Saint Patrick's Saltire or Saint Patrick's Cross is a red saltire (X-shaped cross) on a white field, used to represent the island of Ireland or Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. In heraldic language, it may be blazoned Argent, a saltire gules. Saint Patrick's Flag is a flag composed of Saint Patrick's Saltire.
There is no universally accepted flag for the island of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Saltire dates only from the late eighteenth century, although there is some evidence of a similar saltire's earlier use as a symbol of Ireland, possibly deriving from the coat of arms of the powerful Geraldine or FitzGerald dynasty. Its relatively recent origins have led to it being rejected by most Irish nationalists as a "British invention", although it predates the use of the Irish national flag by at least 150 years.
St. Patrick's Saltire was first used in the regalia of the Order of Saint Patrick, a British chivalric order established in 1783 by George III, and later in the arms and flags of a number of institutions. After the 1800 Act of Union joined the Kingdom of Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain, the saltire was added to the British flag to form the Union Flag still used by the United Kingdom. The saltire has occasionally served unofficially to represent Northern Ireland and been considered less contentious than other flags flown there.
Read more about Saint Patrick's Saltire: Origins, Modern Use of The Flag, Other Symbols of Ireland, Unrelated Similar Saltires, See Also, References
Famous quotes containing the words saint and/or patrick:
“A saint addicted to excessive self-abnegation is a dangerous associate; he may infect you with poverty, and a stiffening of those joints which are needed for advancement—in a word, with more renunciation than you care for—and so you flee the contagion.”
—Victor Hugo (1802–1885)
“The first time many women hold their tiny babies, they are apt to feel as clumsy and incompetent as any man. The difference is that our culture tells them they’re not supposed to feel that way. Our culture assumes that they will quickly learn how to be a mother, and that assumption rubs off on most women—so they learn.”
—Pamela Patrick Novotny (20th century)