The flag which is commonly known today as the ‘Northern Ireland flag’ or the ‘Ulster flag’ first appeared in 1953. There were two important events that summer, the coronation in London on 2 June and a visit to Northern Ireland by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh at the start of July. Those two events provided the impetus for the adoption of the flag.
During the coronation celebrations in England, Scottish and Welsh people had their own national flags which they could use along with the Union flag but Ulster people in England had no distinctive flag. This gave rise to demands for an Ulster flag. The Northern Whig (23 May 1953) carried a report from its London correspondent entitled ‘Ulster should have an official flag’.
The demand for a flag was increased locally during the preparations for the royal visit. At various times between 1921 and 1953 there had been calls for the creation of an official Northern Ireland flag but this time the demand was stronger. In response to this the Northern Ireland government issued a statement in which it recognised ‘the desire of a number of people to fly a flag distinctive of Northern Ireland’ and declared that it had ‘no objection to the flying of the government banner’.
A banner is a rectangular flag bearing a coat of arms and the Northern Ireland government banner was a flag bearing the arms of the Northern Ireland government. It is this flag which we know as the Ulster flag. The original government statement described the flag as ‘a white flag, carrying the Cross of St George (in red) and in the centre of the Cross a white six-pointed star carrying the Red hand of Ulster, the Star being surmounted by the Imperial Crown.’
The Ulster flag was first flown at Stormont on 2 July, during the royal visit, and it was first flown in London on 5 November, when it was unfurled at the Northern Ireland government’s office in Lower Regent Street.
In a letter to the Belfast NewsLetter (10 July 1953) Mr A Robinson of the Ministry of Home Affairs said, ‘The public of Northern Ireland have always had and still have the same right as other citizens of the Commonwealth to fly the Union flag but if they wish to display a flag distinctive of the Province they are authorised to fly the Government banner which in this sense is the official Northern Ireland flag.’
The position was restated by Mr W B Topping, Minister of Home Affairs at Stormont, in 1959. He said that in 1924 the government of Northern Ireland was granted arms by royal warrant and it had the right to display these arms on a banner or flag, and to say to what use this banner may be put. It was this banner, he said, which was generally known as the flag of Northern Ireland and the government had authorised its use by any citizen on any festive occasion. The use of the banner in this way was, therefore, fully justified by heraldic law and usage, and it came into being after consultation with Sir Gerald Wollaston, then Norroy and Ulster King of Arms.
Thanks for the sceal about this particular flag, always wondered its origins. As a republican however, it is offensive with the British Crown and star etc.....Why not just use the original Ulster flag instead or is it because Unionists who reside in the Six Counties don't accept the other three Ulster Counties?
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how anyone can find the star offensive. I am about to write a further post on the design of the coat of arms.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification Nelson. Regards the star, it is a six-pointed one, obviously recognising the Six County State referred to you as, Northern Ireland. It is offensive to myself as an Irish Republican because it excludes the other three Ulster Counties and is an exclusive symbol chara.
ReplyDeleteIf you care to read the next post you will see something of the historic background of the star. In fact during the 3rd Home Rule Crisis there were postcards with 9 stars to represent the 9 counties of the Elizabethan province of Ulster.
ReplyDeleteDown through the years Ulster has changed and the 9 county province of Ulster was the creation of Queen Elizabeth I. As I have pointed out in the past, there was a tiem when there were five provinces in Ireland and there was also a time when Ulster was an area equivalent to just Antrim and Down - that was the Anglo-Norman Earldom of Ulster.
Ultimately your problem is not so much with the flag but with the fact that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.
Well said Nelson! ! FGAU!
ReplyDeleteExcellent research Nelson.
ReplyDeleteCould you tell me where one would go to obtain statements from the old Northern Ireland government such as this, as well as to where you can search old newspaper articles?
Excellent research Nelson.
ReplyDeleteCould you tell me where one would go to obtain statements from the old Northern Ireland government such as this, as well as to where you can search old newspaper articles?
I went through the newspapers in the Newspaper Library, beside the Central Library. I also used the book A History of Irish Flags by G A Hayes-McCoy.
ReplyDelete