About the Flag of Ireland

The flag of Ireland is a "tricolor" flag of green, white and orange in vertical stripes. It is called the An Bhratach Náisiúnta in Ireland's native Gaelic. Northern Ireland (under British control) does not fly this flag.

Significance

The colors in the Irish flag have great significance: the green is for the Gaelic history, and the orange is for William of Orange, who ruled Ireland after the Glorious Revolution. The white stripe in between the two represents a lasting peace between the two factions.

Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast's flag bears a striking similarity to the Irish flag. It has the same colors, but they are in reverse order.

First Use

The flag was designed by Thomas F. Meagher in 1848, but it wasn't used as the Irish national flag until 1918, after the Easter Rebellion.

Misconceptions

The orange in the flag is sometimes called gold or yellow, most commonly in poems--possibly in an effort to deny the acceptance of William of Orange's initial rule. By legal standards, it is orange.

Earlier Flags

The predominant earlier flag was a green background with a harp in the center of it, but this symbol was contested when William of Orange assumed the throne.