The coat of arms of Ulster consists of an

inescutcheon In heraldry, an escutcheon () is a shield that forms the main or focal element in an achievement of arms. The word can be used in two related senses. In the first sense, an escutcheon is the shield upon which a coat of arms is displayed. In the s ...

Argent displaying a red hand, upon the coat of arms of the ancient

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the

House of Burgh The House of Burgh or Burke (; ; ; ga, de Búrca; la, de Burgo) was an ancient Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman aristocratic dynasty (with the Anglo-Irish branches later adopting the surname Burke and its variants) who held the earldom ...

. It consists of the arms of the

de Burgh de Burgh (also spelt de Bourgh, and Burke, and also Latinised as de Burgo) is an Anglo-Norman surname deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (c ...

dynasty,

Earls of Ulster The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1928, the title has been held by the Duke of Gloucester and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's elde ...

, combined with the

Red Hand of Ulster The Red Hand of Ulster ( gle, Lámh Dhearg Uladh), also known as the Red Hand Uí Néill, is a symbol used in heraldry to denote the Irish province of Ulster and the Northern Uí Néill in particular. However, it has also been used by other I ...

, representing the medieval Irish over-kingdom of

Ulaid Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh ( Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and i ...

, which the

earldom of Ulster The Earldom of Ulster was an Anglo-Norman lordship in northern medieval Ireland, established by John de Courcy from the conquest of the province of Ulaid in eastern Ulster. It was the most important Anglo-Norman lordship in the north of Ireland ...

encompassed. The combination of them is blazoned ''Or, on a Cross Gules, an inescutcheon Argent, charged with a dexter hand erect aupaumee and couped at the wrist Gules''.Kennedy, John (Autumn 1991), "The Arms of Ireland: Medieval and Modern", Coat of Arms (155) It has since then become the Gaelic coat of arms for the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Ulster.

Design

Cross

The gold background features a

red cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

comes from the coat of arms of the

Burkes Burkes is a surname. Notable people with the names include: * Ida Burkes or Ida Dorsey (c. 1866–1988), American madam * Wayne Burkes (1929–2020), American politician See also *Burks, surname *Berkes, surname * Birks (surname) *Burke Burk ...

, a Hiberno-Norman noble family.

Red hand

The

featured a red, open hand, with the fingers pointing upwards, the thumb held parallel to the fingers, and the palm facing forward. This is known as the '

' ( gle, Lámh Dhearg Uladh), which is usually shown as a right hand, but is sometimes a left hand, such as in the coats of arms of

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

History

The arms of the historic province of Ulster is a composite achievement, combining the heraldic symbols of the cross of de Burgh and the red hand motif of the Irish over-kingdom of

, which later became associated with the O'Neills whose first use of it is dated to the mid-14th century. When

Walter de Burgh Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster, 2nd Lord of Connaught (; ; 1230 – 28 July 1271) also spelt Burke or Bourke, was an Irish peer from the House of Burgh. Biography De Burgh was the second son of Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Lord of Conna ...

, Lord of

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

, became

Earl of Ulster The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1928, the title has been held by the Duke of Gloucester and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's elde ...

in 1243, the de Burgh cross became inseparably linked with the Hiberno-Norman

Earldom of Ulster The Earldom of Ulster was an Anglo-Norman lordship in northern medieval Ireland, established by John de Courcy from the conquest of the province of Ulaid in eastern Ulster. It was the most important Anglo-Norman lordship in the north of Ireland ...

, which spanned over a third of the north of Ireland. The seal of his son,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

, for example, appended to a deed dated 1282, shows the heraldic cross in triplicate together with what may well be a portrait head of the Earl himself. At some point, the Red Hand motif was appended to the de Burgh cross, the result eventually coming to represent the entire province. In the first half of the 17th century, the arms taken by the Vice-Admiral of Ulster imply that at that time, the arms of Ulster were simply a variation of the O'Neills': ''Argent a sinister hand couped at the wrist gules''.

Forms and uses

The arms of Ulster is usually displayed alongside the arms of

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...

, Munster,

, or as part of the combined arms of the Provinces of Ireland. The arms is the official arms of the Ulster Gaelic Athletic Association and the Ulster rugby team, and is part of the

IRFU The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) ( ga, Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and ...

four provinces arms and the Ireland hockey team arms. File:Provincial Arms of Ireland.svg , Four Provinces Arms of Ireland File:IRFU flag.svg, Ireland Rugby Union Arms File:4 provinces.svg, Ireland Hockey Team Flag

References

{{Reflist, refs=

External links

Heraldry of the World

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

Ulster