This is a list of flags which have been, or are still today, used in Ireland. Island of Ireland The following flags have been used to represent the island of Ireland as a whole, either officially or unofficially. Flag Date Use Description 1386–1542 The heraldic banner of the Lordship of Ireland. The earliest depiction of the 'triple crown' motif is found on the arms granted by Richard II to Robert de Vere (whom he created the first and only Duke of Ireland) as Lord of Ireland in 1386. "They were borne, apparently as the arms of Ireland, in the funeral procession of Henry IV in 1413. They appear as a device on the Irish coinage of Edward IV (1461–83), Richard III (1483–85), Henry VII (1485–1509), and the pretender, Lambert Simnel (1487). Edward IV specified them as the Irish arms in an indenture of 1483".Hayes-McCoy, Gerard Anthony (1979). A History of Irish flags from Earliest Times. Academy Press, Dublin. . The 'triple crown' motif has been traditionally associated with St. Edmund, the Saxon king of East Anglia (855–869) who is today one of the patron saints of England. The flag of East Anglia was a St. George's Cross with a blue coat of arms featuring three gold crowns – visually similar to the arms of the province of Munster. In his work 'Vicissitudes of Families', Bernard Burke, the Ulster King of Arms, proposed that St. Edmund's Banner was borne during the Norman Invasion of Ireland. A section of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin is dedicated to St. Edmund, although his iconography is not displayed. The banner of the Lordship of Ireland was based on the arms and feature three golden crowns ordered vertically on a blue background with a white border. It is blazoned: "Azure, three crowns in pale Or, bordure Argent." 1542–1801 Standard of the Kingdom of Ireland. From 1801, it has been incorporated in the lower-left quadrant of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom A silver-stringed gold cláirseach harp on a blue field. 1642–present The green harp flag of the 17th century Confederacy of Ireland and an unofficial flag of Ireland during the 18th and 19th century. Variants have been used as the basis for numerous flags of Ireland. It was used by the Irish team at the 1930 British Empire Games. A silver-stringed gold cláirseach harp on a green field. 1783–present The St. Patrick's Saltire, also known as the Cross of St Patrick, after Saint Patrick, the main patron saint of Ireland. "The Saltire became an established Irish symbol in 1783 with the founding of the Order of Saint Patrick by King George III to mark the legislative independence of the Kingdom of Ireland which lasted from 1783 to 1801. The Saltire is believed to derive from the arms of the FitzGeralds who were the Earls of Kildare and later Dukes of Leinster. Incidentally, Kildare County Council uses the Saltire on its coat of arms, as do Cork City and Trinity College Dublin, that both feature two flags – St. George's Cross and St. Patrick's Saltire. The flags of Queen's University Belfast and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland use the symbol and it can also be found on the badge of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)".Genealogical Society of Ireland (2015). Flagging Ireland: Irish Guide to Flag Design. Dublin. . The flag has been used for almost 30 years by local authorities in Downpatrick for St. Patrick's Day. In addition, Church of Ireland flies this flag on special religious days throughout the island. While the saltire represents Ireland on the flag of the United Kingdom, this use is disputed by some Irish nationalists who have described the saltire as an "1800 English invention [..] for a people who had never used it". The Saint Patrick's Saltire features a red saltire on a white field. In heraldry these arms are blazoned: "Argent, a saltire gules". 1821–1922 Flag of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. It was granted in 1821 by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty under royal warrant, "to prevent the Inconvenience experienced for want of a flag distinguishing the presence of the Lord Lieutenant on board His Majesty's ships". The flag became defunct when the office was abolished by the Irish Free State (Consequential Provisions) Act 1922. The flag of the United Kingdom defaced with the coat of arms of Ireland. ???–present The Four Provinces Flag of Ireland. This flag, and variants of it, have been used by various all-Ireland sports teams and cultural organisations. The arms of the four provinces of Ireland are shown in quadrants. The order in which the arms appear varies.

Northern Ireland Flag Date Use Description 1922–1973 Personal flag of the governor of Northern Ireland. A Union Jack defaced with the coat of arms of Northern Ireland. 1924–1972 The Ulster Banner, also known as the Ulster flag or the Red Hand of Ulster flag, was the flag of the Government of Northern Ireland between 1924 and 1972. It was also adopted as an unofficial flag for Northern Ireland itself in 1953, in honour of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The flag was based on the arms that were granted to the Government of Northern Ireland in 1924 by the Ulster King of Arms based in Dublin Castle. The flag lost its official status in 1972 when the Parliament of Northern Ireland was abolished by the British government and since then there has been no 'official flag' for Northern Ireland. However, internationally, the flag is still used officially for sporting fixtures and events, such as the Commonwealth Games and by FIFA to represent the Northern Ireland national football team. Internally, the flag continues to be used by a number of local authorities and remains a divisive issue as it is mainly a symbol of Ulster loyalism. The flag is a heraldic banner and features the Red Hand of Ulster, a six-pointed star for the six counties of Northern Ireland and the British Crown on a de Burgh Cross. 1929–1973 Ensign of the former Northern Ireland government. The blue ensign defaced with the letters GNI. Used on vessels of the Northern Ireland government.

Republic of Ireland Flag Date Use Description 1922–present Flag of Ireland A tricolour, with three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; (the green symbolises Catholicism, the white peace and the orange Protestantism, therefore the flag represents peace between Catholics and Protestants). This is the flag and ensign of Ireland. 1945–present The standard of the president of Ireland was adopted in 1945, after the establishment of the Office of the President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann) in 1937. "This flag was approved by the Government on 13 February 1945. A number of technical decisions were made at the same time, including the decision that... the strings of the harp be yellow (in settlement of the question raised by Edward MacLysaght, who had insisted that the strings should be white)".Ó Brógáin, Séamus. (1998). "The Irish Harp Emblem". Wolfhound Press, Dublin. . The Presidential Standard was introduced prior to the inauguration of Ireland's second President Seán T. O'Kelly and therefore, it was raised at Áras an Uachtaráin in the presence of President Douglas Hyde on 24 May 1945, a month before the inauguration of his successor on 25 June 1945. The standard is flown over Áras an Uachtaráin and on vehicles used by the president. The flag is never flown at half mast and never takes precedence over the flag of Ireland. The flag features a blue field and a gold harp with 14 silver strings.

Defence Forces flags Naval Service Flag Date Use Description 1947–present The Irish Naval jack was adopted in 1947 after the establishment of the Naval Service (Ireland) (an tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh) in 1946. It is flown at the bow and used to represent Ireland along with the Naval ensign. The Naval jack is flown "by Irish Naval ships at the jack staff when at anchor, moored, alongside or when under way and dressed with masthead ensigns. It is hoisted and half masted at the same time and in like manner as the Naval ensign." The naval jack of the Naval Service of Ireland features a green field with a gold harp with 14 diagonal golden strings. 1996–present Naval Service colour flag (obverse) A navy blue field with the Defence Forces badge at the centre superimposed over a pair of crossed silver foul anchors. The colour is bordered by a two-inch wide gold fringe. 1996–present Naval Service colour flag (reverse) A navy blue field containing the state harp at its centre surrounded by a naval knotted rope decoration.

Air Corps Flag Date Use Description Irish Air Corps flag Composed of red and yellow diagonal strips on a blue field with the emblem of Irish Air Corps at its centre, the emblem of Irish Defence forces at the upper hoist and the Air Corps roundel at the lower fly.

Army Flag Date Use Description Irish Army flag 1966–present The military colours of the 1st Brigade of the Irish Defence Forces were part of a set of six unit colours that were designed in 1964. It was originally known as the Southern Command until the reorganisation of the army in 2012. There are now only two brigades responsible for military operations in Ireland. The military colours of the 1st Brigade are a field "divided per bend, or diagonally, yellow above and blue below, with a centrepiece of a stylised ship with a red hull and white sails encircled by a parti-coloured antique crown of yellow and blue. This device is a combination of details of the arms of the province of Munster and the city of Cork." 'Óglaigh na hÉireann' is written across the top, which is the official Irish title for the Defence Forces (Ireland). 'An Cead Briogaid' is written at across the bottom and means '1st Brigade' in Irish. The badge of the Irish Defence Forces is placed in the upper fly corner. 1966–present The military colours of the 2nd Brigade of the Irish Defence Forces were part of a set of six unit colours that were designed in 1964 and were the first to be completed. They "were carried for the first time in the army parades and marches which formed part of the Dublin celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 rising at Easter 1966". The military colours of the 2nd Brigade are "divided per pale, or vertically, in two stripes, blue and green. The centrepiece shows a rising sun in yellow, on which are superimposed a flaming tower and a yellow harp device. The sun device is from the Irish Volunteer colours of 1914, the tower is from the arms of the city of Dublin and the harp is from the arms of the province of Leinster". Óglaigh na hÉireann is written across the top, which is the official Irish title for the Irish Defence Forces. 'An Dara Briogaid' is written at across the bottom and means '2nd Brigade' in Irish. The badge of the Irish Defence Forces is placed in the upper fly corner. Air Defence Regiment flag Composed of an orange flag with a purple emblem of Air Defence Regiment at its centre. Defence Forces Infantry Corps flag Purple banner with two crossed rifles at its centre with the word 'Coiste' (Infantry) underneath, this is the flag of the Infantry Corps. Defence Forces Ordnance Corps flag A dark red flag containing the insignia of the Ordnance Corps at its centre. Defence Forces Cavalry Corps flag A black flag containing the emblem of the Cavalry Corps at its centre. Defence Forces Engineer Corps flag A yellow flag containing the emblem of the Engineer Corps at its centre. Defence Forces CIS Corps flag A blue flag containing the emblem of the CIS Corps at its centre. Defence Forces Artillery Corps flag An orange flag containing the emblem of the Artillery Corps at its centre. Defence Forces Medical Corps flag A teal flag containing the emblem of the Medical Corps at its centre.

Defence Force Training Centre (DFTC)