TheNorthern Ireland flags issue is one that divides the population alongsectarian lines. Depending on political allegiance, people identify with differingflags and symbols, some of which have, or have had, official status inNorthern Ireland. Northern Irelandhas not had its own unique flag since 1972, although the former flag continues to be used in some contexts.
TheFlags and Emblems (Display) Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 prohibited the display of any flag which was "likely to cause a breach of public order", and gave the police powers to deal with it. However, it specifically excluded theUnion Jack from its provisions.[10] In 1956, theStormont Minister of Affairs,George Hanna, banned an Irish Nationalist cultural demonstration planned for the annualFeis atNewtownbutler, County Fermanagh. The march proceeded anyway, and in response theRoyal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) launched abaton charge to seize a banner depictingPatrick Pearse but were unsuccessful. Police attempted a second baton charge which also failed and then resorted to using fire hoses against the crowds. Several people were injured during the disturbances, at least one seriously. The RUC had removed threeIrish tricolours from the home of a parish priest during the previous year's Feis.[11] In 1964, the RUC moved in to remove an Irish tricolour from the window of an office inBelfast, afterIan Paisley had publicly said that if they did not, he would do so personally. This resulted in serious rioting.[10] The Act was repealed in 1987.
In some loyalist areas, the flying of flags supporting loyalist paramilitaries has proved controversial. Groups like theUlster Defence Association,Ulster Volunteer Force,Young Citizen Volunteers,Red Hand Commando, andLoyalist Volunteer Force all have their own unique flags and although these flags usually appear alongside murals, they can occasionally be seen flying from lampposts in villages and towns or flying from houses in the run-up tothe Twelfth.
After the 1998Good Friday 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.[12]
Some local councils have debated the usage of the Tricolour. In 2002Belfast City Council displayed the Tricolour along with the Union Flag in the Lord Mayor's parlour during the term ofSinn Féin Lord MayorAlex Maskey.[13] A different approach was taken in 1997; when theSocial Democratic and Labour Party's (SDLP)Alban Maginness wasLord Mayor, neither flag was displayed. In September 2003, Belfast City Council discussed flying the Tricolour alongside the Union Flag on designated occasions.
In June 2007 thedesignated nationalistSocial Democratic and Labour Party complained about an artist's rendering ofIKEABelfast that included both theUnion Flag and theUlster Banner flag as two of the three flags in front of the store. After being labelled "an upmarketOrange hall" by the party, IKEA assured customers and co-workers that only the Swedish flag would be seen outside the actual store.[14]
The Ulster Banner continued to be used by some local governments, such as the predominantly unionistCastlereagh, which flew it outside its offices.[15]
A decision in December 2012 to fly the Union flag overBelfast City Hall only on certain designated days, instead of all the year round as previously, led to theBelfast City Hall flag protests, which included riots in which police officers were injured.[16]
The Northern Ireland flag issue has led toUnicode being unable to release an equivalent countryemoji for Northern Ireland, as it has for Scotland, England, and Wales.[17] Jeremy Burge, Chief Emoji Officer at Emojipedia and member of the Unicode Consortium’s emoji subcommittee said,“The real issue is that Northern Ireland has no official flag other than the Union Flag.”
In 1995, theNorthern Ireland Office discussed the possibility of a new distinct flag for Northern Ireland. Two designs by Dr.Martin J. Ball ofUlster University were considered, but no flag was ultimately adopted.[18][19]
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In 2003, theAlliance Party of Northern Ireland proposed that a new flag should be adopted to represent all communities in Northern Ireland.[20][21] Suggestions included a blueflax flower on a white field, a gold map of Northern Ireland on a dark blue field and a representation of theGiant's Causeway.[22]
In 2009,Eddie Izzard ran a series of marathons across the United Kingdom to raise money forSport Relief. When running in England, Scotland and Wales, Izzard carried the respective flag of that nation. For Northern Ireland, however, Izzard carried a self-created flag consisting of a green field (invoking the colour of the Northern Ireland football jersey) and a white dove (symbolising peace) in the upper fly, flying eastwards and carrying an olive branch in its beak.[23][24]
![The dove flag as part of a combined Home Nations flag, which was carried by Izzard in the Sport Relief Mile event in London on 21 March 2010.[25]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEddie_Izzard%2527s_flag_for_the_Home_Nations.svg)
In 2013, US diplomatRichard Haass chaired talks between the political parties in Northern Ireland dealing with, among other things, the issue of flags. The resulting draft proposals, which were not agreed to by the parties, included the idea of a new flag for Northern Ireland,[26] and the possibility of a "circumscribed role for the sovereign flag of Ireland in conjunction with the Union flag."[27]
In December 2021, the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) published its final report which included a recommendation that a new "Civic Flag for Northern Ireland" should be adopted and be flown at buildings of the Northern Ireland Executive, Northern Ireland Assembly and local district councils in Northern Ireland. The commissions suggested that the design for the new flag should incorporate expressions of Britishness and Irishness and should also represent the diversity of the community in Northern Ireland.[28][29][30] The working group on flags, identity, culture and tradition last met in January 2022, prior to the collapse of the power sharing executive the following month. In November 2024, the Executive Office said that the Commission's report will be "considered as part of a review of its community relations strategy".[31]
In November 2024, theNorthern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council (NICGC) discussed the possibility of using its own flag at the Commonwealth Games if a new "Civic Flag" proposed by the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Traditions is not in place before the2026 Commonwealth Games.[32] The NICGC was subsequently forced to close its offices for security reasons after receiving threats from Loyalist paramilitary groups.[33]
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