The coat of arms of the Government of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

was granted to the

Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dire ...

in 1924.

History

The coat of arms was designed by

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Sir Nevile Wilkinson,

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 th ...

, at

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the se ...

, in 1923. In January 1924, Major Wilkinson held discussions with Northern Irish officials in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

regarding the coat of arms. The final design was completed by Wilkinson's deputy,

Thomas Ulick Sadleir Thomas Ulick Sadleir (1882–1957) was an Irish genealogist and heraldic expert. He was successively registrar of the Order of St Patrick, Deputy Ulster King of Arms and Acting Ulster King of Arms. Career Sadleir's first involvement with the of ...

, for approval by the Northern Irish cabinet in April 1924. The artwork was approved and the Royal Warrant signed by

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

and issued through the Home Office on 2 August 1924 and registered in the Register of Arms in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

as follows: :Royal Warrant Government of Northern Ireland :Argent a cross gules, overall on a six pointed star of the field ensigned by an Imperial crown proper a dexter hand couped at the wrist of the second. :Given at our Court of St. James in the 15th year of our reign 2nd August 1924 by His Majesty's command. The supporters were granted in 1925: a red

lion rampant The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, because historically the lion has been regarded as the "king of beasts". The lion also carries Judeo-Christia ...

, as on the

Royal Banner of Scotland The Royal Banner of the Royal Arms of Scotland, also known as the Royal Banner of Scotland, or more commonly the Lion Rampant of Scotland, and historically as the Royal Standard of Scotland, ( gd, Bratach rìoghail na h-Alba, sco, Ryal banner ...

, to represent the Ulster Scots, and an

Irish elk The Irish elk (''Megaloceros giganteus''), also called the giant deer or Irish deer, is an extinct species of deer in the genus ''Megaloceros'' and is one of the largest deer that ever lived. Its range extended across Eurasia during the Pleisto ...

to represent the "native element". The lion bears a flag with the

Irish harp The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring great ...

and the Irish elk bears a flag with the arms of the

De Burgh family The House of Burgh or Burke (; ; ; ga, de Búrca; la, de Burgo) was an ancient Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman aristocratic dynasty (with the Anglo-Irish branches later adopting the surname Burke and its variants) who held the earld ...

(described above). The supporters were

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 vis ...

ed as follows: :Dexter a lion gules armed langued and collared or, supporting a flagstaff proper, therefrom flowing to the sinister a banner azure, charged with a harp or, stringed argent, surmounted by an imperial crown proper; Sinister an Irish elk proper, collared or, supporting a like staff, therefrom flowing to the dexter a banner or charged with a cross gules. In 1971, the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

in London added the compartment on which the supporters stand: :On a grassy mount two flax plants each with three flowers on stems proper.

Present status

The grant has not been rescinded, but the arms are considered historical, as the body to which the arms were granted no longer exists, and so they cannot be used unless regranted to another armiger. The current

Northern Ireland Executive The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branch of the legislature – the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the ter ...

does not use a coat of arms. The former flag of the Government of Northern Ireland is derived from the arms. The flag is the arms alone (the shield), for supporters are never displayed on a flag. Supporters are not part of the arms – they support the arms, which are on the shield. The formerly official flag continues to be used to represent Northern Ireland at some sports events. Use today can be controversial in some parts of Northern Ireland.''How Northern Ireland got its flag'' by Herbert Malcolm McKee M.C. published on 8 August 1964 and available in PRONI file ANI/10/104 and reported on in ''Flying the Union Flag above Stormont (in 1975)'' published on SluggerO'Toole on 30 December 2016

Symbols currently used in Northern Ireland for official purposes

The

Northern Ireland Office The Northern Ireland Office (NIO; ga, Oifig Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster-Scots: ''Norlin Airlann Oaffis'') is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for N ...

uses 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. Varian ...

which also appear on the cover of

Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly This is list of Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly from its establishment in 1999 up until the present. * ''No Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly were passed in 1999.'' * List of Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2000 * List of ...

. The

Northern Ireland Assembly sco-ulster, Norlin Airlan Assemblie , legislature = 7th Northern Ireland Assembly, Seventh Assembly , coa_pic = File:NI_Assembly.svg , coa_res = 250px , house_type = Unicameralism, Unicameral , hou ...

adopted an official emblem in 1998 which depicts six blue

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

flowers. The six flowers represent the six historic counties that make up Northern Ireland and the region's history of linen making. The colour is similar to the seats in the assembly chamber at Parliament Buildings, Stormont. This emblem is based on a design created by Leslie Durbin that featured six flax flowers and a coronet which was used to represent Northern Ireland on

£1 coin The British one pound (£1) coin is a denomination of Coins of the United Kingdom, sterling coinage. Its obverse bears the Latin engraving ELIZABETH II D G REG () F D () meaning, 'Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith ...

s minted in 1991. The

uses a logo depicting representation of the

Giant's Causeway The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (5 km) northeast of ...

. The

Celtic harp The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring great ...

represents Northern Ireland indirectly as

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in the

. File:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg,

used by the

File:Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (black and white).svg,

as used on the cover of

File:NI Assembly.svg, Emblem of the

File:Northern Ireland Executive logo.svg, Logo of the

File:Arms of Ireland (historical).svg, The

represents Northern Ireland indirectly as Ireland in the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom

References

{{Navboxes , list = {{British coat of arms {{Royal heraldry in the United Kingdom {{Northern Ireland topics {{Coats of arms of Europe

National symbols of Northern Ireland Coats of arms of Northern Ireland

History

Present status

Symbols currently used in Northern Ireland for official purposes

See also

References