On the front page of the Business Post of November 28th to 29th 2021, the main headline article was on the results of a survey on what proportion of people would be willing to admit some changes such as to the national flag or anthem in order to accommodate a united Ireland. The question of the flag seemed to me to be an unexpected one. The Irish tricolour flag already is supposed to represent a united Ireland. It was created before the partition of Ireland into the Republic and Northern Ireland. The colours of the flag already include representation of both the predominantly Catholic people of the Republic of Ireland by green and the Protestant majority at the time in Northern Ireland by orange. The white represents peace between these two groups. Does this not represent the outcome that is sought through a united Ireland?
Any problem then with the Irish tricolour flag for a united Ireland does not arise from any lack of appropriateness in its intention for fulfilling that purpose of unity but rather because there are some who see the Irish tricolour flag as a representation of separation of the whole of Ireland from the United Kingdom. In essence, the Tricolour does not seem British enough to Ulster Unionists. The tricolour carries the idea of revolution on the model of the French, appealing to Europe and the notion of a secular state the functions of which are inclusive of freedom of belief but separated from religious control. In the designing principles of the Irish tricolour or the adoption of a national flag by the Irish state, there was probably a motive to avoid an emblem having an overly religious connotation. Instead, the chosen tricolour is based solely on a simple geometrical combination of contrasting colours. For the Loyalists of Ulster on the other hand, there is preferred allegiance to the British crown, which may have its legitimacy conceived as proceeding from the divine right of monarchs. The emblems of the Unionists may for this reason be more likely to allude to religious symbols such as the Christian cross, to be found in the flags of nations in the United Kingdom and others like those of the Northwestern European Scandinavian neighbours. If a new flag is to be designed for a united Ireland to the satisfaction of Ulster Unionists, a model on a cross may be considered.
While Northern Ireland lacks an official national flag different from the Union Jack, there have been flags used for Northern Ireland alongside those of England, Scotland and Wales. The red saltire on a white background has long been used to represent Ireland. Despite being called the Cross of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, it is derived from the heraldry that now belongs to the Duke of Leinster, the premier peer of Ireland. It entered the Union Jack where it represented Ireland, and now Northern Ireland. Irish institutions, such as universities in Ireland, have been using this heraldry in their insignia.
Another flag used for Northern Ireland is the Ulster Banner, which has a red cross on a white field. The red cross on a yellow field is contained in the traditional heraldry derived from the shield of Burgh for the Province of Ulster, not quite the same as Northern Ireland. Both of these flags contain the hand of Ulster emblem.
What we are contemplating here is the design of a new flag for a united Ireland, appealing to all, not a new flag for Northern Ireland. When thinking of a flag for Ireland, I first considered what the simplest available heraldry would be. The flag should be as simple as possible, with two or three colours only and no complicated drawings or emblems. As the colour most associated with Ireland is green, this colour should appear prominently. The heraldric pattern in line with Northwestern European nations would be a cross. A green cross on a white field or a green field with either a white or yellow cross seem to be the simplest approaches. The white cross on a green field in a flag for an independent Ireland by the United Irishmen appeared historically, so there is a precedent here. A yellow cross would be a simplification of an orange cross in a white cross. A yellow emblem on a green field appears in the flag of the province of Leinster and the Confederacy of Ireland, so these two colours are quite well associated with Ireland. However, these proposals seem inordinately suggestive of the Republic of Ireland and Catholicism only.
It would seem better therefore to include an orange cross or saltire of some kind to represent the inclusion of Ulster. The saltire because of the Cross of Saint Patrick seems a more fitting choice than a erect cross associated with England. A saltire is also on the flag of Scotland, where a Gaelic language is spoken too. Some have suggested a Celtic cross, but I think the Celtic cross would not represent inclusion of Ulster as well as the saltire would. A red saltire does not seem Irish enough to someone from the Republic of Ireland. Therefore, its colour ought to be changed from red to orange in emulation of the Irish tricolour flag.
The saltire can be modified in shape to a cross of Saint Brigid, which is a symbol heavily connected to Ireland, and probably more characteristically and recognisably Irish than a saltire. The cross of Brigid also happens to resemble the way the cross of Patrick is counterchanged in the Union Jack, so there is the added benefit of this appeasing Unionists. The orange figure must be surrounded by either white fimbriation or a white field, as that is the only available colour of traditional heraldry and suitable for a flag producing a sufficient contrast against orange. To have a green field or background, the contrasting white may intervene between the hues as a saltire.
Here is a depiction of this solution for the flag of a United Free State of the Republic and Northern Ireland:
After designing this flag, I searched Google with the terms “Brigid cross flag” and found that a similar concept had been proposed before, just ten months ago, of which I was previously unaware. In my opinion, the juxtaposition of green and orange there without intervening white fimbriation created an ugly effect. The similarity of the proposals shows how readily an orange cross of Brigid aligned with a saltire is likely to be thought of as representing a unification of the cultures of the Republic and Northern Ireland.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_flags_used_in_Northern_Ireland