Flag of Ireland
Three equal vertical bands of green, white and orange, with green at the hoist.
What the flag means
The Department of the Taoiseach, which is responsible for the flag, explains green as the Catholic tradition and orange as the Protestant supporters of William of Orange. White in the centre stands for peace between them and the hope of union.
History
The tricolour took its present form among the Young Irelanders in 1848, and in April that year Thomas Francis Meagher explained its colours as a lasting truce between Orange and Green. During the Easter Rising of 1916 Gearóid O'Sullivan raised it over the General Post Office in Dublin, and it came to be regarded as the national flag. The Irish Free State took it up in 1922, and the 1937 Constitution confirms it.
The Department of the Taoiseach calls flags with yellow or gold in place of orange a misrepresentation and says their use should be discouraged.
Flags that look like this one
Ireland is green, white, orange from the flagpole side. Ivory Coast is the mirror image: orange, white, green. Italy swaps the orange for red.
Flags of Ireland's neighbours
Sources
- Wikipedia: Flag of Ireland
- Defence Forces Ireland: The National Flag
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.
