The Irish Tricolour features vertical bands of green, white, and orange. It was first flown in 1848 as a symbol of unity between the country's two main religious communities.
The design
The Flag of Ireland is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 1:2, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses Green, White, Orange, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Green | Tends to evoke land, agriculture, hope, Islam or the natural environment. |
| White | White | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Orange | Orange | Carries associations with courage, sacrifice or particular religious traditions. |
| Source | Official flag law | The country’s own statute or constitutional appendix specifies exact shades and proportions. |
Symbolism & heraldry
Green represents Catholic and Gaelic Ireland; orange the Protestant Williamite tradition; white the peace between them.
Heraldic elements on the Flag of Ireland — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1937. Earlier banners flown by Ireland reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of Ireland should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Ireland | — |
| Continent | Europe | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | IE | 2-letter code |
| ISO alpha-3 | IRL | 3-letter code |
| Adopted | 1937 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 1:2 | height : length |
| Colours | Green, White, Orange | — |
| Designer | — | |
| Emoji | 🇮🇪 | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
The flag was a gift from French sympathisers to revolutionary Thomas Francis Meagher in 1848 — the colour orange was deliberately chosen to include Ulster Protestants.
