Flags You Might See in Northern Ireland
If there is one thing that is certain to cause an uproar in Northern Ireland, it is the issue of flying flags. This piece on the A Guide 2 Northern Ireland website is not meant to form a political statement but is simply to guide tourists on briefly understanding the various flags they will see when they are in Northern Ireland.
This flag is the Government of Northern Ireland flag. This particular flag is seen as staunchly Loyalist because of the Crown, the Star of David, and the Red Hand of Ulster. This is not the "official flag" of Northern Ireland as the official flag is the Union Jack.
This is the alternative Northern Ireland flag. This flag is very similar to the original Government of Northern Ireland flag except that it has no crown and has a British Union flag in the top left hand corner. It is perceived as a Loyalist UDA flag, and the absence of the Crown suggests a more independent stance, due to disillusionment with Britain and mainstream Unionism.
This is the British Union Flag or Union Jack and is the official flag of Northern Ireland. It is an integral part of the Protestant, Unionist, and Loyalist tradition. What is not widely known, is that the Union Jack was designed in 1801 to reflect the Act of Union between Britain and Ireland.
This is the national flag of the Republic of Ireland which is known as the Tricolour. Ironically, it was designed to signify the peace (white) between Nationalists (green) and Unionists (orange) however that history has been mostly forgotten.
This flag represents the province of Ulster and its 9 counties and is one of the four provincial flags of Ireland.
The Four Provinces of Ulster flag represents the four provinces of Ireland. Ulster is represented by the red and yellow nine counties flag.
The Orange Order flag represents the Orange Order which is an organisation with extensive branches across Northern Ireland. July 12th is the main march for Orangemen and in the past (and still currently) is a time in Northern Ireland when tensions are high.
County Flags
Each county also has a flag which is typically used by (typically) Nationalist supporters of Gaelic sports.
