)
, supporters =
, compartment =
, motto =
, orders =
, other_elements =
, earlier_versions =
, use = The harp is used on all
Acts of Oireachtas; the
seal of the President; the cover of
Irish passport
An Irish passport ( ga, Pas Éireannach) is the passport issued to citizens of Ireland. An Irish passport enables the bearer to travel internationally and serves as evidence of Irish nationality and citizenship of the European Union. It also fa ...
s; various government departments; the obverse of
Irish euro coins
Irish euro coins all share the same design by Jarlath Hayes, that of the harp, a traditional symbol for Ireland since the Middle Ages, based on that of the Brian Boru harp, housed in Trinity College Dublin. The same harp is used as on the off ...
. It is also used in the United Kingdom, where it appears in the lower-left quadrant of the
royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, or the royal arms for short, is the arms of dominion of the British monarch, currently King Charles III. These arms are used by the King in his official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom. Varia ...
and is incorporated as a badge into devices used by official bodies in
Northern Ireland.
, notes =
The coat of arms of Ireland is
blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visu ...
ed as ''
Azure
Azure may refer to:
Colour
* Azure (color), a hue of blue
** Azure (heraldry)
** Shades of azure, shades and variations
Arts and media
* ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987
* Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 ...
a harp
Or, stringed
Argent
In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to be ...
'' (a gold
harp with silver strings on a blue background). These
arms have long been
Ireland's heraldic emblem. References to them as being the arms of the
king of Ireland can be found as early as the 13th century. These arms were adopted by
Henry VIII of England when he ended the period of
Lordship of Ireland
The Lordship of Ireland ( ga, Tiarnas na hÉireann), sometimes referred to retroactively as Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman lords between ...
and
declared Ireland to be a kingdom again in 1541. When the crowns of
England,
Scotland and Ireland were
united in 1603, they were integrated into the
unified royal coat of arms of kingdoms of
England,
Scotland and
Ireland. The harp was adopted as the
emblem of the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between the ...
when it
separated from the
United Kingdom in 1922. They were registered as the arms of Ireland with the
Chief Herald of Ireland
The Genealogical Office is an office of the Government of Ireland containing genealogical records. It includes the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland ( ga, Príomh Aralt na hÉireann), the authority in Ireland for heraldry. The Chief Herald ...
on 9 November 1945.
The depiction of the harp has changed over time. When the arms were restored as the arms of the independent Irish state in 1922, a late-medieval
Gaelic harp (a ''
cláirseach''), the
Trinity College Harp, was used as a model.
Several variants of the arms of Ireland exist, including a
heraldic badge and an infrequently used
crest and
torse
In heraldry, a torse or wreath is a twisted roll of fabric laid about the top of the helmet and the base of the crest. It has the dual purpose of masking the join between helm and crest, and of holding the mantling in place.
The torse is some ...
. The Lordship of Ireland, the medieval
realm of Ireland that existed between 1171 and 1541 under the English crown, had a separate arms, which are blazoned ''Azure, three crowns in pale Or, bordure Argent'' (three golden crowns ordered vertically on a blue background with a white border). A variant of
the arms of the
ancient royal province of Meath were also apparently used at one time as the arms of Ireland.
History
As
heraldry is essentially a
feudal art, it was not until the
Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169 that Irish
coats of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...
came into being, several decades after the art began to take seed in England and
continental Europe
Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, b ...
. The earliest reference to a
herald of arms for Ireland was in 1392 on the creation of the first
Ireland King of Arms. The Ireland King of Arms, which was under the English
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sover ...
, was succeeded by an independent
Ulster King of Arms, and an
Athlone Pursuivant Athlone Pursuivant of Arms (or Athlone Pursuivant) was a junior officer of arms in Ireland, founded 1552 during the reign of Edward VI, King of England and King of Ireland, and was named for the town of Athlone, which is partly in Co. Roscommon (in ...
, in 1552, which despite its name had jurisdiction for arms over all of Ireland. In 1943, the Ulster King of Arms was merged with the Norroy King of Arms in England to form the
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the Provincial King of Arms at the College of Heralds with jurisdiction over England north of the Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of Arms is ...
. The office of the
Chief Herald of Ireland
The Genealogical Office is an office of the Government of Ireland containing genealogical records. It includes the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland ( ga, Príomh Aralt na hÉireann), the authority in Ireland for heraldry. The Chief Herald ...
was created as successor to the Ulster King of Arms and the arms of Ireland were registered by the Chief Herald of Ireland on 9 November 1945.
However, reference to the harp as the arms of the king of Ireland can be found in one of the oldest medieval
rolls of arms
Roll or Rolls may refer to:
Movement about the longitudinal axis
* Roll angle (or roll rotation), one of the 3 angular degrees of freedom of any stiff body (for example a vehicle), describing motion about the longitudinal axis
** Roll (aviation) ...
. The Wijnbergen Roll, a French roll of arms dating from c. 1280 and preserved in
The Hague,
Netherlands, attributed "D'
azure
Azure may refer to:
Colour
* Azure (color), a hue of blue
** Azure (heraldry)
** Shades of azure, shades and variations
Arts and media
* ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987
* Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 ...
a la harpe d'
or" ( en, Blue with a harp of gold) to the King of Ireland ("le Roi d'Irlande").
[Michael C. O'Laughlin, 2001, ''The Irish Book of Arms'', Irish Genealogical Association, p 15] The harp, traditionally associated with the
biblical
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
King David, was a rare
charge
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
on medieval rolls and only two arms with a harp are listed in a collection of 19 early rolls.
Triangular devices appeared on medieval Irish coinage by kings
John and
Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal ...
in the 12th and 13th centuries. These devices may have been crude harps or it may be that the harp developed from the use of triangles to distinguish Irish coins. The idea of a harp being the arms of Ireland may have originated as a reference to a fictional character, ''le roi d'irelande'', in the courtly legend cycle of
Tristan
Tristan ( Latin/Brythonic: ''Drustanus''; cy, Trystan), also known as Tristram or Tristain and similar names, is the hero of the legend of Tristan and Iseult. In the legend, he is tasked with escorting the Irish princess Iseult to wed ...
. Alternatively, it may have derived from a celebrated 13th century bardic poem, ''Tabhroidh Chugam Cruit mo Riogh'', dedicated to Donnchadh Cairbreach O'Briain (d. 1242), a Gaelic
King of Thomond
The kings of Thomond ( ga, Rí Tuamhain) ruled from the establishment of Thomond during the High Middle Ages, until the Early modern period. Thomond represented the legacy of Brian Bóruma and the High Kings of Ireland of his line who could ...
.
Whatever its origins, the harp was adopted as the symbol of the new
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed fro ...
, established by
Henry VIII, in 1541. A document in the Office of the
Ulster King of Arms, from either the late reign of Henry VIII or the early reign his son of
Edward VI, states that they were the arms of the kingdom of Ireland.
The arms were incorporated into the unified
Royal Coats of Arms of England, Ireland and Scotland upon the
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns ( gd, Aonadh nan Crùintean; sco, Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas dipl ...
of the three kingdoms in 1603. Upon the secession of the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between the ...
from the
United Kingdom in 1922, the harp was taken as the emblem of the independent Irish state.
Today, the image of the harp is used on the
coins
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to ...
,
passports
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the persona ...
and
official seals of
Ireland and is incorporated into the emblems of many bodies in
Northern Ireland, such as the
Police Service of Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ')
is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it was reform ...
. The harp is frequently incorporated into the emblems of Irish companies, such as
Guinness and
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland and has its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport, Dublin and London Stansted Airport, London Stansted airports. It forms the lar ...
. It appears on the arms of countries with historical links to Ireland or the United Kingdom, such as
Montserrat
Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with roughly of coastline. It is n ...
and
Canada. In 1984, exemplars of the modern design, approved by the Chief Herald, were registered by the
Government of Ireland with the
World Intellectual Property Organization under Article 6ter of the
Paris Convention, which relates to state emblems.
The government only registered "left-facing" images, with the harp's
sound board on the right. While the
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
's office felt that right-facing images should also be registered, patent agents advised this might be interfere with
Guinness Brewery's use of such harps in its logo since the 1870s.
Presidential Standard
As well as being the arms of Ireland, since 1945 the harp is the arms of each
President of Ireland whilst in office. Typically the arms are borne as a
banner
A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...
in the form of
a Presidential Standard. The standard is flown over
Áras an Uachtaráin
(; "Residence of the President"), formerly the Viceregal Lodge, is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of Ireland. It is located off Chesterfield Avenue in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The building design was credi ...
, the President's residence in
Dublin, at
Dublin Castle when the President is in residence and on
vehicles used by the President. As with other Presidential and
Royal Standards, it is never flown at
half mast
Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salut ...
. However, the Presidential Standard never takes precedence over the
flag of Ireland, whereas, for example, the
Royal Standard of the United Kingdom
The Royal Standards of the United Kingdom refers to either one of two similar flags used by Monarchy of the United Kingdom, King Charles III in his capacity as Sovereign of the United Kingdom, the Crown dependencies, and the British Overseas Te ...
takes precedence over the
flag of the United Kingdom.
Previous arms
The
Lordship of Ireland
The Lordship of Ireland ( ga, Tiarnas na hÉireann), sometimes referred to retroactively as Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman lords between ...
, the
medieval realm of Ireland that existed between 1171 and 1541 under the
English crown
This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself King of the Anglo-Sax ...
, had separate arms. A commission of
Edward IV in c. 1467-8 into the arms of Ireland found them to be
blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visu ...
ed ''Azure, three crowns in pale Or, bordure Argent'' (three golden crowns ordered vertically on a blue background with a white border).
[Chambers's Encyclopædia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge, 1868, p. 627] The association of these arms with Ireland is likely to have originated with Irish magnates (both
Norman and
Gaelic) who fought in
Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal ...
's Scottish wars at the turn of the 14th century. These were the arms of
Edmund the Martyr
Edmund the Martyr (also known as St Edmund or Edmund of East Anglia, died 20 November 869) was king of East Anglia from about 855 until his death.
Few historical facts about Edmund are known, as the kingdom of East Anglia was devastated by t ...
, which the Irish lords adopted as their banner in the same way as English lords identified with
the banner of St. George. However, these arms were also well known in other medieval contexts and are often attributed to
King Arthur.
It is believed that the three crowns were abandoned as the arms of Ireland after Henry VIII's split with
the Papacy
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
. Strictly speaking, following the Norman invasion of the 12th century, Ireland was a feudal possession of
the Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
under the overlordship of the English monarch. The decision to change the three crowns arms may have sprung "from an idea that they might denote the feudal sovereignty of the pope" — whose
tiara
A tiara (from la, tiara, from grc, τιάρα) is a jeweled head ornament. Its origins date back to ancient Greece and Rome. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women ...
has three crowns — "whose vassal the king of England was, as lord of Ireland."
Despite this, the memory of the three crowns arms may have remained for a time with one
Elizabethan
The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personific ...
variant of the harp, sometimes found on coins, maps and seals as early as 1562, using of the three harps, one replacing each of the three crowns of the lordship's arms. This appears to have been a creation of the newly established Ulster King of Arms and never captured the popular imagination sufficiently to replace the single Harp arms that was in use from the reign of Henry VIII. Thus, at the funeral cortège of Elizabeth I in 1603 depicted in a manuscript at the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
, the
Earl of Clanrickarde is shown carrying the
banner
A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...
of Ireland just as in the Wijnbergen Roll.
A variant of arms of the
royal province of Meath were also apparently used at one time as the arms of Ireland. Meath, now a part of the
province of Leinster was once the province of the
High Kings of Ireland. Its arms are of a king sitting on a throne on a blue field. The variant apparently used as the arms of Ireland were of a
majesty on a
sable (
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...
) background instead of an azure (blue) field.
Achievement
The design of the harp used by the modern Irish state is based on the ''
Brian Boru harp'', a late-medieval
Gaelic harp now in
Trinity College Dublin.
[The Trinity College Harp was once thought to have belonged to ]Brian Boru
Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domination of Ireland. Bri ...
, the 11th century High King of Ireland. However, the harp has since been dated to the 14th or 15th century and so cannot have actually belonged to him. It is on permanent display in the Long Room of the library of Trinity College Dublin The design is by an English sculptor,
Percy Metcalfe
Percy Metcalfe, CVO, RDI (14 January 1895 Wakefield – 9 October 1970 Fulham Hospital, Hammersmith, London), (often spelled ''Metcalf'' without "e") was an English artist, sculptor and designer. He is recognised mostly for his coin designs ...
. Metcalfe's design was in response to a competition held by the state to design Irish coinage, which was to start circulation in December 1928. Metcalfe's design became the model for future official interpretations of the harp as an emblem of the state.
The modern design is markedly different from earlier depictions. During the 17th century, it became common to depict the harp with a woman's head and breasts, like a ship's
figurehead, as the pillar.
It is not necessary to show a full complement of thirty strings, provided that the numbers do not fall below nine (notwithstanding the illustration to the left).
The strings are always silver and the harp is always gold.
The harp is shown on a blue background. The colour of the field is sometimes called
St. Patrick's blue, a name applied to shades of blue associated with Ireland. In current designs, used by the UK and Irish states, the field is invariably a deep blue. The use of blue in the arms has been associated with , a
Gaelic mythological personification of Ireland. The word ' is a compound of the
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
words ' ("blue") and ' ("sovereign"); it is noted in early Irish texts as the name of several queens closely connected with dynastic politics in the 10th and 11th century Ireland. The
National Library of Ireland
The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ga, Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the Republic of Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland i ...
, in describing the blue background of the arms, notes that in early Irish mythology the sovereignty of Ireland ( ga, Flaitheas
Éireann) was represented by a woman often dressed in a blue robe.
A crest, which was little used, is thought to have been created for the ascension of
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
*James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
*James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
*James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
. This
crest was blazoned: ''A tower triple towered or, from the portal a hart springing argent, attired and unguled also or''.
[Fox-Davies, A.C., 1915, The Book of Public Arms, London] The
torse
In heraldry, a torse or wreath is a twisted roll of fabric laid about the top of the helmet and the base of the crest. It has the dual purpose of masking the join between helm and crest, and of holding the mantling in place.
The torse is some ...
was Or and azure.
The torse and crest were apparently little used even during the period of the Kingdom of Ireland. Unlike Scotland, Ireland did not reserve the right to bear a distinct coat of arms within the
United Kingdom. The crest and torse are not employed by the Irish state today.
Historically, the harp was frequently seen surmounted by a crown. In this case, the depiction is as
heraldic badge, a
device used to indicate allegiance to or the property of someone or something.
Elizabeth I used the badge as her second
Great Seal of 1586. This motif had earlier featured of the coins of the Lordship of Ireland during the
Tudor period and continued to be used on the coins of the Kingdom of Ireland. Following the creation of the United Kingdom, the device was used on the cap badges of the
Royal Irish Constabulary
The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...
and later the
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Roya ...
. The badge can be seen today on the cap badge of the
Royal Irish Regiment of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...
. The harp, unsurmounted by a crown, is used as a badge in the Republic of Ireland today, but the harp surmounted by a crown is also found (e.g. in 'colours' ties of Trinity College sports teams).
Supporters and motto
The arms of Ireland are without
supporters. However, historically, some depictions of the arms have been accompanied by various supporters. For example, during the late
Tudor period, depictions of the arms appeared accompanied by a
dragon and a lion, representing
Wales and
England. The Tudors were monarchs of England but of Welsh descent. In later centuries, following the
union of the crowns
The Union of the Crowns ( gd, Aonadh nan Crùintean; sco, Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas dipl ...
of
England and
Scotland, depictions appeared accompanied by a lion and a
unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead.
In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...
, representing England and
Scotland. Other depictions included two stags, representing Ireland, or a stag and a lion. However, none of these were ever a part of the blazon and should be interpreted in terms of
artistic licence
Artistic license (alongside more contextually-specific derivative terms such as poetic license, historical license, dramatic license, and narrative license) refers to deviation from fact or form for artistic purposes. It can include the alterat ...
.
Several mottos associated with Ireland and have also been used alongside representations of the harp, including the patriotic slogan, ' ( en, Ireland Forever), ' ( en, Who will separate
s), the motto of
the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick, and ''It is new strung and shall be heard'', the motto of the
Society of United Irishmen
The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association in the Kingdom of Ireland formed in the wake of the French Revolution to secure "an equal representation of all the people" in a national government. Despairing of constitutional reform, ...
. However, no heraldic motto has ever been granted to Ireland and none ever accompanies the coat of arms.
Green flag
As well as the coat of arms, which shows the harp on an Azure (blue) field, Ireland has long been associated with a
flag also bearing the harp. This flag is identical to the coat of arms but with a green field, rather than blue, and is blazoned ''Vert, a Harp Or, stringed Argent'' (a gold harp with silver strings on a green field).
The earliest-known record of the green flag is attributed to
Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill
Owen Roe O'Neill (Irish: ''Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill;'' – 1649) was a Gaelic Irish soldier and one of the most famous of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster. O'Neill left Ireland at a young age and spent most of his life as a mercenary in the Spanish ...
, a 17th-century
exile and soldier in the Irish brigade of the Spanish army. His ship, the ''St. Francis'', is recorded as flying from her mast top "the Irish harp in a green field, in a flag" as she lay at anchor at
Dunkirk en route to Ireland.
Ó Néill was returning to Ireland in order to participate in the
Irish Confederate Wars (1641–1653), during the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms (a series of civil wars engulfing England, Ireland and Scotland), where he would contribute as a leading
general. Variants of the green flag were flown by
United Irishmen during the
1798 Rebellion
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a Irish republicanism, ...
and by the
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
émigré in foreign armys, such as the
Irish Brigade of the
Union Army during the
American Civil War (1861–1865) and
Saint Patrick's Battalion
The Saint Patrick's Battalion ( es, Batallón de San Patricio, later reorganized as the Foreign Legion of Patricios) was a unit of 175 to several hundred (accounts vary) Immigration, immigrants and expatriates of European descent who fought as p ...
in the
Mexican Army during the
Mexican–American War (1846–1848).
Although the Kingdom of Ireland never had an official flag, this flag is recorded as the flag of Ireland by 18th- and 19th-century sources. It was used as a
naval jack
A jack is a flag flown from a short jackstaff at the bow (front) of a vessel, while the ensign is flown on the stern (rear). Jacks on bowsprits or foremasts appeared in the 17th century. A country may have different jacks for different purpo ...
and as the basis for the unofficial green
ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be differ ...
of Ireland, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. The flag is identical to the
arms of the province of Leinster. It is believed that the Leinster arms are derived from it, rather than the other way around.
Arms and Flag of the Four Provinces
The arms of the four traditional
provinces of Ireland are popularly displayed
quartered as arms of Ireland. The quartering is usually in the order
Leinster first,
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
second,
Ulster third and
Munster fourth. The resulting arms are frequently displayed in the form of a
banner
A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...
. They also appear as charges in other arms and emblems. For example, the arms of the
Genealogical Office
The Genealogical Office is an office of the Government of Ireland containing genealogical records. It includes the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland ( ga, Príomh Aralt na hÉireann), the authority in Ireland for heraldry. The Chief Herald ...
, which is headed by the Chief Herald of Ireland, are the four provinces shown quartered beneath ''
a chief Gules, charged with a
Tudor Portcullis Or between two Scrolls Argent'' (a red band with a gold Tudor portcullis between two silver scrolls).
The
arms of Leinster (''Vert, a Harp Or, stringed Argent'') are believed to have likely evolved from the arms of Ireland itself with a change of
tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
. Similarly,
Munster's arms (''Azure, three antique crowns Or'') are thought to have been derived from those of the former Lordship of Ireland, or from the short-lived
dukedom of Ireland created for
Robert de Vere in 1386. The crowns now usually depicted as "antique" or "eastern": a gold rim with eight sharp, triangular rays, of which five are seen.
The
arms of Ulster are the arms of the
de Burgh
de Burgh (also spelt de Bourgh, and Burke, and also Latinised as de Burgo) is an Anglo-Norman surname deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh ...
,
Earls of Ulster
The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1928, the title has been held by the Duke of Gloucester and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's elde ...
, combined with the
red hand seal of
the O'Neills. These two dynasties and symbols are inseparably linked to Ulster. The combination of them is blazoned ''Or, on a Cross Gules, an inescutcheon Argent, charged with a dexter hand erect aupaumee and couped at the wrist Gules''.
Finally,
Connacht's arms are blazoned ''Party Per Pale Argent and Azure, in the first an eagle dimidiated and displayed Sable in the second issuant from the partition an arm embowed and vested, the hand holding a sword erect, all Argent''. These are believed to have been adopted from the arms of the medieval
Schottenklöster
The Hiberno-Scottish mission was a series of expeditions in the 6th and 7th centuries by Gaelic missionaries originating from Ireland that spread Celtic Christianity in Scotland, Wales, England and Merovingian France. Celtic Christianity spr ...
(Gaelic monastery) in
Regensburg,
Germany. The arms of the Regensburg Schottenklöster, which date from at least the 14th century, combined
the arms of the
Holy Roman Emperor (from whom the abbey received protection)
dimidiated with a symbol that may be linked with the crest of the
O'Brien dynasty arms (an 11th-century O'Brien is listed as the "fundator" of the abbey). The arms may have been granted to
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair,
King of Connacht
The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being named ...
and the last
High King of Ireland before the Norman invasion, by the abbey as a gift to return his patronage. The arms were given as the "old tyme arms" of Ireland by the Athlone
Pursuivant
A pursuivant or, more correctly, pursuivant of arms, is a junior officer of arms. Most pursuivants are attached to official heraldic authorities, such as the College of Arms in London or the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh. In the mediaeval ...
, Edward Fletcher, c. 1575 and, with slight change of tinctures, became the arms of Connacht in the seventeenth century.
See also
*
Armorial of Ireland
*
Coat of arms of Northern Ireland
The coat of arms of the Government of Northern Ireland was granted to the Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland in 1924.
History
The coat of arms was designed by Major Sir Nevile Wilkinson, Ulster King of Arms, at Dublin ...
*
Flag of Ireland
*
Great Seal of the Irish Free State
*
Irish heraldry
*
List of flags of Ireland
*
Seal of the President of Ireland
*
Shamrock
A shamrock is a young sprig, used as a symbol of Ireland. Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, is said to have used it as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity. The name ''shamrock'' comes from Irish (), which is the diminutive of ...
Notes
References
External links
Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland** Two "Ireland" images in Ulster Office's ''Draft Grants of Arms ca. 1580–1690''
folio 18(top left) an
folio 71
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat of Arms of Ireland
Irish culture
Ireland
National symbols of the Republic of Ireland
National symbols of Ireland
Ireland
Irish coats of arms