Flag of Northern Ireland

What the Ulster Banner looks like

The Ulster Banner is a white flag with a red cross reaching the edges, the same cross as on the flag of England. In the center is a white six-pointed star with a red right hand on it, called the Red Hand of Ulster. A gold crown sits above the star. The flag has a width-to-height ratio of 1:2.

The six points of the star are said to stand for the six counties of Northern Ireland: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry (Derry) and Tyrone. The crown is a reference to the Crown of the United Kingdom, and the cross is the cross of St George. The flag is also known as the flag of Ulster in some shops and in sport, which causes confusion with the real Ulster flag described below.

Does Northern Ireland have an official flag?

No. The only official flag that represents Northern Ireland is the Union Flag, the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is the flag flown on government buildings in Northern Ireland, on days set out in regulations. The Ulster Banner was the flag of the Government of Northern Ireland from 1953, but it lost its official status in 1972 when the devolved parliament was suspended and then abolished, and Northern Ireland came under direct rule from London. No replacement has been agreed, partly because the main political communities disagree on national symbols.

The question of which flag to fly is a part of the wider debate about identity in Northern Ireland. Unionists generally identify with the Union Flag and the Ulster Banner. Many nationalists identify with the Irish tricolour, which is the flag of the Republic of Ireland, and see the Ulster Banner as a symbol of the former unionist-led government. A large number of people do not use either. Flags have been a source of disputes, including protests in Belfast in 2012 after the City Council decided to fly the Union Flag on designated days only.

History of the Ulster Banner

Northern Ireland was created in 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, when the island was partitioned, and the new region stayed in the United Kingdom. A coat of arms granted in 1924 showed a red cross with the Red Hand in a star, and it formed the basis for the flag.

The Ulster Banner was approved in 1953 for use by the Northern Ireland government, around the time of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It was used for the next two decades on official occasions. Since 1972 it has had no official use, but it is still flown unofficially. It is still seen in sport, for example at Northern Ireland football matches and at the Commonwealth Games.

The Red Hand itself is much older. It has been a symbol of the O'Neill clan and of the province of Ulster for centuries. A well-known legend says that, in a race to claim a piece of land, a chieftain cut off his hand and threw it ashore to touch the land first.

The Ulster flag and other flags in Northern Ireland

Ulster is a historic province with nine counties, and only six of them are in Northern Ireland. The flag of the province, often called the Ulster flag, is a yellow field with a red cross, and a shield with a Red Hand in the center. It is a different design from the Ulster Banner, and it is used by sports teams that represent the whole province, such as in Gaelic games and rugby.

The Irish tricolour of green, white and orange is also seen. You can look at all national symbols on the flags of the world page, or compare with the flag of England, which has the same red cross on white.