [3] was the flag of the former Government of Northern Ireland. It is used by the unionist community but no longer has any official status, [4] although several sporting organisations such as FIFA, [5] the Commonwealth Games Federation [6] and the PGA Tour [7] and media organisations such as ESPN [8] currently use the flag to represent teams and athletes from Northern Ireland. | A red cross on a white field defaced with the Red Hand of Ulster, crowned on a six pointed white star (representing the six counties in Northern Ireland). Based on the flag of Ulster. |
 | 1929–1973 | Ensign of the former Northern Ireland government. | The blue ensign defaced with the letters GNI in the fly. Used on vessels of the Northern Ireland government. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | The flag of the city of Belfast. | Banner of the arms of Belfast City Council. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | The flag of the city of Derry. | Banner of the arms of Derry City Council. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1910–present | Flag of Queen's University Belfast is a heraldic banner that is based on its coat of arms which were granted on 24 March 1910, two years after the establishment of the university. The arms are similar to those used by the Queen's University of Ireland which existed from 1850 to 1879. [9] | The banner is a Saint Patrick's Saltire that features a book, a sea horse, the Red Hand of Ulster, a harp and a British crown. The book stands for the university, the sea horse represents Belfast, the Red Hand is for Ulster, the harp symbolises Ireland and the crown is for the British monarchy. The university's arms are blazoned as: "Per saltire azure and argent, on a saltire gules, between in chief an open book and in base a harp both proper, in dexter a hand couped of the third, and in sinister a sea-horse vert gorged with a mural crown of the fourth, an Imperial crown of the last". |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | House flag of the Belfast, Mersey and Manchester Steamship Company | A red flag defaced with the initials "BMM" in black on a white lozenge. | |
 | House flag of the Belfast Steamship Company | A red pennant defaced with a white disc. | |
 | House flag of the Clanrye Steamship Company | A red flag defaced with a white letter "C". | |
 | 1994 | "Erne Flag" used on the Shannon–Erne Waterway. | Triband of green, white and blue. |
 | House flag of the Larne and Stranraer Steamboat Company | A red pennant defaced with a Red Hand of Ulster on a white lozenge. | |
 | House flag of the Londonderry Steamers | A flag divided into vertical triangles of blue and yellow. | |
 | House flag of the Lord Line (Irish Shipowners Company) | A blue flag defaced with a white shamrock lying on its side, the top facing towards the fly. | |
 | Ensign of the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club | The blue ensign defaced in the fly with a yellow shamrock beneath a Saint Edward's Crown. | |
 | Ensign of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club | The blue ensign defaced with the Red Hand of Ulster and St Edward's Crown. | |
 | House flag of the Shamrock Shipping Company | A blue pennant divided by a red cross, with a white letter "S" entwined around the centre of the cross. | |
 | House flag of the Ulster Steamship Company | A blue flag defaced in the centre with a white shield bearing a Red Hand of Ulster above three drops of blood, and the company's initials in the hoist. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Since 1264 | The Flag of Ulster is used to represent the traditional province of Ulster. | A red cross on a golden field. The arms of the historic province of Ulster is a composite achievement, combining the heraldic symbols of two of that province’s best known families; namely the cross of the de Burgh family, Earls of Ulster, and the dexter hand of O'Neill (Ua Néill, later Ó Néill) Kings of Ailech and Tír Eoghan. |
 | Since 1919 | Flag of the Republic of Ireland was originally designed to represent all of Ireland, but is currently only the official flag of the Republic of Ireland. Often seen flying from lampposts and homes in nationalist areas of Northern Ireland. | A Tricolour, with three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white and orange. The Flag is a metaphor for the peace, equality and co-operation (white) between Catholics (green) and Protestants (orange). |
 | 1916 | On 24 April 1916, a flag with the inscription 'Irish Republic' was hoisted alongside the Irish tricolour over the General Post Office, Dublin during the 1916 Easter Rising as a proclamation of the Irish Republic, which claimed the entire island of Ireland as its territory. The flag is still used by Irish nationalists. | The flag features a green field with the inscription "Irish Republic" written in white and yellow (gold) letters in the form of Gaelic script. It measures 4 feet 3 inches by 5 feet 6 inches and is now on display at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History. |
 | Since 1893 | The Sunburst flag is based on the flag of mythological warriors the Fianna. Used by nationalists. | Blue background with an orange sun showing partially in the lower hoist. |
 | Since 1930s | The starry plough flag succeeded the starry plough banner; the flag used to represent Irish nationalist socialism. Used by socialists, trade unionists and nationalists. | Light blue background and white stars. |
 | Flag of a proposed independent Ulster nation. Used by Ulster nationalists, although it has now been adopted as an Ulster-Scots flag. | St Patrick's Saltire with the background of St Andrew's Saltire, defaced with a golden six pointed star representing the six counties of Northern Ireland, containing the red hand of Ulster. | |
 | Flag of the Ulster Volunteer Force. Often seen flying from lampposts and homes in loyalist areas. | Similar to Boyne Standard. Purple background with orange border and English flag in the canton and a UVF emblem in the lower fly. The letters"U.V.F." and "1912" are shown diagonally in the centre of the flag. | |
 | Flag of the Ulster Defence Association. Often seen flying from lampposts and homes in loyalist areas. | Light blue background with red border and UDA emblem on the hoist (left-hand) side and the words "ULSTER DEFENCE ASSOCIATION" on the fly (right-hand) side. | |
 | Flag of the Ulster Freedom Fighters. Often seen flying from lampposts and homes in loyalist areas. | Black background with yellow border and UFF emblem in the centre. | |
 | Flag of the Loyalist Volunteer Force. Often seen flying from lampposts in LVF strongholds such as Ballycraigy. | Black background with white border and LVF emblem in the centre with three of the six counties of Northern Ireland on both sides. Two yellow banner one at the top and one at the bottom, Top banner says "Loyalist Volunteer Force" and bottom says "In defence of our heritage and culture". | |
 | Flag of the Orange Order. Mostly used in relation to the Orange Order and Orange Walks on The Twelfth. | Orange background with a St. George's Cross in the canton and defaced with a purple Williamite five-pointed star in the lower fly. | |
 | The Purple Standard, used by some Orange Order marching groups. | Purple background with a St. George's Cross in the canton and defaced with an orange five-pointed star in the lower fly. Effectively an inverted version of the primary Orange Order flag. | |
 | Flag of the Apprentice Boys of Derry, a Protestant fraternal organisation based in Derry City. | A crimson field. | |
 | Flag used by the Ireland national cricket team. | A green flag with three green shamrocks on a white and green cricket ball. | |
 | Flag used by the Ireland national hockey team. | Arms of the four provinces combined on a shield, with two stags on the crest and the motto "IRELAND", on a green field. | |
 | Flag used by the Ireland national rugby union team. | The four provincial arms and the IRFU insignia in the centre, on a light green field. NOTE: At Rugby World Cups the team is represented by the Flag of Ireland and the Flag of Ulster. |
GAA county colours are used to represent Irish counties in the Gaelic Athletic Association's inter-county competitions, most notably the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in Gaelic football and the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in Hurling.
| Flag | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Ulster | Gold and black |
 | County Antrim | Saffron and white |
 | County Armagh | Orange and white |
 | County Derry | White and red |
 | County Down | Red and black |
 | County Fermanagh | Green and white |
| | County Tyrone | White and red |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| | 1921–1924 | Flag of Ireland. | Saint Patrick's Flag. |
| | 1924–1953 | First flag of Northern Ireland. | Ulster Banner. |
| | 1953–1972 | Second flag of Northern Ireland. | Ulster Banner. |
| | 1998–present | Banner of the Northern Ireland Assembly | Emblem of Northern Ireland Assembly. [10] |
Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland that is variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,903,175, making up around 3% of the UK's population and 27% of the population on the island of Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. The government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the government of Ireland in several areas under the terms of the Belfast Agreement. The Republic of Ireland also has a consultative role on non-devolved governmental matters through the British–Irish Governmental Conference (BIIG).
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of players and much terminology. The same game played by women is called camogie, which shares a common Gaelic root.
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, Gaelic handball, and rounders. The association also promotes Irish music and dance, as well as the Irish language and it also promotes environmental stewardship through its Green Clubs initiative.
The only official flag for Northern Ireland is the Union Flag or Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom; there is no official local flag that represents only Northern Ireland. The flying of various flags in Northern Ireland is a significant sectarian issue, with different communities identifying with different flags.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland, is the police service responsible for law enforcement and the prevention of crime within Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branch of the legislature – the Northern Ireland Assembly, situated in Belfast. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement. The executive is referred to in the legislation as the Executive Committee of the assembly and is an example of consociationalist ("power-sharing") government.
The Northern Ireland Office is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for handling Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and is based at Erskine House in Belfast City Centre and 1 Horse Guards Road in London.
All-Ireland refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire island, but also has related meanings in politics and religion.
Duncannon is a village in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. Bordered to the west by Waterford harbour and sitting on a rocky headland jutting into the channel is the strategically prominent Duncannon Fort which dominates the village.
The Ulster Banner, also unofficially known as the Ulster Flag or Flag of Northern Ireland, is a heraldic banner taken from the former coat of arms of Northern Ireland, consisting of a red cross on a white field, upon which is a crowned six-pointed star with a red hand in the centre. It was the flag of the former Government of Northern Ireland and common flag of Northern Ireland from 1953 until that government was abolished in 1973 with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973.
Thomas Beatty Elliott, Baron Elliott of Ballinamallard, is a Northern Irish unionist politician and farmer. He was the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 2010 to 2012, and was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Fermanagh and South Tyrone from 2022 until 2024, having previously served from 2003 to 2015. Elliott was Member of Parliament (MP) for Fermanagh and South Tyrone from 2015 to 2017 and was appointed to the House of Lords in 2024.
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.
A county is a geographic region within Gaelic games, controlled by a county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and originally based on the 32 counties of Ireland as they were in 1884. While the administrative geography of Ireland has since changed, with several new counties created and the six that make up Northern Ireland superseded by 11 local government districts, the counties in Gaelic games have remained largely unchanged.
Osprey body armour is a system of body armour used by the British Armed Forces. The system is in its fourth iteration following extensive development and engagement with front line users.
Sport in Northern Ireland plays an important role in the lives of many Northern Irish people. Most sports are organised on an all-Ireland basis, for example rugby union, Gaelic games, basketball, rugby league, hockey, and cricket, whereas others, like association football and netball are organised on a separate basis for Northern Ireland.
Since 1922, the United Kingdom has been made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK Prime Minister's website has used the phrase "countries within a country" to describe the United Kingdom.
In the United Kingdom, devolution is the Parliament of the United Kingdom's statutory granting of a greater level of self-government to the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the London Assembly and to their associated executive bodies: the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and in England, the Greater London Authority and combined authorities.
Unionism in Wales is the political view that supports a political union between Wales and the other countries of the United Kingdom. As well as the current state of the UK, unionism may also include support for Federalism in the United Kingdom and a United Kingdom Confederation.
The flag of the Government of Northern Ireland is often called 'the Ulster flag', but we have called it by its official name, the 'Northern Ireland flag'.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
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