Book for Sale

I am pleased to announce that my book Northern Ireland Flags & Emblems is now for sale and can be purchased here.

The book features 184 quality A4 pages in full colour, with plenty of pictures and illustrations, some of which are the result of my own work. It covers national flags, royal flags, government and civil emblems, flags in sport, historic flags, some of the flags used in consolidarity, the flags used by various paramilitary groups both Loyalist and Republican and even the flags seen in the waters around the province.
Some examples:

This is a print on demand book, however I am also working on an e-book version, which when completed I will update on here.

 this is as far as I am aware the most complete collection of information of flags and emblems in regard to Northern Ireland.

 The book can be purchased here and prints in 3 -5 business days

Nigel Johnston's NI flag

Apologise for the lack of activity at the moment I am currently very busy, but I have material for a few posts waiting which I will try to get up when I can.
About a year ago Nigel Johnston posted a design on the New Flag for Northern Ireland facebook page. It was a green/blue bicolour with six hexagons in the middle. It is a most interesting design certainly one of my favourites, but there are a few aspects I don't quite like about it.

Northern Ireland flag proposal by Nigel Johnston

1. It ignores the rule of tincture. Although this is a rule of heraldry rather than vexillology, it is generally considered good flag design practice to observe this rule. (although for all the rules of flag design there are example of flags that break them and still manage to be rather good flags). 
2. It is rather cooperate looking, This is a major one, the design has the feel of a logo rather than a national flag, which is a major flaw as it is a really clever combination of shapes and colours. 

however despite that I think this is fixable.

I played with it a little bit, and decided to add a white dividing line between the green and blue. I also changed the colour of the hexagons so that they reverse the colours of the field. i.e green on blue and blue on green, with the centre ones being divided in the middle. 

I also coloured the centre star white to make it stand out a little more and added a red hand of Ulster in the middle. 

However in the spirit of Johnston's original flag I refrained from using the traditional heraldic red hand and opted instead for a red hand print, like a child's hand. This was idea I think was first voiced by Dr Dominic Bryan for his own proposal in 2010, and I think it's a good twist for a traditional symbol on a modernist mix of colours and shapes. As Well as be a recognisable regional symbol it is also a great way to symbolise the future. 

Lastly I moved the charge off centre towards the hoist.

I admit it still has a little bit of that corporate feel about it, but that is probably unpreventable when not using traditional heraldic symbols. I do think however that by taking the above mentioned steps that the corporateness of it is greatly reduced and it has more of a flag like feeling. 

Of course the original symbolism of Nigel Johnston's flag was the star representing the six NI counties and the hexagons reflective of the Giant's Causeway, which is maintained.

The colours were reflective of those descended from Gaelic Irish roots and agriculture (green) and the social and cultural connections between Northern Ireland and Scotland and the sea (blue). 

while these are all good things to symbolise I feel that trying to symbolise two communities by colours is doomed to failure, as by the very nature of flags one will always be seen to be the more senior. Plus by moving the dividing line off centre greater emphasis is put on blue which could be perceived to be more in favour of those of Scottish decent. 

I think therefore it would be better to state that both green and blue are traditional colour historically associated with not just Northern Ireland but the island of Ireland in general. In fact green, white and blue are popular colours for NI international football supporters and are also used by other international sports teams both all island and Northern Ireland specific. 

The main purpose of moving the charge of the flag off centre is actually a little bit of an optical illusion, as when the flag is flying it gives the impression of the charge being centred, and it is also more easy to identify when the flag is at rest on a pole (when no wind is blowing):

As this doctored picture of the NI Assembly building shows:

It is important to remember that flags are moving 3D objects and not static 2D images on a screen or page, They also have to be recognisable at a distance. These is I think where Mr Johnston's original proposal let down. However it was still an excellent design with potential, which I hope with my alternate adjustments can be exploited. 

No flag Deal

Well the "Hass Talks" end with no real deal, while flags is only a minor issue compared with the other topics, it is good to see the frame work and progress made, hopefully local politicians will continue the process and build on the regional Northern Ireland flag idea in the near future.  

The First Minister has said that compared to six months ago significant progress has been made.  Of particular interest a "Commission on Identity, Culture and Tradition" who's immediate but not only role would be to look at flags and the roles they play was proposed.
To see a PDF of the final draft proposal click here and fallow the link, of particular interest on flags are pages 15 - 18. This could still be implemented.

I'd like to wish everyone a most happy New Year
Blythe Ne'er'd Day!

New NI Flag picking up momentum

Despite the idea of a new NI flag generally getting the cold shoulder (with a few exceptions, such as the Enterprise Minister supporting St Patrick's Saltire getting official status) lots of people have been thinking of designs (both good and bad but that's not the point), Here is last Weeks Belfast Telegraph. Some regular readers of my blog might see one or two of my designs there :)

 



Also I'd like to direct you to some other blog posts by different people on the subject. They might be political analyses but make interesting reading:
Am Ghobsmacht!
A Yellow Guard
I particularly like Yellow Guard's idea:
"The Single Transferable Voting system that everybody in Northern Ireland is very familiar with is designed for this sort of thing.  Put the Ulster Banner on the ballot with 5 others and let everybody decide on the same day as the Assembly elections in 2015."
I think its a very practical and realistic way of democratically choosing a flag. (that is the people choose a flag rather than a government committee).
Of course most political voices have responded negatively if at all, but to quote Cpt Jack Sparrow:

Siege Flags on the Walls of Derry

Apprentice Boys of Derry Club assisted by the Police Service and City Marshals placing the siege flags on Walker's Plinth on Royal Bastion of the historic city walls of Londonderry, and preparing the effigy of the traitor Lundy on Saturday 7th December 2013. This is done annually on the first Saturday of December to mark the anniversary of the Shutting of the Gates of Londonderry on 18th December 1688.

On the 18th December 1688 thirteen Apprentice Boys seized the keys and shut the city gates against the Earl of Antrim's Regiment know as the Redshanks, who had been ordered by the viceroy of King James II to take over the garrison of the city. Thus beginning the siege of Derry.
The siege flags are flown from the walls on the anniversaries of both the Shutting of the Gates, and Relief of Derry at the beginning and end of the siege respectfully.
The Cross of St George on the left and Green Ensign on the right were the flags used in Ireland on land and at sea at the time of the siege. St George's Cross being used on Garrisons like Londonderry and the Green Ensign used on Irish ships although it is debated if this flag had any official status, there is evidence it was used none the less.
The flag in the centre is known as the Crimson Banner and it was first hoisted on the walls and later St Columb's Cathedral by the cities Governor Colonel Mitchelburne as a symbol of defiance or distress or possibly to boost moral, depending on who you talk to. Local legend says the crimson colour comes from the flag being stained by the blood of the city's defenders although sources differ on what the original flag was, some say it was a rag dipped in blood one says it was an unused maritime ensign stained with blood. Col Mitchelburne founded the forerunner of the Apprentice Boys Clubs in 1714 and left money in his will to hoist his Crimson flag from the Cathedral on the anniversaries of the beginning and end of the siege, which continues today. As well as the walls and Cathedral the crimson flag is flown from the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall, and versions are carried by Apprentice Boys clubs on parade.

At the end of the video is the effigy of the traitor Lundy. Lundy was Governor at the beginning of the siege but wanted to surrender, he is even accused of leaving the gates open one night, and of various attempts to sabotage the city's defence. He later fled the city disguised as a common soldier which is why he is remembered as a traitor. His effigy is ritually burned on the anniversary of the shutting on the gates.
For more information on the city walls, the siege, or the commemorations you can visit:
Associated Clubs of the Apprentice Boys of Derry Website
Derry's Walls Website
Siege Hero's Trail
Or various documentaries about the siege on YouTube
BBC "The Siege"
BBC "Battle Field Britain" Clip
Museum audio-visual displays: One, Two and Three.

Scottish Independance and the rest of the UK

Fallowing the publish of the Scottish National Party's (SNP) plan for how an independent Scotland should work, Scottish independence is once again in the news. As far as I am aware no plans have been adopted north or south of the boarder regarding heraldry and Vexillology if (and that's a big if) Scotland votes yes. Now this post does not reflect my views on the issue, its for the Scottish people to decide, but I am only exploring some of the flag issue for Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom if they vote yes.
It is unquestionable what the national flag of Scotland on land will be, it will clearly be the cross of St Andrew, and the Royal coat of arms will probably change from the current variant to the original pre union of the crowns version:

 

What about flags at sea? The Scottish saltire is almost exactly the same as the maritime signal flag M(Mike). Its probable that the Scottish Red Ensign would regain official status, firstly to avoid confusion with a signal flag and secondly to fallow the red, white and blue ensign traditions of many of the Commonwealth countries.

Historic Scottish Red Ensign

My proposal for a Naval Ensign

What about Royal Standards? Would the current Royal Standard used in Scotland which also has the Royal Arms of England and Ireland on it continue to be used, or would the ancient Royal Banner of Scotland be used in stead?

I think that the current one would continue to be used, perhaps with the Queen's personal badge in the centre like the Royal Standards of other Commonwealth Realms:



 



Their are a few reasons why I think this. The first is the popular lion rampant is very popular, among Scots, and is often thought as an unofficial second flag of Scotland. indeed although it is still heraldically a royal standard and technically illegal to use it (both Glasgow Rangers Football Club and the SNP have been fined for unauthorised use) people often use it privately without prosecution.  

Secondly it is currently flown over the Royal residences in Scotland when the monarch is Not in residence.

Thirdly Scottish heraldry differs slightly form that of the rest of Europe, in the fact that people that represent an individual can use their coat of arms and banner in their name. As such their are a number of people who use the Lion Rampant in this role, including:

• Heir Apparent, Duke of Rothesay (Prince Charles)
• Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland (office currently twined with that of First Minister)
• Scottish Lord Lieutenants (within their respective areas)
•  Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
•  Lord Lyon King of Arms
• Commanding Officer of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (the senior Scottish regiment) who also has it painted on his/her vehicle.

It is also probable that a Prime Minister of Scotland or a representative like a Governor General would also use it in an independent Scotland. Likewise if an independent Scottish navy is given the title of Royal it may also be used as a naval jack.

Of course the above design is assuming that the Royal Coat of Arms of Great Britain remain, however if the monarch uses separate arms for North and South of the boarder then the Lion Rampant might be altered slightly for the monarch, perhaps with an Ermine boarder or personal badge of the queen or both:

 Thus freeing the ordinary standard for use by the appropriate people and buildings (and unofficial use as a second national flag)


 

But what about the rest of the United Kingdom; England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Would the Union Flag and coat of arms still keep the Scottish representation, would it be adapted or would a new flag be used?

If the Royal coat of arms is split, then it is probably likely on the arms of the remainder of the UK, that the Scottish lion, unicorn and thistle would be replaced with Welsh representation:

The Scottish lion rampant is replaced with the four lion passants of the historic royal arms of Wales. The unicorn supporter is replaced with a Welsh Dragon, and the thistle at the base replaced with a leek.  



The royal standard would also look like  this:

 Alternatively if the royal coat of arms doesn't change then it would be inappropriate for the government departments of the remainder of the UK to use a variant as is currently the case.

Perhaps HM Government would be granted a civil coat of arms using the national badges of the remaining three countries:

Of course the Northern Ireland quarter is only a proposal. However it is more than likely that if the United Kingdom was partitioned in this way, their would be separate royal arms for the separate states. But civil arms could still be worth a thought. A state flag based on the above arms is below:

This could be used as a navy jack, or personal standard of the Prime Minister, in the latter case a Westminster badge could also be used rather than a crown, and a crown reserved for Lord Lieutenants.

Of course with state coat of arms we move onto the national flag, many in the relevant flags forum thread are of the opinion that the blue of Scotland on the UK flag would be replaced with black, with perhaps some yellow for the cross of St David. Thus actually keeping the flag very similar to what is currently is.  



 However I thought of using some no Union Jack based designs:

This one I made a wee while ago and really uses the cross of St George for England, and the dragon and red hand of Ulster for Wales and Northern Ireland.

This flag based on the flag of Montreal uses the flowers of England, Wales and N.Ireland, and the cross of St George which was historically used in all three countries (although that may be unpopular outside of England).

 This flag which is probably the most practical of the three. It features the Cross of St George for England, Cross of St David for Wales and the De Burgh cross used on the Ulster flag for Northern Ireland. 

 

 

All comments welcome but remember this is a heraldic and Vexillology experiment, not any political statement of my views on the subject.



 Some other related posts

Independent Scottish Armed Forces

St David's Cross

PM Flag

St Andrew's Cross

Northern Isles

Welsh Union Flag  

 

 



Railway Heraldry

Heraldry might not be something you would normally consider being associated with trains and railroads. But in Ireland there was a tradition among the railroad companies of having heraldic badges if not full coats of arms. This gave the Victorian companies a sense of tradition and history which they did not have (atleast not at that stage of history) which helped appeal to the often sceptical Victorian public. Some examples of historic company badges are below:
  

As you can see that these badges all have a heraldic influence if not a proper coat of arms. Some companies were granted arms, while others incorporated the arms of their destinations or the area the served into their badges. In 1949 the last coat of arms to be granted to a railway company in the British Isles were granted to the rail network of the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA), which ran Northern Ireland's state owned railroads, even though this was quickly replaced with a red hand logo.

The green shield represents Northern Ireland, with a cornet representing each N.Irish county. The lion and elk supporters represent British and Irish links, and are rather similar to the supporters on the Northern Ireland coat of arms.The motto loosely translates to Transport means Civilisation, which must have raised some eyebrows as the UTA's trains were famously unreliable.

Since the 1960s the Railways of Ireland have been Nationalised, there are currently two main companies operated by both the Irish and Northern Irish governments.  Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail or IÉ) and Northern Ireland Railways (NI Railways or NIR). Both these companies have logos and badges but not a coat of arms which I think is a great loss as I think a coat of arms would look far more attractive to passengers than a cooperate logo. There are also small private and heritage railways run by enthusiasts, museums and factories, but none of these are 'mainlines' or considered part of the national network so I won't include them in this post. 

The first coat of arms I designed is for NI Railways, which is what the railroads of the UTA became when it was got rid of. However NIR is owned by the public transport company, Translink, which is in turn owned by the NI government so its still state owned. The current NIR badge is:

 

The badge is  a design of the companies initials 'N,I,R,' and is rather cooperate and unattractive. My design for a coat of arms is below:

the supporters and crest come from the old UTA coat of arms reflecting the companies history. Although the pegasus crest has been changed slightly, to white and holding a locomotive wheel. I don't exactly know the origin or the heraldic meaning of the pegasus, but it does seem to suggest speed and elegance which are good attractive qualities for a railroad. The charge is St Patrick's blue with a harp for some national symbolism and a naked arm which symbolises industry. (NIR doesn't carry freight any more but it does feed local industry by taking a lot of people to their places of work so I feel its appropriate) The rest of the shield features a red saltire on the gold field. The red saltire reflects St Patrick's cross but I added the gold field as gold and red are considered the colours of Ulster and I think adds local significance. The Boar's head represents hospitality towards passengers and the bee represents industrial efficiency. I didn't add anything to represent counties or towns as the railway might expand or decrease so this way its relatively future proof. The motto "Eo dilatatur horizontum" is Latin and translates as "Travel broadens Horizons."

Next coat of arms is for the naturally larger Republic or Ireland network Irish Rail:

The supporters are two elks with harps on their collars as I don't see any reason to include British symbolism. The crest is also a harp the symbol of state. The shield has Irish colours of green and blue. The individual conponents consist of a Wheat Sheaf which in Irish Hearaldry symbolise fertility and a snake which in Irish hearldry symbolise fertility and renewal. This symbolising the fertility and renewal of the country because of its rail infrastructure. These conponants are seperated by four shamrocks representing the provinces.The motto "Iompar Sainmhíníonn sé seo an Náisiúin" is Irish for "Transport Defines the Nation."

The link between Belfast and Dublin is jointly operated by both companies. The express that operates between this is called 'Enterprise' and is jointly owned and has its own logo and livery which appear on the carriages. I also think a coat of arms is more attractive, so I made another one:

The shield is quartered with the arms of Dublin and Belfast, with the arms of Ulster and Leinster, the two provinces that the two citties are in. I have brought the lion back in the supporters for equality. The crest is a murral Corrnet with two arms representing the industry of the two citties which benifits from the cross boarder rail link. The motto is Latin and translates to "Two Cities, Two Provinces, One Railway." 

I hope you enjoy these arms as much as I do, Feel Free to Comment. 

All designs are by me except the first four which are historical.