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Northern Ireland has not had its own unique, government sanctioned flag since its government was prorogued in 1972, and abolished in 1973 under the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973. During official events, the British government uses the British Union Jack.

The Ulster Banner remains an unofficial flag used, when a flag is desired that uniquely represents Northern Ireland (as the Union Flag represents the United Kingdom as a whole), mostly by Unionists, sporting organisations and a number of local government authorities under Unionist control.

The Flag of the Former Government of Northern Ireland (1953-1972)

The "Ulster Banner" was the official name given to the flag, which is also often referred to as "the flag of Northern Ireland", the "Northern Ireland flag", the "Red Hand Flag" or as the "Ulster Flag" (not to be confused with the provincial Flag of Ulster). It was the official flag of the Government of Northern Ireland from 1953 to 1973.

In 1924, the Government of Northern Ireland was granted arms by Royal Warrant and had the right to display these arms on a flag or banner. This right was exercised for the Coronation in 1953. Between 1953 and 1972, this flag was the arms of the Government of Northern Ireland and commonly used during this period and beyond as the de facto civil flag. It ceased to have official government sanction when the Parliament of Northern Ireland was dissolved by the British government under the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973, but remains the only flag to date which uniquely represents Northern Ireland on a national and international level.

The flag is based on the flag of England and the flag of the province of Ulster, with the addition of a crown to symbolise the loyalty of Ulster unionists to the British Monarchy. As with the flag of the province of Ulster, it contains the Red Hand of Ulster at the centre. There is a dispute as to the meaning of the star, with some maintaining it is the Star of David, and others say it represents the six counties that make up Northern Ireland.

The flag is used within the unionist community, along with the Union Flag. A variation of the flag places the Union Flag in the Canton, and another superimposes both the red hand and the outline of a map of Northern Ireland on the Union Flag. It is regularly displayed by fans of the Northern Ireland national football team, and the Ulster rugby team. Some Ulster rugby supporters also display the Flag of Ulster. It is also used to represent Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games, the Northern Ireland national football team and various other sporting competitions.

Displaying flags

In Northern Ireland, some members from each 'community' use their own flags to declare their allegiance (to political ideology) and 'mark territory', often in a manner that is deliberately provocative. Thus it is the "Ulster Banner" and the Union Flag that are flown by unionists, while the tricolour of the Republic of Ireland is often used to represent nationalist defiance.

Under the 1998 Belfast Agreement, flags continue to be a source of disagreement in Northern Ireland. The Agreement states that:

All participants acknowledge the sensitivity of the use of symbols and emblems for public purposes, and the need in particular in creating the new institutions to ensure that such symbols and emblems are used in a manner which promotes mutual respect rather than division.

— Belfast Agreement

Nationalists pointed to this to argue that the use of the Union Flag for official purposes should be restricted, or that the Irish tricolour should be flown alongside the British flag on government buildings, and banned the Union Flag from the public buildings they were in charge of during the last previous devolved administration. However all signatories to the Agreement also declare their acceptance of the "principle of consent" (i.e. that there will be no change to the constitutional position of Northern Ireland unless a majority votes for it), and Unionists argued that this provision amounts to recognising that the Union Flag is the only legitimate official flag in Northern Ireland. The problem was discussed in detail and various proposals made including suggestions for a new flag.

The dispute was resolved by legislation requiring the Union Flag to be flown over specified government buildings including Parliament Buildings and state offices on specified 'named days' (honouring, for example Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday), and prohibiting other flags save the European Union flag. On the occasion of a visit to a government building by the United Kingdom head of state the Royal Standard shall be flown and the Union Flag can be flown, and on state visits from other heads of state the Union Flag and the national flag of the country of the visitor can be flown. The legislation does not apply to District Council buildings, and District Councils follow a range of practices varying from flying the Union Flag on a number of council buildings every day of the year as at Lisburn, to flying no flags on any building, flying only the council flag or flying flags on the designated days in the same way as government buildings.

A new flag?

Main article: Northern Ireland flags issue

Although the idea of a new flag for Northern Ireland has been discussed from time to time, it has little popular support, as some unionists and loyalists do not wish to see Northern Ireland's links with Britain and the Crown undermined. Similarly, many nationalists and republicans do not recognise Northern Ireland as a viable separate entity, and therefore, see no reason for it to have any symbols.

References

1. http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/countries/association=63/index.html
2. http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-ni.html#uj
3. http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/images/symbols/flags.htm
4. http://www.flagsonline.it/asp/fahne.asp/fahne_Nordirland/Nordirland.html
5. http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-ni.html#hist
6. Tension over flag flying at BBC News
7. Flagging concern: the controversy over flags and emblems
8. The Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000
9. Transforming Conflict: Flags and Emblems by Dominic Bryan and Gordon Gillespie, Institute of Irish Studies, Queen's University, Belfast, March 2005

External links

• FOTW: Northern Ireland
• CAIN: Flags in Northern Ireland
• Flag of Northern Ireland Flash animation of Northern Ireland flag elements

• Flags of Northern Ireland
• National symbols of Northern Ireland