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Coat of arms of Ireland

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The coat of arms.

The coat of arms of Ireland is azure a harp or, stringed azure. The harp has long been Ireland's heraldic emblem.

The Irish Harp

The harp has been recognised as a symbol of Ireland since the 13th century, and first appeared on Anglo-Irish coinage of 1536 during the reign of Henry VIII. It is sometimes referred to as the harp of Brian Boru, High King of Ireland. It appears in the third quarter of the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom, representing the old claim of the British crown to the royal lordship of Ireland in (disputed) succession to Brian Boru.

The harp was selected as the state emblem on the establishment of the Irish Free State, and one of its earliest treatments was on the Great Seal of the Irish Free State. It continued to be a state emblem after the Constitution of Ireland was adopted. The image of the harp is used on Irish coinage, passports, and official documents of the state; it is also the official seals of the President, Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Ministers of the Government and other officials.

The harp on the 1928 coinage was based on the Galway and Trinity College harps, whilst a much modified version was introduced on 1939 coinage, and the present Irish euro coins are largely based on this.

The Brian Boru harp

The Brian Boru harp, also referred to as the Trinity College harp or simply as the Brian Boru, is the oldest surviving Irish harp. It dates back to the late 14th century and is on permanent display in the Long Room of the library of Trinity College, Dublin The harp was named after Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, but as he died about 400 years before it was made, it cannot actually have belonged to him.

The Coat of Arms

The harp appears on the coat of arms of Ireland, which were officially registered as the arms of the state 1945-11-09.

The official heraldic description is:

A harp or, stringed argent, on a field azure.

See also

References

  1. The Encyclopedia of Ireland, Brian Lalor, Gill & Macmillan, Dublin 2003.

External links

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