The Ireland Flag

The National Ireland flag is called a tricolor and is made of three equal-sized rectangles of green, white, and orange.

Being twice as wide as it is tall, the green side is at the flagpole. This particular Irish flag was first used in 1848.

The green represents the native people of Ireland (most of whom are Roman Catholic). The orange represents the British supporters of William of Orange who settled in Northern Ireland in the 17th century (most of whom are Protestant). The white in the center represents peace between the two groups of people.

History of the Irish Flag

The Tricolor was first introduced by Thomas Francis Meagher in 1848. This was at the Easter Rising in 1916, when it was raised above the General Post Office in Dublin.

It was then that the Tricolour came to be regarded as the national flag of Ireland.

The flag was adopted in 1919 by the Irish Republic during its war of independence, and subsequently by the Irish Free State (1922–1937).

The new Irish Flag was given constitutional status under the 1937 Constitution of Ireland.

The tricolour is regarded by most nationalists as the national flag of the whole island of Ireland. It is flown by many nationalists in Northern Ireland. This causes much controversy with the loyalist majority of Ulster. It is also flown by the GAA - Gaelic Athletic Association.

Historically the island has been represented by a number of flags. These have included St Patrick's cross, and the flag of the four provinces of Ireland.

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