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 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 represents the monarchy of the United Kingdom. The flag is also called the Red Hand Flag or the Ulster Flag, which can be confused with the separate flag of the province of Ulster 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. The Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) Order 2000 requires it to be flown over specified government buildings on named days. The Ulster Banner was used by the Government of Northern Ireland from 1953, but it has had no official status since the government and parliament were abolished in the early 1970s. A new neutral flag has been recommended, including by the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition in December 2021, but none has been adopted.

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. The flying of various flags in Northern Ireland is a significant sectarian issue, with different communities identifying with different flags.

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. The Government of Northern Ireland was granted a coat of arms by royal warrant in 1924, with the right to display it on a flag or banner, and the Ulster Banner is derived from it and from the flag of the traditional province of Ulster.

The banner was first flown over Parliament Buildings in 1953, for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and the government announced that those who wanted a distinctive Ulster symbol might use it. It was used for the next two decades. Since the government was abolished it has had no official status, but it is still used by unionists and loyalists. It is also used in sport, for example by FIFA for the Northern Ireland football team and at the Commonwealth Games.

The Red Hand itself is much older. It is taken from the Red Hand of Ulster, the symbol of the traditional province.

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 represents the whole traditional province.

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.