Gerard Slevin (1 November 1919 – 18 January 1997) was born in Cork,

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 ...

. Slevin was assistant to Edward McLysaght, 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 ...

, from 1944 to 1954, at which time he succeeded McLysaght. He held this position for 27 years until he retired in 1981.

Career

During his time as Chief Herald, Slevin inaugurated a genealogy advisory service, to assist in requests for help from people of Irish ancestry. Slevin granted the

Kennedy family The Kennedy family is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy be ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

their coat of arms in 1961. Slevin was also heavily involved in the design of the European flag, a circle of 12 golden stars on a deep blue background, and in recognition of this was made a member of the

Académie Internationale d'Héraldique L'Académie Internationale d'Héraldique (known in English as the International Academy Of Heraldry) was founded in Paris in 1949 to bring together experts in heraldry representing the various areas of the world. Admission is by election, and the ...

. His exact role in the design is uncertain (and may continue to remain so). According to some sources (such as archivist and biographer Dr. Susan Hood), he was the actual designer of the flag; others (such as Tom McCarthy, president of the Genealogical Society of Ireland) suggest a more peripheral role. The story that the flag's design was solely that of Slevin continues, however.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slevin, Gerard Irish officers of arms 1919 births 1997 deaths Flag designers People from County Cork