Flag of Ireland

Meaning and history of the flag of Ireland

Ireland's flag is a vertical tricolor of three equal stripes: green at the hoist, white in the middle, and orange at the fly. Green represents Ireland's Gaelic Catholic tradition, orange symbolizes the Protestant followers of William of Orange, and the white between them expresses hope for peace and unity between the two communities. The official proportions are 1:2.

The Irish tricolor was first presented in 1848 by Thomas Francis Meagher, a leader of the Young Ireland movement, who drew inspiration from the French tricolor. It was flown during the 1916 Easter Rising and became the official flag of the Irish Free State in 1922, and later of the Republic of Ireland under the 1937 Constitution. Its use is closely tied to the Irish independence movement.

Ireland's flag is often confused with Ivory Coast's, which uses the same colors in reverse order: orange, white, and green from the hoist. This resemblance has caused numerous mix-ups at international events. It also bears a resemblance to the Italian flag in its vertical tricolor format, though Italy uses green, white, and red. In Northern Ireland, the tricolor remains a politically sensitive symbol associated with Irish nationalism.

You can view the flag of Ireland in high resolution above and download it in several sizes for personal, educational or reference use. To explore more, visit the full Ireland profile, its map, or the current local time in Dublin.