Saint Patrick's Saltire
Saint Patrick's Saltire, a red saltire on a white field, was used from 1783 in the badge of the Order of Saint Patrick. After the Acts of Union 1800, the saltire was added to the former flag of the Kingdom of Great Britain to represent Ireland in the new United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is sometimes used informally to represent Northern Ireland. In 1986, government policy during state visits to London was to fly the crosses of George, Andrew and Patrick and the Welsh Dragon. The government clarified that the Union Flag was the flag of Northern Ireland, not the Saint Patrick's Saltire or the Ulster Banner. In 2008, David McNarry suggested it should be allowed in Northern Irish number plates analogous to the flags allowed on English, Scottish, and Welsh plates. The barge Gloriana during the 2012 Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant flew flags for the four 'home nations' of the United Kingdom, including the Saint Patrick's Cross for Northern Ireland.
Read more about this topic: Flag Of Northern Ireland
Famous quotes containing the words saint and/or patrick:
“Ce corps qui s’appelait et qui s’appelle encore le saint empire romain n’était en aucune manière ni saint, ni romain, ni empire. This agglomeration which called itself and still calls itself the Holy Roman Empire was in no way holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.”
—Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778)
“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)