The National Standard of Ireland.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 26, 26 June 1902, Page 15

The National Standard of Ireland.

It is very difficult to ascertain whether Ireland had any national standard before the English invasion of this country in the 12th century, but that it had a standard of some color must be admitted (says a writer in an Irish exchange). Certain it is that the Milesians from the time they first conquered the island down to the time of Ollaoih Fodhla, King of Ireland (A.M. 3082), made use of no other emblems on their standards than a dead serpent and the rod of Moses, after the example of their Gadelian ancestors. It is related by some historians that Gadelas, from whom the Milesians were descended, happened to be bitten by a serpent, and that the wound was cured by Moses in the wilderness, and, in commemoration of the event he had painted on his bainer the figure of a serpent and the rod of Moses, and the same he a=)sumed°on his coat-of-arm«. Neither history nor tradition tolls v«, however, what were the colors of the rod or serpent. In the reign of OlUmh Fodhla it was ordained by a law, made at a triennial assembly at Tara, that every nobleman and great officer in Ireland should, by the learned heralds, have, according to his merit and his station, or quality, arms whereby he should be distinguished from others of the' f-arue rank, and be known to any antiquary, or persons of learning wherever he appeared, whether at sea or laud, in the prince's court or to the battlefield. In the course of time such individuals had their arms emblazoned on their banners ; and the chieftains of the various septs had also their arms emblazoned on their respective standards ; a-nd whenever any of those chiefs was elected King or Ardrigh hia color may be considered the National Ensign during his reign. Here, again, we are in ignorance of the color of the field of these standards ; but we may fairly assume the color of such standards was of saffron, which was theprevailu g co'or of the garments of the early Celtic race, and may therefore be called the national color. Hence we find that Cathair Mor, King of Ireland, who died A D. 177, in hia will bequeathed to one of his sons 50 shields, and to another of his nons 100 shields, 100 spe.a-s and 50 s iffron-oolored cloaks and seven spotted standards. Tlicpe sputtid standards must have been of seven different colors. Tne tit Id of the O'Brien's standards was g-ules, the color, it is said, BrLin Boru bore on hia banner at the Battle of Clontarf in 10l I. The late Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King of Arms, says that without doubt the popular colors in those days were crimson, saffron and blue, but green, he says, was not much in favor. O Neil did not wear it, nor O'Donnell, nor O'Melaighlin, nor McCarthy, nor O'Brien, nor O'Rourke. nor McMurragh Kavan.igh, and these were the chief princes from among whom the Kings of Ireland were choßen. Roderick O'Connor's color is not recorded, as far as I know. Azure has been the national color of the Pale only since the English invasion. In the reign of Richard II (1377) the national standard of Ireland was a field azure, three crowns, or. The three crowns were relinquished for the harp, as the Arms of Ireland, by King Henry VIII., from an apprehension, it is saM, lent thr y might be taken as representing the Papal tiara ! The gold harp on a blue fiel 1 has been, since the time of James I , q mrtered tor Ireland on the royal achievement, The arras of the City of Dublin since Henry the VIII.'s time was a blue field and three castles, or. These were the city arms till 1885, during the Mayoralty of Alderman John O'Connor, when it was stolen from the Mansion House. Green, if it had ever been used as a color on any of the chieftains standards, was never a popular color in Ireland till the famous Battle of the Boyne. There King William's color was orange, which was also that of his followers, and as the Irish {standard was of saffron, some confusion, it appears, aro->e among the partisans of each king ; and probably the Irish, who became somewhat mixed up in the affray, plucked a laurel wreath, or some other emblem of green, so as to distinguish their followers from those of the Wilhamites. At all events, it is only since the Revolution green has been the popular or national color.