National Symbols of Ireland

Celtic Cross

National Flag

The national flag is a tricolour of green, white and orange. The three colours are of equal size, vertically disposed, and the green is displayed next to the staff. The flag was first introduced during the revolutionary year of 1848 as an emblem of the Young Ireland movement, and it was often seen displayed at meetings alongside the French tricolour. The green represents the older Gaelic and Anglo-Norman element in the population, while the orange represents the Protestant planters and their descendants, supporters of William of Orange. The meaning of the white was well expressed 'The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between the 'Orange' and the 'Green' and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of the Irish Protestant and the Irish Catholic may be clasped in heroic brotherhood.' It was not until the Rising of 1916, when it was raised above the General Post Office in Dublin that the tricolour came to be regarded as the national flag, but only at the creation of the first "Dail" (House of Representatives /Commons) did the current Tricolour become widely used and its use as a national flag is firmly established in the Constitution: Article 7 of "Bunreacht na hEireann" ( constitution of Ireland) states "The National Flag is the Tricolour of Green, White and Orange."

Prior to the War of Independence (1919-21) the green flag with gold harp was the main symbol of nationalism.

National Anthem

The Soldier's Song

Amhrán na bhFiann (Gaelic)

Lyrics: Peadar Kearny, 1907

Music: Patrick Heeney, c.1911

We'll sing a song, a soldier's song,

With cheering rousing chorus,

As round our blazing fires we throng,

The starry heavens o'er us;

Impatient for the coming fight,

And as we wait the morning's light,

Here in the silence of the night,

We'll chant a soldier's song.

Chorus:

Soldiers are we whose lives are pledged to Ireland;

Some have come from a land beyond the wave.

Sworn to be free,

No more our ancient sire land

Shall shelter the despot or the slave.

Tonight we man the gap of danger

In Erin's cause, come woe or weal

'Mid cannons' roar and rifles peal,

We'll chant a soldier's song.

In valley green, on towering crag,

Our fathers fought before us,

And conquered 'neath the same old flag

That's proudly floating o'er us.

We're children of a fighting race,

That never yet has known disgrace,

And as we march, the foe to face,

We'll chant a soldier's song.

Chorus

Sons of the Gael! Men of the Pale!

The long watched day is breaking;

The serried ranks of Inisfail

Shall set the Tyrant quaking.

Our camp fires now are burning low;

See in the east a silv'ry glow,

Out yonder waits the Saxon foe,

So chant a soldier's song.

Chorus

Coat of Arms

The harp has been recognised as a symbol of Ireland since the 13th century, and first appeared on Anglo-Irish coinage of 1536 during the reign of Henry VIII. It is sometimes referred to as the harp of Brian Boru, High King of Ireland from the 11th century. It appears in the third quarter of the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom. The harp was selected as the state emblem on the establishment of the Irish Free State (1922). It continued to be a state emblem after the Constitution of Ireland was adopted (1937).

National Day

St. Patrick’s Day (17^th March) is an official Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland. The work of St. Patrick (c.389-c.461) was a vital factor in the spread of Christianity in Ireland. Born in Britain, he was carried off by pirates, and spent six years in slavery before escaping and training as a missionary. The day is marked by the wearing of shamrocks, the national badge of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Saint Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland and the one credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. The celebration of his Day is the only national holiday in Ireland. It is celebrated by morning mass, then parades and partying with lots of music into the night. While Americans traditionally cook corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day, in Ireland it is bacon and cabbage. In the end they both taste about the same!

History and legend are intertwined when it comes to St. Patrick. It is known that he was born in Scotland and was kidnapped and sold in Ireland as a slave. He became fluent in the Irish language before making his escape to the continent. Eventually he was ordained as a deacon, then priest and finally as a bishop. Pope Celestine then sent him back to Ireland to preach the gospel. Evidently he was a great traveller, especially in Celtic countries, as innumerable places in Brittany, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and Ireland are named after him. Here it is where actual history and legend become difficult to separate. Patrick is most known the world over for having driven the snakes from Ireland. Different tales tell of his standing upon a hill, using a wooden staff to drive the serpents into the sea, banishing them forever from the shores of Ireland. One legend says that one old serpent resisted, but the saint overcame it by cunning. He is said to have made a box and invited the reptile to enter. The snake insisted the box was too small and the discussion became very heated. Finally the snake entered the box to prove he was right, whereupon St. Patrick slammed the lid and cast the box into the sea. While it is true that there are no snakes in Ireland, chances are that there never have been since the time the island was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the ice age. As in many old pagan religions serpent symbols were common, and possibly even worshipped. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of putting an end to that pagan practice.

While not the first to bring Christianity to Ireland, it was Patrick who encountered the Druids at Tara and abolished their pagan rites. He converted the warrior chiefs and princes, baptizing them and thousands of their subjects in the Holy Wells which still bear that name.

According to tradition St. Patrick died on 17^th March in A.D. 493 and was buried in the same grave as St. Bridget and St. Columba, at Downpatrick, County Down. The jawbone of St.Patrick was preserved in a silver shrine and was often requested in times of childbirth, epileptic fits and as a preservative against the evil eye. Another legend says St. Patrick ended his days at Glastonbury and was buried there. The Chapel of St. Patrick still exists as part of Galstonbury Abbey. There is evidence of an Irish pilgrimage to his tomb during the reign of the Saxon King Ine in A.D. 688, when a group of pilgrims headed by St. Indractus were murdered.

The Shamrock

In written English, the first reference to the Shamrock dates from 1571, and in written Irish, as seamrog, from 1707. As a badge to be worn on Saint Patrick’s day, it is referred to for the first time as late as 1681. The Shamrock was used as an emblem by the Irish Volunteers in the era of Grattan's Parliament in the 1770's, before The Act of Union. So rebellious did the wearing of the Shamrock eventually appear, that in Queen Victoria's time Irish regiments were forbidden to display it. There are many legends associated with St Patrick. It is said that he used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the concept of the Trinity; which refers to the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three, yet One.

Celtic Cross

A Celtic cross combines the cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. It is the characteristic symbol of Celtic Christianity, though it may have older, pre-Christian origins. In Ireland many free-standing upright crosses (high crosses) were erected, beginning at least as early as the 7th Century. Some of these 'Celtic' crosses bear inscriptions in runes. There are surviving free-standing crosses in Cornwall and Wales, in the island of Iona and in the Hebrides also. There are many variations of interpretations and legends about the original meaning of the Celtic cross. The Irish Catholic priest will have no hesitation telling you that the circle of the Celtic Cross is a symbol of eternity that emphasizes the endlessness of God’s love as shown through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. That is unless he says the circle is a halo. At the pub when the subject comes up you might just as likely hear the explanation that the great stone Celtic Crosses were carved from the standing stones of the Druids and were originally phallic symbols.

Irish Music

Most of the oldest songs, tunes, and methods are rural in origin. Music and lyrics are passed aurally/orally, and were rarely written down until 1800s. Due to the importance placed on the melody in Irish music, harmony should be kept simple, and instruments are played in strict unison, always following the leading player. Irish traditional music was largely meant for dancing at celebrations for weddings, saint's days or other observances. Basic instruments are the following (click & listen):

pipe

violin

drum

bodhran

flute

harp

accordion

since 1880s

guitar

since 1960s

Myths, Legends, Heroes and Saints

Irish history is rich with myths and legends. The adventures of the famous seer-warrior Fionn Mac Cumhaill are still known to many Irish people. These include how he gained his wisdom as a boy by tasting the 'salmon of knowledge', how he triumphed over miscellaneous giants and magicians, and how he had the truths of life explained to him in a strange allegorical house.

The champion Lugh, originally a god of the Continental Celts, is also remembered - especially how he slew his tyrant grandfather who had a horrific eye which destroyed all on which it gazed.

The adventures of the super warrior Cú Chulainn (left) are spoken of and tales are also told of more true to life characters, such as the quasihistorical High-King Cormac Mac Airt and the historical though much romanticised Conall Gulban, son of the great king Niall and contemporary of St Patrick.

The saints, historical personages from the early centuries of Irish Christianity, are portrayed in legends as miracle workers who used their sacred power to banish monsters, cure illnesses, and provide food for the people in time of need. Holy wells, dedicated to individual saints, are still visited on their feast days in many areas, and people pray at these wells for relief from different kinds of physical and mental distress. The most celebrated saints in Ireland were the patron saint of Ireland, Patrick, the great founder of monasteries, Colm Cille and, second only to Patrick, Brighid who, as protectress of farming and livestock, preserves many of the attributes of the ancient earth goddess.

Ireland is famous for its fairy tradition. The fairies are known in Irish as the people of the sí (pronounced she), a word which originally designated a mound or tumulus, and the Irish fairies can be connected with early Celtic beliefs of how the dead live on as a dazzling community in their burial chambers. Through their identification in the medieval literature with the Tuatha Dé Danann ('People of the Goddess Danu') they may also be connected directly to the early pantheon of Celtic deities. In folk belief thousands of 'raths', which are ancient earthenwork structures which dot the landscape, are claimed to be inhabited still be the sí-people, and many stories are told of humans being brought into these hidden palaces at night as guests at wondrous banquets.

The Leprechaun

The Leprechaun is an Irish fairy. He looks like a small, old man (about 2 feet tall), often dressed like a shoemaker, with a cocked hat and a leather apron. According to legend, leprechauns are aloof and unfriendly, live alone, and pass the time making shoes. They also possess a hidden pot of gold. Treasure hunters can often track down a leprechaun by the sound of his shoemaker's hammer. If caught, he can be forced (with the threat of bodily violence) to reveal the whereabouts of his treasure, but the captor must keep their eyes on him every second. If the captor's eyes leave the leprechaun (and he often tricks them into looking away), he vanishes and all hopes of finding the treasure are lost.

learn more:

Irish Abroad

Irish Culture and Customs

Reference Information about Ireland

Irish Literature and Mythology

Ireland Now

sources:

Wikipedia: Celtic cross

credits: