Sam McBride had an excellently thought-provoking article this week arguing for a new flag for Northern Ireland in the Belfast Telegraph “Why stars are aligning for a new flag of Northern Ireland”. I was particularly struck by this passage:
… the very fact that the flag itself was new would free it from the bondage of history. It would immediately be shorn of the baggage of older symbols used in a thousand unedifying ways.
Some unionist baulk at this, believing it would undermine the Union Flag. Yet this would be thoroughly British.
England, Scotland and Wales have their own flags as well as the Union Flag – just as their football and rugby teams have their own anthems which sit alongside God Save The King.
It is Northern Ireland which is un-British in this regard, refusing to embrace a regional flag and anthem. Paradoxically, it is the fear of some unionists that this would undermine their Britishness which means Northern Ireland is a place apart from what it means to be British in every other part of the UK.
Far-sighted unionists should realise that to make Northern Ireland work within the Union, they need unifying symbols capable of widespread support. But this isn’t a zero-sum issue.
For nationalists, this would mean a flag with which they could identify because it didn’t have the history of an emblem from the old unionist-dominated Stormont.
Sam’s article got me thinking: a flag that goes beyond Orange and Green, while cherishing both; a flag that also cherishes Others; a flag that links to both the island of Ireland and the United Kingdom; a new flag that offers new ways to proudly belong to this part of the planet without denying the pull on one’s heartstrings of either the rest of this island or the island next-door.
Maurice Harron’s Hands across the Divide statue at the west end of Derry-Londonderry’s Craigavon Bridge is, to me, a powerful symbol of our hesitant yet genuine desire towards reconciliation (whatever that means). I took that idea of an ‘almost-handshake’, and added a third hand to represent the people who regard themselves as neither nationalist nor unionist. Each hand is equally separated by 120 degrees. The shape of the hand is taken from one of Maurice Harron’s statue photographs on the CAIN website.
I went for white – representing peace – being the predominant colour.
The flag border colours were chosen to have two meanings:
A unionist will see the red and blue and may be reassured that the Union flag is represented.
A nationalist will see the red and blue and may be reassured that (a)the red hand of Ulster – symbol of one of Ireland’s historic provinces from at least the 13th century – is represented, and that (b)the blue represents the Presidential Standard of the Irish President.
The Manx-like triskelion symbol – arms instead of legs – is a new one for all Northern identities, so it comes with no baggage of domination and resentment.
I know my graphic skills leave an awful lot to be desired: more litter pickers than hands, agreed. So perhaps readers could upload their own designs? Maybe Sam has one?
Philip McGuinness taught at Dundalk Institute of Technology, plays mandolin with the Oriel Traditional Orchestra and loves to walk around and over the wee perfect hills of the Ring Of Gullion.
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
