Arms of Ireland - Achievement

Achievement

The design of the harp used by the modern Irish state is based on the Brian Boru harp, a late-medieval Gaelic harp now in Trinity College, Dublin. The design is by an English sculptor, Percy Metcalfe. Metcalfe's design was in response to a competition held by the state to design Irish coinage, which was to start circulation in December 1928. Metcalfe's design became the model for future official interpretations of the harp as an emblem of the state.

The modern design is markedly different from earlier depictions. During the 17th century, it became common to depict the harp with a woman's head and breasts, like a ship's figurehead, as the pillar.

It is not necessary to show a full complement of thirty strings, provided that the numbers do not fall below nine (notwithstanding the illustration to the left). The strings are always silver and the harp is always gold.

The harp is shown on a blue background. Traditionally, the shade of blue used in the arms is known as St. Patrick's blue. In current designs, used by the UK and Irish states, this is invariably a deep blue. The use of this colour in the arms has been associated with Gormfhlaith, a Gaelic mythological personification of Ireland. The word Gormfhlaith is a compound of the Irish words gorm ('blue') and flaith ('sovereign'); it is noted in early Irish texts as the name of several queens closely connected with dynastic politics in the 10th and 11th century Ireland. The National Library of Ireland, in describing the blue background of the arms, notes that in early Irish mythology the sovereignty of Ireland (Irish: Flaitheas Éireann) was represented by a woman often dressed in a blue robe.

A crest, which was little used, is thought to have been created for the ascension of James I. This crest was blazoned: A tower triple towered or, from the portal a hart springing argent, attired and unguled also or. The torse was Or and azure. The torse and crest were apparently little used even during the period of the Kingdom of Ireland. From the Act of Union in 1801 until the declaration of the Republic of Ireland in 1949, the crest was used only intermittently. Unlike Scotland, Ireland did not reserve the right to bear a distinct coat of arms within the United Kingdom. The crest and torse are not employed by the Irish state today.

Historically, the harp was frequently seen surmounted by a crown. In this case, the depiction is as heraldic badge, a device used to indicate allegiance to or the property of someone or something. Elisabeth I used the badge as her second Great Seal of 1586. This motif had earlier featured of the coins of the Lordship of Ireland during the Tudor period and continued to be used on the coins of the Kingdom of Ireland. Following the creation of the United Kingdom, the device was used on the cap badges of the Royal Irish Constabulary and later the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The badge can be seen today on the cap badge of the Royal Irish Regiment of the British Army. The harp, unsurmounted by a crown, is used as a badge in the Republic of Ireland today.