Saint Patrick's Saltire or Saint Patrick's Cross is a red
saltire
A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup").
From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...
(X-shaped cross) on a white field. In
heraldic
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...
language, it may be
blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...
ed ''
argent
In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...
, a saltire
gules
In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple).
Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...
''. Saint Patrick's Flag () is a
flag
A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...
composed of Saint Patrick's Saltire. The origin of the saltire is disputed. Its association with
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...
dates from the 1780s, when the
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...
Order of Saint Patrick adopted it as an emblem. This was a British
chivalric order
An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is a society, fellowship and college of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and pai ...
established in 1783 by
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
. It has been suggested that it derives from the
arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
of the powerful Geraldine or
FitzGerald dynasty
The FitzGerald dynasty is a Hiberno-Norman noble and aristocratic dynasty, originally of Cambro-Normans, Cambro-Norman and Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman origin. They have been Peerage of Ireland, peers of Ireland since at least the 13th centur ...
.
Some
Irish nationalists
Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...
and others reject its use to represent Ireland as a "British invention" "for a people who had never used it".
After its adoption by the Order of Saint Patrick, it began to be used by other institutions. When the
Acts of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 were parallel acts of the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland (previously in personal union) to create the United Kingdom of G ...
joined the
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland (; , ) was a dependent territory of Kingdom of England, England and then of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1542 to the end of 1800. It was ruled by the monarchs of England and then List of British monarchs ...
with the
Kingdom of Great Britain
Great Britain, also known as the Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in Western Europe from 1707 to the end of 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, which united the Kingd ...
, the saltire was added to the British flag to form the
Union Flag
The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags.
It is sometimes a ...
still used by the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. The saltire has occasionally served unofficially to represent
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
and also appears in some royal events.
Origins

An early possible mention of a Saint Patrick's flag is from the journal of
John Glanville
Sir John Glanville the younger (1586 – 2 October 1661), was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1644. He was Speaker of the English House of Commons during the Short Parliament. He supporte ...
, writing about
the Anglo-Dutch fleet that sailed to Cádiz, Spain, in 1625. Lord Delaware deposed in writing to the Lieutenant General about his simple foretop (white, red or blue) precedence flags to be flown:
The
Order of Saint Patrick, an
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...
chivalric order, was created in 1783. The order was a means of rewarding those in high office who supported the Anglo-Irish
government of Ireland
The Government of Ireland () is the executive (government), executive authority of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet (government), cabinet – is composed of Mini ...
.
On its badge was a red saltire on a white background, which it called the "Cross of St Patrick":
The use of a saltire in association with St Patrick was controversial because it differed from the usual crosses by custom worn on St Patrick's Day. In particular, the previous
crosses associated with Saint Patrick were not X-shaped. Some contemporary responses to the badge of the order complained that an X-shaped cross was the
Cross of St Andrew, patron of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. A February 1783 newspaper complained that "the breasts of Irishmen were to be decorated by the bloody Cross of St Andrew, and not that of the tutelar Saint of their natural isle".
Another article claimed that "the Cross of St Andrew the Scotch saint is to honour the Irish order of St Patrick, by being inserted within the star of the order ... a manifest insult to common sense and to national propriety".

An open letter to Lord Temple, to whom the design of the Order of St Patrick's badges were entrusted, echoes this and elaborates:

Many subsequent commentators believed that the saltire was simply taken from the arms of the
FitzGeralds (or "Geraldines"), who were
Dukes of Leinster. The Dukes of Leinster dominated the political and social scene of 18th-century Dublin, from their ducal palace of
Leinster House
Leinster House () is the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Originally, it was the ducal palace of the Duke of Leinster, Dukes of Leinster.
Since 1922, it has been a complex of buildings which houses Oirea ...
(later to become the seat of the Irish parliament and senate, the
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas ( ; ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...
).
William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster was the premier peer in the
Irish House of Lords
The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland.
It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...
and a founder member of the Order of Saint Patrick. On the other hand, Michael Casey suggests that Lord Temple, pressed for time, had based the Order's insignia on those of the
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...
, and simply rotated its
St George's Cross
In heraldry, Saint George's Cross (or the Cross of Saint George) is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader.
Associated with ...
45 degrees.
Henry Gough in 1893 doubted the antiquity of Patrick's Cross on the basis that, if a cross had been an established symbol of Ireland during
the Protectorate
The Protectorate, officially the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, was the English form of government lasting from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659, under which the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotl ...
, then
flags of the era would have used that instead of the
gold Irish harp.
Earlier use of saltires in an Irish context
A variety of sources show saltires in use earlier than 1783 in Ireland and in an Irish context, although there is no suggestion that they are linked to St Patrick. The
Flag Institute
The Flag Institute is a membership organisation and UK-registered educational charity devoted to the study and promotion of flags and flag flying. It documents flags in the UK and around the world, maintains a UK Flag Registry, and offers advic ...
states that arms derive from those of the powerful
FitzGerald dynasty
The FitzGerald dynasty is a Hiberno-Norman noble and aristocratic dynasty, originally of Cambro-Normans, Cambro-Norman and Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman origin. They have been Peerage of Ireland, peers of Ireland since at least the 13th centur ...
(or "Geraldines"), who were Earls of Kildare (and later
Dukes of Leinster).
Gearóid Mór FitzGerald and his son
Gearóid Óg were also
Lord Deputies of Ireland in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
The design on the
reverse of some
Irish coins (
groat and half-groat) minted includes two shields with saltires. At this time, Gearóid Mór FitzGerald was
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...
, and the shields are considered to be his arms.
A 1576 map of Ireland (or "Hirlandia") by John Goghe shows the FitzGerald arms over their spheres of influence. It also shows a red saltire flag flying at the masthead of a ship, possibly an Irish pirate, which is engaged in action in the Saint George's Channel with another ship flying the Saint George's cross. The red saltire is placed on the Mulls of Galloway and Kintyre in Scotland. This is either a defect of the print or as it was confused with Scotland's Saint Andrew's saltire.
English and German picture maps of the
Battle of Kinsale
The siege of Kinsale (), also known as the battle of Kinsale, was the ultimate battle in England's conquest of Gaelic Ireland, commencing in October 1601, near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and at the climax of the Nine Years' War� ...
of 1601–02 show the combined Irish–Spanish forces under a red saltire. This is presumed to be the
Cross of Burgundy
The Cross of Burgundy (; ; ; ; ; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Cruz de Borgonha'') is a saw-toothed (wiktionary:raguly, raguly) form of the Saltire, Cross of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Burgundy, and a historical banner and battle fla ...
, the
war flag
A war ensign, also known as a military flag, battle flag, or standard, is a variant of a national flag for use by a country's military forces when on land. The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign. Under the strictest sense of the term, few co ...
of Spain, rather than an Irish flag.
A 1612 seal of
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...
shows uncoloured cross and saltire flags. These have been taken to represent England and Ireland respectively.
Contemporary reports of the ensigns of the
Irish Catholic Confederation during the
Eleven Years' War say that each had a canton with a red saltire on a gold field.
A 1645 picture map of the
Siege of Duncannon shows
Preston's Irish Confederates under a saltire.
The flag used by the King's Own Regiment in the Kingdom of Ireland, established in 1653, was a red saltire on a "taffey" yellow field. Its origin remains a mystery, however.
At the funeral of
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
in 1658, Ireland was represented by a red cross (not saltire) on a yellow field.
Cromwell's
Protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...
of the 1650s briefly used a flag containing the St George's cross to represent England, St Andrew's cross to represent Scotland, and a red saltire on white to represent Ireland, though Ireland was more commonly represented with a harp in Protectorate flags.
Several drawings of Union flags, including one of
HMS ''Henry'' made by
Willem van de Velde, the elder, include a red saltire as in the post-1800 Union; but there is no evidence for such a design. The Graydon MS. Flag Book of 1686, which belonged to
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...
, gives the flag of Ireland as the harp and St George's cross on a green field.
A red saltire on green appears on the flag of Berwick's regiment in the
Irish Brigade of the French army. This was a brigade made up of Irish
Jacobite exiles that formed in 1690. The Irish Brigade served as part of the French Army until 1792.
The cross of Burgundy appears on the flag of the Spanish
Regiment of Hibernia
The Regimiento ''Hibernia'' (Hibernia Regiment) was one of the Spanish army's foreign regiments (''infantería de línea extranjera''). Known by many in Spain as "O'Neill's Regiment", it was formed in 1709. Serafín María de Sotto, 3rd Count of ...
. It was formed in 1710 by Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the
and the
penal laws
Penal law refers to criminal law.
It may also refer to:
* Penal law (British), laws to uphold the establishment of the Church of England against Catholicism
* Penal laws (Ireland)
In Ireland, the penal laws () were a series of Disabilities (C ...
. It is possible that the design of the flag was influenced by the red saltire.

Several atlases and flag books in the late 17th and 18th centuries show a red-saltire–on–white flag for Ireland, including Paulus van der Dussen's () and ''Le Neptune françois'', a marine atlas published in Amsterdam in 1693, where it is depicted with the legends ''Ierse'' above and ''Irlandois'' below, which are Dutch and French for "Irish". Jan Blaeu's 1650s atlas has a saltire on white for Ireland, which is hand-coloured red in some copies.
According to a newspaper report from
Waterford
Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
in 1785, two years after the Order of St Patrick had been founded:
Other St Patrick's crosses
Other crosses besides the red saltire have been associated with Saint Patrick. Crosses in various shapes and colours were worn as badges on
St Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chris ...
from the 17th to the early 20th century. The
cross pattée
A cross pattée or cross patty (, ), also known as a cross formée or cross formy, or even a Templar cross, is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre and often flared in a curve or straight line shape to be broader at th ...
has also been used,
including by the
Friendly Brothers of Saint Patrick, a
fraternal organisation whose symbols influenced those of the
Order of Saint Patrick.
Modern use of the flag
The most widespread use of St Patrick's Saltire today is in the
Flag of the United Kingdom
The national flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Jack, also known as the Union Flag.
The design of the Union Jack dates back to the Act of Union 1801, which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland (previously in pe ...
. With the 1800
Act of Union that merged the kingdoms of
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
and
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, the red saltire was incorporated into the
Flag of the United Kingdom
The national flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Jack, also known as the Union Flag.
The design of the Union Jack dates back to the Act of Union 1801, which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland (previously in pe ...
as representing Ireland.
The red saltire is
counterchanged with the saltire of St Andrew, such that the white always follows the red clockwise. The arrangement accounts for the discontinuous look of the red diagonal lines, and has introduced a requirement to display the flag "the right way up", with the white line of St Andrew above the red of St Patrick in the upper lefthand quarter next to the flagpole. As with the red cross, so too the red saltire is separated by a white
fimbriation
In heraldry and vexillology, fimbriation is the placement of small stripes of contrasting colour around common charges or ordinaries, usually in order for them to stand out from the background, but often simply due to the designer's subjective ...
from the blue field. This fimbriation is repeated for symmetry on the white portion of the saltire, which thereby appears wider than the red portion. The fimbriation of the cross of St George separates its red from the red of the saltire.
Flags in Northern Ireland are controversial, their symbolism reflecting underlying sectarian and political differences.
[
] Saint Patrick's Saltire is sometimes used as a cross-community symbol with less political baggage than either the
Union Flag
The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags.
It is sometimes a ...
or the
Ulster Banner
The Ulster Banner, also unofficially known as the Ulster Flag or Flag of Northern Ireland, is a heraldic banner taken from the former coat of arms of Northern Ireland, consisting of a red cross on a white field, upon which is a crowned six-poi ...
, seen as pro-
Unionist, or the
Irish tricolour
The national flag of Ireland (), frequently referred to in Ireland as 'the tricolour' () and elsewhere as the Irish tricolour, is a vertical tricolour of green (at the hoist), white and orange. The proportions of the flag are 1:2 (that is t ...
used by
Irish nationalists
Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...
.
It is one of two flags authorised to be flown on church grounds by the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
, the other being the
Compass Rose Flag of the Anglican Communion.
This was the recommendation of a 1999 synod committee on
sectarianism
Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or Religious violence, religious conflicts between groups. Others conceiv ...
.
It is one of the flags approved by the
Orange Institution
The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...
for display during
Orange walk
Orange walks, or Orange marches, are a series of parades by members of the Orange Order and other Protestantism, Protestant Fraternal organization, fraternal societies, held during the summer months in various Commonwealth of Nations, Commonw ...
s.
The St Patrick's flag is the flag of
St Patrick's College, Maynooth
St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mou ...
, and is flown on Degree days and other important occasions. Its use is not affected by the creation of a separate
National University of Ireland, Maynooth
Maynooth University (MU) (), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. Maynooth University was formerly known as National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM; ). It was Ireland ...
in 1997. The
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) () is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. It was long active as a learned ...
's flag, dating from , has a red saltire, but its significance is unknown. The
Irish Free State Girl Guides, descended from the
Unionist British Girl Guides, had a Saint Patrick's Saltire on the flag it used from its establishment in 1929 until the
1937 Constitution. The saltire appeared on the
house flag
A maritime flag, also called a naval flag, is a flag designated for use on ships, boats, and other watercraft. Naval flags are considered important at sea and the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced. The flag flown ...
of
Irish Shipping
Irish Shipping Limited was an Irish state-owned deep sea shipping company, formed during World War II for the purpose of supplying the country's import needs. Its ships were usually named after trees. Its contribution to Irish neutrality was r ...
, founded 1941, and that used by
Irish Continental Line in 1973–1978. It replaced the
St George's Cross
In heraldry, Saint George's Cross (or the Cross of Saint George) is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader.
Associated with ...
in 1970 on the flag of the
Commissioners of Irish Lights.
The badge of the
Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, designed by John Vinycomb, incorporates the saltire and the arms of the four provinces.
Official uses of St Patrick's Saltire
Aside from appearing in the Union Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, there are few other uses for the St Patrick's Saltire in official governmental use.
It was the basis of the police badge of the new
Police Service of Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ; Ulster-Scots: '), is the police service responsible for law enforcement and the prevention of crime within Northern Ireland.
It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it ...
.
In 2023, the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
's 204 (North Irish) Field Hospital and 253 (North Irish) Medical Regiments merged to create
210 (North Irish) Multi-Role Medical Regiment. This amalgamated regiment uses St Patrick's saltire in the background of the regimental insignia. This is overlaid by symbols of the Caduceus and Irish shamrock.
In heraldry
Regardless of the uncertainty over its origins, the red saltire, or saltire gules on a white field was used in the arms adopted by various Irish organisations, and some outside Ireland.
The arms of
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...
show two flags, a red cross on white and a red saltire on white, which Hayes-McCoy and Galloway interpret as representing England and Ireland respectively. The arms were
granted by
Arthur Vicars in 1901, based on a 1612 seal showing uncoloured cross and saltire flags.
Bernard Burke
Sir John Bernard Burke, (5 January 1814 – 12 December 1892) was a British genealogist and Ulster King of Arms, who helped publish ''Burke's Peerage''.
Personal life
Burke, of Irish descent, was born at London and was educated in London an ...
's 1864 armory does not specify the flag's format,
and nineteenth-century depictions of them vary.
The arms of
Cork city
Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...
show red-saltire flags on the two towers, though not on versions prior to 1800.
Coleraine Borough Council
Coleraine Borough Council was a local council mainly in County Londonderry and partly in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymoney Borough Council, Limavady Borough Council and Moyle District Council in May 2015 under local g ...
includes Saint Patrick's Saltire, as Patrick is said to have given
Coleraine
Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...
its name. The arms of
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
shows a ship flying two flags with a red saltire on white. The saltire also appears in the coat of arms of the County Mayo town of
Westport to commemorate the visit of St Patrick to the nearby mountain,
Croagh Patrick
Croagh Patrick (), nicknamed 'the Reek', is a mountain with a height of and an important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo, Ireland. The mountain has a pyramid-shaped peak and overlooks Clew Bay, rising above the village of Murrisk, several ...
. It also appears on the arms of
Co. Fermanagh The
Urban District Council
In England and Wales, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected urban district council (UDC), which shared local government responsibilities with a county council. ...
of
Rathmines and Rathgar
Rathmines and Rathgar is a former second-tier local government area within County Dublin. It was created as the Township of Rathmines in 1847. In 1862, its area was expanded and it became the Township of Rathmines and Rathgar. In 1899, it became ...
was granted arms in 1929, a year before it was absorbed into Dublin Corporation; these featured a Saint Patrick's Saltire and a Celtic Cross. A red saltire also appears on the arms of County Kildare, but this is because of the association of Kildare with the
FitzGerald family.
The original arms of the Royal Irish Academy in 1786 did not have the saltire, but those granted in 1846 do.
[
] There are red saltires in the arms of the Queen's University in Ireland (est. 1850, arms granted 1851, dissolved 1879), its successor, Queen's University Belfast (est. 1908, arms granted 1910), and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
The Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland), Church of Ireland diocese of Connor's arms, granted in 1945, include Saint Patrick's Saltire in memory of his supposed enslavement at Slemish. The Church of England Diocese of Truro, established in 1876, has a Saint Patrick's Saltire in its arms, representing "the ancient Celtic Church". The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, whose cathedral is St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, St Patrick's, incorporates the saltire.
St Patrick's National School in Drumcondra, Dublin, Drumcondra, Dublin City has a saltire on its arms St. Patrick's High School (Ottawa), St. Patrick's High School, Ottawa has the saltire in its flag and arms.
To represent Ireland or Northern Ireland
At the 1935 celebrations in London for George V of the United Kingdom, George V's silver jubilee, "The cross of St George representing England and Wales, and the saltires of St Andrew and St Patrick, representing Scotland and Ireland" were flown separately and used in combination. At the time the Irish Free State was a separate Dominion within the British Commonwealth. In 1986, government policy during state visits to London was to fly the crosses of Saints George, Andrew and Patrick and the Flag of Wales, Welsh Dragon. The government clarified that the Union Flag was the flag of Northern Ireland, not the Saint Patrick's Saltire or the
Ulster Banner
The Ulster Banner, also unofficially known as the Ulster Flag or Flag of Northern Ireland, is a heraldic banner taken from the former coat of arms of Northern Ireland, consisting of a red cross on a white field, upon which is a crowned six-poi ...
.
The Gloriana (barge), barge ''Gloriana'' during the 2012 Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant flew flags for the five "Countries of the United Kingdom, home nations" of the United Kingdom, including Saint Piran for Cornwall, Saint Andrew for Scotland, Saint George for England, Saint David for Wales and Saint Patrick's Saltire for Northern Ireland. In this context, the symbol was referred to as St Patrick's Cross.
The all-island bodies for men's and ladies' bowls compete internationally under the Saint Patrick's flag.
The Unionist politician David McNarry has suggested the saltire should be allowed in License plates of Northern Ireland, Northern Irish number plates analogous to the flags allowed on English, Scottish, and Welsh plates.
On St Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Flag is sometimes seen during Saint Patrick's Day parades in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
and Great Britain, Britain. Flags are handed out by Down District Council before the Downpatrick parade, near Patrick's burial place at Down Cathedral, in an attempt to create a parade that has cross-community support.
[
] This has had only limited success, however, and controversy continues over the use of flags in the parade.
[
] In Great Britain, Saint Patrick's Flag was flown in place of the Irish tricolour at the 2009 parade in Croydon, prompting complaints from some councillors.
[
] It was flown on some years on Patrick's Day by Bradford City Council, which subsequently reverted to flying the Irish tricolour.
In political movements
The Saint Patrick's Saltire was on the flag proposed in 1914 of the County Down unit of Irish Volunteers. A writer in ''The Irish Volunteer'' complained that The O'Rahilly should have known the saltire was "faked for Union Jack purposes".
In 1932–33 a variation of the flag with a St. Patrick's Blue, St Patrick's blue background was adopted as the badge and flag of the short-lived Blueshirts, Blueshirt fascist movement. This militant group incorporated right-wing, conservative and some former-unionist elements in opposition to the then left-wing Irish republicanism, republican Fianna Fáil party.
A flag combining saltire, St Andrew's Saltire, St Patrick's Saltire, and the Red Hand of Ulster has been used by Ulster nationalism, Ulster separatists, who wish to see Northern Ireland leave the United Kingdom and become an independent state, not joining with the Republic of Ireland.
The saltire was incorporated in the badge of the Reform Movement (Ireland), Reform Movement,
for some time after its inception in 1998, but this no longer so prominent. The Reform Group is a "post-nationalist" pressure group in the Republic of Ireland seeking closer ties with the United Kingdom.
Other symbols of Ireland
The arms of Ireland since the 16th century have been a gold harp with silver strings on a blue field. It represented Ireland in the flags of earlier unions: the Flags of the Interregnum (British Isles), Commonwealth Flag (England and Ireland, 1649) and the Protectorate Jack (England, Ireland and Scotland, 1658). It also featured on the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, Royal Standard since James I of England, James I.
The Celtic cross and Brigid's cross are other crosses which have been used as symbols of Ireland.
Unrelated similar saltires
Other flags exist which feature a red saltire on a white field.
The flag of Jersey has unknown origins, and a link with St Patrick's saltire has been proposed. The FitzGerald dynasty, FitzGerald family, who were powerful in Ireland, were Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman in origin and also owned land in Jersey. Alternatively, N. V. L. Rybot in 1951 suggested that Jersey's flag originated from a mistake in a :File:Naval flags of the World 1783 (small).jpg, 1783 flag book by Carington Bowles, which was copied by later authors. Rybot's theory is that Bowles misinterpreted ''Ierse'' (Dutch for "Irish") as meaning "Jersey" in a Dutch flag-book he used as a source. However, John Tessin-Yandell claims a 1757 French Admiralty chart shows the red saltire for Jersey.
It was widely felt in Jersey that the flag's similarity to St Patrick's Saltire was causing confusion, and so an amended flag was adopted by the States of Jersey on 12 June 1979, royal proclamation, proclaimed by Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth on 10 December 1980 and first officially hoisted on 7 April 1981. The amended flag includes in the upper quadrant the Coat of arms of Jersey, badge of Jersey (a red shield holding the Flag of Normandy, three leopards of Normandy in yellow) surmounted by a yellow "Plantagenet crown (heraldry), crown".
The Flag of Florida is a red saltire on a white field, with the seal of Florida, state seal in the centre.
The Secretary of State of Florida, Florida Department of State calls this saltire a Saint Andrew's Cross.
Some historians see its adoption in 1900 as alluding to the Confederate Battle Flag.
Sources which ascribe Florida's saltire to Saint Patrick include an article in the ''Orlando Sentinel''
and a column in which Joseph Cotto suggests it was a symbol of Florida's Britishness.
The flag of Alabama is "a crimson cross of St. Andrew on a field of white". The flag Flag of Valdivia, of Valdivia is derived from the Spanish
Cross of Burgundy
The Cross of Burgundy (; ; ; ; ; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Cruz de Borgonha'') is a saw-toothed (wiktionary:raguly, raguly) form of the Saltire, Cross of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Burgundy, and a historical banner and battle fla ...
.
The village of Luqa in Malta also has a similar flag. Its origins are unknown; however, the flag is almost identical to the personal flag of Grandmaster Piero de Ponte who ruled the Maltese islands from 1534 to 1535.
In the system of International maritime signal flags, a red saltire on a white background denotes the letter ''V'' and the message "I require assistance".
In the Shanghai International Settlement, the Shanghai Municipal Council used a flag with a red saltire on a white field, with its seal in the middle.
The arms of West Dunbartonshire derive from the former arms of the burgh of Clydebank, including a red saltire as the arms of Lennox (district), Lennox.
[
] Since Old Kilpatrick, a legendary birthplace of Saint Patrick, is in the district, the association of Saint Patrick's Saltire may be considered appropriate, if coincidental.
See also
* List of Irish flags
* List of United Kingdom flags
Notes
References
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External links
*{{Commons category-inline
Flags of Ireland
Historical flags
National symbols of Ireland
Flags of saints, Patrick
Saltire flags
Saint Patrick, Saltire
Crosses in heraldry, Saint Patrick