View source for Saint Patrick's Saltire

{{Short description|Red saltire on a white field}}
{{redirect|Saint Patrick's Cross||List of Saint Patrick's crosses}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
[[File:St Patrick's saltire.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.15|Saint Patrick's Flag: a red saltire on a field of white]]
'''Saint Patrick's Saltire''' or '''Saint Patrick's Cross''' is a red [[saltire]] (X-shaped cross) on a white field. In [[heraldry|heraldic]] language, it may be [[blazon]]ed ''[[argent]], a saltire [[gules]]''. '''Saint Patrick's Flag''' ({{langx|ga|Bratach Naomh Pádraig}}) is a [[flag]] composed of Saint Patrick's Saltire. The origin of the saltire is disputed. Its association with [[Saint Patrick]] dates from the 1780s, when the [[Anglo-Irish]] [[Order of Saint Patrick]] adopted it as an emblem.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-36846914|title=Cross of St Patrick: 'Unity flag' for Northern Ireland?|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=20 July 2016}}</ref> This was a British [[chivalric order]] established in 1783 by [[George III]]. It has been suggested that it derives from the [[coat of arms|arms]] of the powerful Geraldine or [[FitzGerald dynasty]].{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|p=38}}<ref name="Perrin1922">{{cite book |last=Perrin |first=W.G. |author-link=William Gordon Perrin |others=Illustrated by Herbert S. Vaughan |title=British Flags, Their Early History, and Their Development at Sea: With an Account of the Origin of the Flag as a National Device |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JspsAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA51 |series=Cambridge Naval and Military Series |year=1922 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |pages=51–52 |chapter=II.&nbsp;Early English, Scottish and Irish Flags §&nbsp;(iii)&nbsp;Ireland |asin=B0017D3OU2 |lccn=22011380 |oclc=1614066 |ol=13519843M |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JspsAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA50}}</ref>{{dubious|date=October 2020}} Some [[Irish nationalism|Irish nationalists]] opposed the usage of the flag to represent Ireland, as they considered it to be a British invention.{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|p=38}}<ref>{{cite book|author=Murray Pittock|title=Celtic Identity and the British Image|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dv0yf-tgCocC&pg=PA52|page=52|chapter=1|year=1999|publisher=Manchester University Press|isbn=978-0-7190-5826-4}}</ref>

After its adoption by the Order of Saint Patrick, it began to be used by other institutions. When the [[Acts of Union 1800]] 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 also appears in some royal events.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flaginstitute.org/Thames_Pageant_Flag_Guide.pdf |title=A Visual Guide to the Flags used in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant |last=Bartram |first=Graham |author-link=Graham Bartram |year=2012 |publisher=[[Flag Institute]] |page=5 |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108075308/http://www.flaginstitute.org/Thames_Pageant_Flag_Guide.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2012}}</ref>

==Origins==
[[File:Insignia of Knight of St Patrick.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Insignia of a Knight of St Patrick: Gold crowns on a green shamrock on a red Cross of Saint Patrick]]
An early possible mention of a Saint Patrick's flag is from the journal of [[John Glanville]], writing about [[Cádiz expedition (1625)|the Anglo-Dutch fleet that sailed to Cádiz, Spain, in 1625]]. Lord Delaware deposed in writing to the Lieutenant General about his simple foretop (white, red or blue) precedence flags to be flown: 
{{blockquote|{{lang|enm|italic=no|...That this was an Englishe and not an Irishe action, and the colours contended for the fflagg of S<sup>t</sup> George and not of S<sup>t</sup> Patericke [alluding to whatever the [[Viscount Valentia]] was flying], which hee intimated to himselfe being a Baron of England much {{abbreviation|auntient|ancient}} to my Lord Cromwell (whoe alsoe is a Baron of that Realme) to bee more proper and worthie to carry then anie Irish Viscount...}}<ref name="Glanville1625">{{cite book |last=Glanville |first=John |author-link=John Glanville |editor-last=Grosart |editor-first=Alexander B. |editor-link=Alexander Balloch Grosart |title=The Voyage to Cadiz in 1625 |others=Camden Society |date=1883 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ugIAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA85 |series=New Series |volume=XXXII |publisher=Nichols and Sons |location=Westminster |page=85 |oclc=4327266}}</ref>}}

The [[Order of Saint Patrick]], an [[Anglo-Irish]] chivalric order, was created in 1783. The order was a means of rewarding those in high office who supported the Anglo-Irish [[Kingdom of Ireland|government of Ireland]].<ref name="royal">{{cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Honours/OrderofStPatrick.aspx |title=Order of St Patrick |access-date=22 August 2015 |work=Official website of the British Monarchy}}</ref> On its badge was a red saltire on a white background, which it called the "Cross of St Patrick":

{{blockquote|And the said Badge shall be of Gold surrounded with a Wreath of [[Shamrock]] or Trefoil, within which shall be a Circle of Gold, containing the Motto of our said Order in Letters of Gold Viz. QUIS SEPARABIT? together with the date 1783, being the year in which our said Order was founded, and encircling the Cross of St Patrick Gules, surmounted with a Trefoil Vert each of its leaves charged with an Imperial Crown Or upon a field of Argent.<ref name="Morley">{{cite web |url=http://home.connect.ie/morley/cros_e.htm |title=St. Patrick's Cross |date=29 August 2014 |access-date=22 August 2015 |first=Vincent |last=Morley |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113013547/http://home.connect.ie/morley/cros_e.htm |archive-date=13 November 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

The use of a saltire in association with St Patrick was controversial because it differed from the usual crosses by custom worn on St Patrick's Day. In particular, the previous [[List of Saint Patrick's Crosses|crosses associated with Saint Patrick]] were not X-shaped. Some contemporary responses to the badge of the order complained that an X-shaped cross was the [[Flag of Scotland|Cross of St Andrew]], patron of [[Scotland]]. A February 1783 newspaper complained that "the breasts of Irishmen were to be decorated by the bloody Cross of St Andrew, and not that of the tutelar Saint of their natural isle".<ref name="Morley"/> Another article claimed that "the Cross of St Andrew the Scotch saint is to honour the Irish order of St Patrick, by being inserted within the star of the order&nbsp;... a manifest insult to common sense and to national propriety".<ref name="Morley"/>

[[File:Cross-Pattee-Heraldry.svg|thumb|left|upright=0.5|A [[cross pattée]]]]

An open letter to Lord Temple, to whom the design of the Order of St Patrick's badges were entrusted, echoes this and elaborates:

{{blockquote|The Cross generally used on St Patrick's day, by Irishmen, is the [[Cross pattée]], which is small in the centre, and so goes on widening to the ends, which are very broad; this is not recorded as the Irish Cross, but has custom for time immemorial for its support, which is generally allowed as sufficient authority for any similar institution&nbsp;... As bearing the arms of another person is reckoned very disgraceful by the laws of honour, how much more so is it, in an order which ought to carry honour to the highest pitch, to take a cross for its emblem, which has been acknowledged for many ages as the property of an order in another country? If the cross generally worn as the emblem of the Saint who is ascribed to Ireland is not agreeable to your Excellency, sure many others are left to choose from, without throwing Ireland into so ignominious a point of view, as to adopt the one that Scotland has so long a claim to.<ref name="Morley"/>{{Disputed inline|date=December 2012}}}}

[[File:FitzGerald arms.svg|right|thumb|150px|Coat of arms of the Duke of Leinster, derived from those of the FitzGeralds]]

Many subsequent commentators believed that the saltire was simply taken from the arms of the [[FitzGerald]]s (or "Geraldines"), who were [[Dukes of Leinster]].{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|p=38}} The Dukes of Leinster dominated the political and social scene of 18th-century Dublin, from their ducal palace of [[Leinster House]] (later to become the seat of the Irish parliament and senate, the [[Oireachtas]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oireachtas.ie/ViewDoc.asp?fn=/documents/tour/kildare.asp |title=Leinster House: A Tour and History |publisher=Houses of the Oireachtas |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140616154926/http://www.oireachtas.ie/ViewDoc.asp?fn=%2Fdocuments%2Ftour%2Fkildare.asp |archive-date=16 June 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster]] was the premier peer in the [[Irish House of Lords]] and a founder member of the Order of Saint Patrick. On the other hand, Michael Casey suggests that Lord Temple, pressed for time, had based the Order's insignia on those of the [[Order of the Garter]], and simply rotated its [[St George's Cross]] 45 degrees.{{sfn|Casey|1991|p=6|ps=: "It might be noted in passing that a 'Burgundian Cross' is illustrated as being used by either Spanish or Irish troops at Kinsale&nbsp;– such a cross is also part of the Insignia of the Habsburg Order of the Golden Fleece but my personal belief is that as the statutes were based on those of the Garter, the insignia was also based on that of the Garter badge&nbsp;– the Cross of Saint George is merely turned through 45° to become the Saltire&nbsp;– the Garter with motto is replaced with a simple circle with motto and date."}}

Henry Gough in 1893 doubted the antiquity of Patrick's Cross on the basis that, if a cross had been an established symbol of Ireland during [[the Protectorate]], then [[Flags of the English Interregnum|flags of the era]] would have used that instead of the [[coat of arms of Ireland|gold Irish harp]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gough |first=Henry |editor-last=Marshall |editor-first=George W. |title=St. Patrick's Cross |url=https://archive.org/stream/genealogist07mars#page/n273 |journal=The Genealogist |publisher=George Bell and Sons |location=London |volume=VII |pages=129–131 : 130 |year=1883 |access-date=29 March 2018}}</ref>

===Earlier use of saltires in an Irish context===
A variety of sources show saltires in use earlier than 1783 in Ireland and in an Irish context, although there is no suggestion that they are linked to St Patrick. The [[Flag Institute]] states that arms derive from those of the powerful [[FitzGerald dynasty]] (or "Geraldines"), who were Earls of Kildare (and later [[Dukes of Leinster]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=British Flags |publisher=[[Flag Institute]] |access-date=22 August 2015 |url=http://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/british-flags/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817221323/http://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/british-flags/ |archive-date=17 August 2015 |quote=The inclusion of St. Patrick's cross is of interest as St. Patrick was not martyred and therefore did not have a cross. The red saltire on white was the emblem of the powerful Irish Fitzgerald family and was a convenient symbol for Ireland.}}</ref> [[Gearóid Mór FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare|Gearóid Mór FitzGerald]] and his son [[Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare|Gearóid Óg]] were also [[Lord Deputy of Ireland|Lord Deputies of Ireland]] in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

The design on the [[Obverse and reverse|reverse]] of some [[Coins of Ireland#Regal hammered coinage|Irish coins]] ([[groat (coin)|groat]] and half-groat) minted {{circa|1480}} includes two shields with saltires. At this time, Gearóid Mór FitzGerald was [[Lord Deputy of Ireland]], and the shields are considered to be his arms.<ref name="Smith1840">{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Aquilla |date=1840 |title=On the Irish Coins of Edward the Fourth |publisher=R. Graisberry |location=Dublin |pages=[https://archive.org/details/onirishcoinsedw00acadgoog/page/n37 31]–33 |url=https://archive.org/details/onirishcoinsedw00acadgoog |oclc=27349387}}</ref>{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|p=37}}

A 1576 map of Ireland (or "Hirlandia") by John Goghe shows the FitzGerald arms over their spheres of influence. It also shows a red saltire flag flying at the masthead of a ship, possibly an Irish pirate, which is engaged in action in the Saint George's Channel with another ship flying the Saint George's cross. The red saltire is placed on the Mulls of Galloway and Kintyre in Scotland. This is either a defect of the print or as it was confused with Scotland's Saint Andrew's saltire.<ref name="Perrin1922"/>

[[File:Flag of New Spain.svg|thumb|right|150px|Cross of Burgundy]]

English and German picture maps of the [[Battle of Kinsale]] of 1601&ndash;02 show the combined Irish–Spanish forces under a red saltire. This is presumed to be the [[Cross of Burgundy]], the [[war flag]] of Spain, rather than an Irish flag.{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|pp=36–37}}

A 1612 seal of [[Trinity College Dublin]] shows uncoloured cross and saltire flags.{{sfn|Dixon|1902|pp=286–287}} These have been taken to represent England and Ireland respectively.{{sfnm|1a1=Galloway|1y=1999|pp=189–190|2a1=Hayes-McCoy|2y=1979|2pp=38–39}}

[[File:Standard of the Irish Brigade (1644-45).svg|thumb|left|150px|Standard of the Confederate [[Irish expedition to Scotland]].]]

Contemporary reports of the ensigns of the [[Confederate Ireland|Irish Catholic Confederation]] during the [[Irish Confederate Wars|Eleven Years' War]] say that each had a canton with a red saltire on a gold field.<ref name="DalyDuerRaspa1995">{{cite book |last1=Daly |first1=Peter M. |last2=Duer |first2=Leslie T. |last3=Raspa |first3=Anthony |editor-last=Young |editor-first=Alan R. |title=The English Emblem Tradition: Emblematic Flag Devices of the English Civil Wars 1642–1660 |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |date=1995 |series=Index Emblematicus |volume=3 |page=xlvii |isbn=0-8020-5739-X |lccn=90110062 |oclc=60223408 |ol=4964331W}}</ref><ref name="Reid1989">{{cite book |first=Stuart |last=Reid |title=Scots Armies of the 17th Century |volume=3: The Royalist Armies 1639–46 |publisher=Partizan Press |date=1989 |location=Leigh-on-Sea, England |isbn=0-946525-63-3 |oclc=33667409 |ol=11349059W}}</ref><ref>True Informer news sheet, 1644</ref> A 1645 picture map of the [[Siege of Duncannon]] shows [[Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara|Preston]]'s Irish Confederates under a saltire.{{sfnm|1a1=Galloway|1y=1999|1pp=189–190|2a1=Hayes-McCoy|2y=1979|2p=40}}

The flag used by the King's Own Regiment in the Kingdom of Ireland, established in 1653, was a red saltire on a "taffey" yellow field. Its origin remains a mystery, however.<ref name="Offen2010">{{cite web |last=Offen |first=Lee |title=Irish Military Establishment |url=http://historyreconsidered.net/Irish_Military_Establishment_1660_1688.html |url-status=live |work=History Reconsidered |date=2010 |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609134339/http://historyreconsidered.net/Irish_Military_Establishment_1660_1688.html |archive-date=9 June 2015 |quote=The regimental colors remain a mystery&nbsp;...}}</ref> At the funeral of [[Oliver Cromwell]] in 1658, Ireland was represented by a red cross (not saltire) on a yellow field.<ref name="Perrin1922"/> Cromwell's [[The Protectorate|Protectorate]] of the 1650s briefly used a flag containing the St George's cross to represent England, St Andrew's cross to represent Scotland, and a red saltire on white to represent Ireland, though Ireland was more commonly represented with a harp in Protectorate flags.<ref name="Gordon1915">{{cite book |title=Flags of the World, Past and Present: Their Story and Associations |pages=58–60 |date=1915 |url=https://archive.org/stream/flagsworldpasta00stokgoog#page/n105 |quote=In the first flag following that {{bracket|1654}} ordinance, England and Scotland were represented by the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew, and Ireland by a golden harp on a blue ground which is the correct standard of that country. These were displayed quarterly, St. George being first and fourth, Ireland second, and St. Andrew third. The standard of the Protector consisted of this flag with his escutcheon of a white lion rampant on a black field placed in the centre. The harp, however, seemed quite out of place in this flag, and another was tried in which St. George was in the first and fourth, St. Andrew in the second, and the red saltire on white daringly placed in the third as representing Ireland. This was a most unsatisfactory arrangement for visibility at sea, and the old Union was reverted to, but as Ireland was not shown on it, a golden harp was placed in the centre, and at the Restoration the harp was removed and the flag became as it was at the death of Charles I. |last=Gordon |first=W.{{nbsp}}J. |others=Illustrated by W.{{nbsp}}J. Stokoe |publisher=Frederick Warne &{{nbsp}}Co |location=London |chapter=II. The Royal Standard and Our National Flags |oclc=609147196 |lccn=15013565 |ol=20588409M |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/flagsworldpasta00stokgoog#page/n75}}</ref> Several drawings of Union flags, including one of [[HMS Henry (1660)|HMS ''Henry'']] made {{circa|1661}} by [[Willem van de Velde, the elder]], include a red saltire as in the post-1800 Union; but there is no evidence for such a design.{{sfn|Wilson|1986|p=24}} The Graydon MS. Flag Book of 1686, which belonged to [[Samuel Pepys]], gives the flag of Ireland as the harp and St George's cross on a green field.<ref name="Perrin1922"/>

[[File:Rég de Berwick 1698.png|thumb|left|150px|Flag of the ''Régiment de Berwick'']]

A red saltire on green appears on the flag of Berwick's regiment in the [[Irish Brigade (France)|Irish Brigade]] of the French army. This was a brigade made up of Irish [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] exiles that formed in 1690. The Irish Brigade served as part of the French Army until 1792.

[[File:Uniform and colonel’s flag of the Hibernia Regiment.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Uniform and colonel's flag of the [[Regiment of Hibernia]] in Spanish service, mid-18th century]]

The cross of Burgundy appears on the flag of the Spanish [[Regiment of Hibernia]]. It was formed in 1710 by Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the [[Flight of the Earls]] and the [[Penal Laws against Irish Catholics|penal laws]]. It is possible that the design of the flag was influenced by the red saltire.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

[[File:Encyclopedie volume 6-144.png|thumb|150px|The ''[[Encyclopédie]], ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers'' (1769 edition) illustrates one of three maritime flags of Ireland (bottom left), described as white, charged with a red saltire. One other flag is also white with a red saltire, while the remaining maritime flag is Green with a golden harp with a silver quarter bearing a red cross.<ref>{{cite book |title=Recueil de planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques, avec leur explication |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sIBKufbyy0gC&pg=PT233 |edition=6 |volume=7 |date=1769 |publisher=[[Antoine-Claude Briasson]] and [[André le Breton]] |location=Paris |language=fr |pages=suite de la pl. XVII |no-pp=yes |chapter=Marine |oclc=61833428 |trans-title=Encyclopaedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts}}</ref>]]

Several atlases and flag books in the late 17th and 18th centuries show a red-saltire–on–white flag for Ireland, including Paulus van der Dussen's ({{circa|1690}}){{sfn|Wilson|1986|pp=28–30}} and ''Le Neptune françois'', a marine atlas published in Amsterdam in 1693, where it is depicted with the legends ''Ierse'' above and ''Irlandois'' below, which are Dutch and French for "Irish".{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|pp=40–41}} Jan Blaeu's 1650s atlas has a saltire on white for Ireland, which is hand-coloured red in some copies.{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|p=41}}

According to a newspaper report from [[Waterford]] in 1785, two years after the Order of St Patrick had been founded:<ref>{{cite news |title=London |date=26 February 1785 |issue=17 539 |work=[[Daily Gazetteer|Gazetteer and New Daily Advertiser]] |page=2 |publisher=[[Gale (Cengage)|Gale]] |ref=Gale Document Number Z2000400231}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Upwards of forty vessels are now in our harbour, victualling for [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], of which number thirteen are of our own nation, who wear the St Patrick's flag (the field of which is white, with a St Patrick's cross, and an harp in one quarter.)}}

===Other St Patrick's crosses===
{{further|List of Saint Patrick's Crosses}}
Other crosses besides the red saltire have been associated with Saint Patrick. Crosses in various shapes and colours were worn as badges on [[St Patrick's Day]] from the 17th to the early 20th century. The [[cross pattée]] has also been used,<ref name="Burke1864">{{cite book |last=Burke |first=Bernard |author-link=Bernard Burke |title=The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales: Comprising a Registry of Armorial Bearings from the Earliest to the Present Time |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_WmpmAAAAMAAJ |access-date=20 August 2015 |date=1864 |publisher=[[Harrison and Sons|Harrison & Sons]] |location=London |orig-year=First published 1842}}</ref>{{rp|xviii}} including by the [[Friendly Brothers of Saint Patrick]], a [[fraternal organisation]] whose symbols influenced those of the [[Order of Saint Patrick]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}}

==Modern use of the flag==
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The most widespread use of St Patrick's Saltire today is in the [[Union Flag|Flag of the United Kingdom]]. With the 1800 [[Act of Union 1800|Act of Union]] that merged the kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]], the red saltire was incorporated into the [[Union Flag|Flag of the United Kingdom]] as representing Ireland.
The red saltire is [[counterchanging|counterchanged]] with the saltire of St Andrew, such that the white always follows the red clockwise. The arrangement accounts for the discontinuous look of the red diagonal lines, and has introduced a requirement to display the flag "the right way up", with the white line of St Andrew above the red of St Patrick in the upper lefthand quarter next to the flagpole.<ref>{{cite web |title=British Flag Protocol |publisher=[[Flag Institute]] |access-date=22 August 2015 |url=http://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/british-flags/flying-flags-in-the-united-kingdom/british-flag-protocol/#index4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140831155510/http://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/british-flags/flying-flags-in-the-united-kingdom/british-flag-protocol/#index4 |archive-date=31 August 2014 |url-status=live |quote=Important: the Union Flag has a correct way up&nbsp;– in the half of the flag nearest the flagpole, the wider diagonal white stripe must be above the red diagonal stripe, as Scotland's St Andrew's Cross takes precedence over Ireland's St Patrick's Cross. It is most improper to fly the flag upside down.}}</ref> As with the red cross, so too the red saltire is separated by a white [[fimbriation]] from the blue field. This fimbriation is repeated for symmetry on the white portion of the saltire, which thereby appears wider than the red portion. The fimbriation of the cross of St George separates its red from the red of the saltire.

[[Northern Ireland flags issue|Flags in Northern Ireland are controversial]], their symbolism reflecting underlying sectarian and political differences.<ref name="cain">
{{cite web |url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/images/symbols/flags.htm |title=Symbols in Northern Ireland: Flags Used in the Region |date=6 January 2009 |work=[[Conflict Archive on the Internet|CAIN]] |publisher=[[University of Ulster]] |access-date=8 July 2009}}</ref> Saint Patrick's Saltire is sometimes used as a cross-community symbol with less political baggage than either the [[Union Flag]] or the [[Ulster Banner]], seen as pro-[[Unionism (Ireland)|Unionist]], or the [[Irish tricolour]] used by [[Irish nationalism|Irish nationalists]].{{sfn|Groom|2007|p=81}}

It is one of two flags authorised to be flown on church grounds by the [[Church of Ireland]], the other being the [[Flag of the Anglican Communion|Compass Rose Flag of the Anglican Communion]].<ref name="CofI-49">{{cite web |url=http://ireland.anglican.org/information/49 |title=General Synod Sub Committee on Sectarianism Report |date=April 1999 |publisher=Church of Ireland |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203002241/http://ireland.anglican.org/information/49 |archive-date=3 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> This was the recommendation of a 1999 synod committee on [[sectarianism]].<ref name="CofI-49"/>

It is one of the flags approved by the [[Orange Institution]] for display during [[Orange walk]]s.{{sfn|Bryan|2000|p=128|ps=: "Concern over blood and thunder bands, some of the flags they have begun to carry, and their 'rowdy' supporters are not uncommon in the ''Orange Standard''. Stricter rules have been introduced to control the situation in the form of the band contract and an official list of flags approved by the Grand Lodge for carrying on parade. Those officially permitted flags are: the Union flag, the flags of the four countries comprising the UK, the Cross of St Patrick, flags of overseas Orange jurisdictions, lodge flags, banners and bannerettes, the Orange Standard, band flags and bannerettes, and flags issued for approved anniversaries such as the Boyne tercentenary."}}

The St Patrick's flag is the flag of [[St Patrick's College, Maynooth]], and is flown on Degree days and other important occasions.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} Its use is not affected by the creation of a separate [[National University of Ireland, Maynooth]] in 1997.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} The [[Royal Dublin Society]]'s flag, dating from {{circa|1902|1912}}, has a red saltire, but its significance is unknown.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://rds.ie/index.jsp?n=232 |title=The RDS Flag |publisher=[[Royal Dublin Society]] |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821034511/http://rds.ie/index.jsp?n=232 |archive-date=21 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Irish Girl Guides|Irish Free State Girl Guides]], descended from the [[Irish Unionism|Unionist]] [[Girlguiding UK|British Girl Guides]], had a Saint Patrick's Saltire on the flag it used from its establishment in 1929 until the [[Constitution of Ireland|1937 Constitution]].<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://irishgirlguides.ie/index.php/history-of-irish-girl-guides |title=History of Irish Girl Guides |publisher=[[Irish Girl Guides]] |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817140723/http://irishgirlguides.ie/index.php/history-of-irish-girl-guides |archive-date=17 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The saltire appeared on the [[house flag]] of [[Irish Shipping]], founded 1941,{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|p=41}}<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/272.html |title=House flag, Irish Shipping Ltd |work=C&nbsp;M Pope Collection |publisher=[[National Maritime Museum]] |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818015345/http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/272.html |archive-date=18 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> and that used by [[Irish Continental Line]] in 1973–1978.<ref>
{{cite web |url=https://flagspot.net/flags/ie~hf.html#bbl |title=Irish Ferries (Irish Continental Line Ltd.) |last=Rosanoski |first=Neale |date=17 June 2003 |work=House flags of Irish shipping companies |publisher=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=22 August 2015}}</ref> It replaced the [[St George's Cross]] in 1970 on the flag of the [[Commissioners of Irish Lights]].<ref name="fotwcil">{{cite web |url=https://flagspot.net/flags/ie~comil.html |title=Commissioner of Irish Lights |last=Grieve |first=Martin |author2=Miles Li |author3=Jarig Bakker |author4=Rob Raeside |date=1 October 2011 |publisher=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=22 August 2015}}</ref><ref name="Dillon">{{cite journal |last=Dillon |first=Jim |year=1995 |title=The Evolution of Maritime Uniform |journal=Beam |publisher=Commissioners of Irish Lights |volume=24 |quote=In the Lighthouse Service the cap badge originally was a St George's Cross surrounded by a wreath of laurel leaves but from 1970 the St Patrick's Cross has been used. |url=http://www.commissionersofirishlights.com/cil/publications/beam-magazines/volume-24/the-evolution-of-maritime-uniform.aspx |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013111549/http://www.commissionersofirishlights.com/cil/publications/beam-magazines/volume-24/the-evolution-of-maritime-uniform.aspx |archive-date=13 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The badge of the [[Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland]], designed by John Vinycomb, incorporates the saltire and the arms of the four provinces.<ref name="HowleyVinycombBurtchaell1902"/>

{{gallery |width=135 |noborder=yes |whitebg=no
|File:Flag of the Commissioners of Irish Lights.svg|Flag of the Commissioners of Irish Lights<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flyingcolours.org/irish-lights-commissioners-flag/ |title=Irish Lights Commissioners' Flag |author= |date= |work=Flying Colours Flagmakers |access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref>
|File:Burgee of Dublin Bay Sailing Club.svg|Burgee of Dublin Bay Sailing Club<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dbsc.ie/ |title=Dublin Bay Sailing Club |author= |date= |work=dbsc.ie |access-date=4 May 2025}}</ref>
|File:House flag of Irish Shipping Limited (1947–1984).svg|House flag of Irish Shipping (1947–1984)
|File:House flag of Irish Shipping Limited (1941–1947).svg|House flag of Irish Shipping (1941–1947)
|File:House flag of Irish Continental Line (1973–1978).svg|House flag of Irish Continental Line (1973–1978)
}}

===Official uses of St Patrick's Saltire===
Aside from appearing in the Union Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, there are few other uses for the St Patrick's Saltire in official governmental use.

It was the basis of the police badge of the new [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]].{{sfn|Groom|2007|p=81}}
	
In 2023, the [[British Army]]'s 204 (North Irish) Field Hospital and 253 (North Irish) Medical Regiments merged to create [[210 (North Irish) Multi-Role Medical Regiment]]. This amalgamated regiment uses St Patrick's saltire in the background of the regimental insignia. This is overlaid by symbols of the Caduceus and Irish shamrock.<ref>{{cite web | title=Symbol on the Facebook Page for 210 MMR. | publisher=210 MMR | date=5 October 2023 | url=https://www.facebook.com/204Field/}}</ref>

{{gallery |width=135 |noborder=yes |whitebg=no
|File:Police_Service_of_Northern_Ireland badge.svg|[[Police Service of Northern Ireland]] Symbol
|File:210 (North Irish) Multirole Medical Regiment Insignia.png|Regimental Insignia of [[210 (North Irish) Multi-Role Medical Regiment]], RAMC, British Army
}}

===In heraldry===
Regardless of the uncertainty over its origins, the red saltire, or saltire gules on a white field was used in the arms adopted by various Irish organisations, and some outside Ireland.

The arms of [[Trinity College Dublin]] show two flags, a red cross on white and a red saltire on white, which Hayes-McCoy and Galloway interpret as representing England and Ireland respectively.{{sfnm|1a1=Galloway|1y=1999|1pp=189–190|2a1=Hayes-McCoy|2y=1979|2pp=38–39}} The arms were [[grant of arms|granted]] by [[Arthur Vicars]] in 1901, based on a 1612 seal showing uncoloured cross and saltire flags.{{sfn|Dixon|1902|pp=286–287}} [[Bernard Burke]]'s 1864 armory does not specify the flag's format,<ref name="Burke1864"/>{{rp|1031}} and nineteenth-century depictions of them vary.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Chessborough |date=15 November 1862 |title=Arms of Canterbury and Armagh |journal=Notes & Queries |volume=II (3rd Series) |page=392 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWkJAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA392}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Jess |first=J. |date=29 November 1862 |title=Arms of Canterbury, Armagh, and Trinity College Dublin |journal=Notes & Queries |volume=II (3rd Series) |pages=438–439 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWkJAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA438}}</ref>

The arms of [[Cork (city)|Cork city]] show red-saltire flags on the two towers, though not on versions prior to 1800.{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|p=39}} [[Coleraine Borough Council]] includes Saint Patrick's Saltire, as Patrick is said to have given [[Coleraine]] its name.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.colerainebc.gov.uk/show.php?id=304 |title=The Coat of Arms of Coleraine Borough Council |publisher=Coleraine Borough Council |access-date=8 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070813233452/http://www.colerainebc.gov.uk/show.php?id=304 |archive-date=13 August 2007}}</ref> The arms of [[Belfast]] shows a ship flying two flags with a red saltire on white. The saltire also appears in the coat of arms of the County Mayo town of [[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]] to commemorate the visit of St Patrick to the nearby mountain, [[Croagh Patrick]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ngw.nl/heraldrywiki/?title=Westport |title=Westport |website=Heraldry of the World |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820212052/http://ngw.nl/heraldrywiki/?title=Westport |archive-date=20 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> It also appears on the arms of [[County Fermanagh|Co. Fermanagh]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.civicheraldry.com/page/22081 |title=Fermanagh (historical county in Northern Ireland), coat of arms (1954) |publisher=World Civic Heraldry Guide |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331082410/http://www.civicheraldry.com/page/22081 |archive-date=31 March 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Urban district (Ireland)|Urban District Council]] of [[Rathmines and Rathgar]] was granted arms in 1929, a year before it was absorbed into [[Dublin Corporation]]; these featured a Saint Patrick's Saltire and a Celtic Cross.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://flagspot.net/flags/ie-dub.html#rathmines |title=Rathmines and Rathgar Urban District Council |last=Jones |first=Laurence |date=2 August 2005 |work=Dublin County Council, Ireland |publisher=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=22 August 2015}}</ref> A red saltire also appears on the arms of [[County Kildare]], but this is because of the association of Kildare with the [[FitzGerald]] family.

The original arms of the [[Royal Irish Academy]] in 1786 did not have the saltire, but those granted in 1846 do.{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|p=40}}<ref name="HowleyVinycombBurtchaell1902">
{{cite journal |journal=The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland |first1=M. F. |last1=Howley |author-link1=Michael Francis Howley |first2=J. |last2=Vinycomb |first3=G. D. |last3=Burtchaell |series=5 |volume=12 |issue=4 |year=1902 |pages=415–418 |publisher=Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland |title=Badge of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland |url=https://archive.org/stream/journalroyalsoc00unkngoog#page/n485}}</ref> There are red saltires in the arms of the [[Queen's University in Ireland]] (est. 1850, arms granted 1851, dissolved 1879), its successor, [[Queen's University Belfast]] (est. 1908, arms granted 1910),<ref>
{{cite web |url=https://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/EstatesDirectorate/FileStore/UniversitysCoatsofArms/Filetoupload,18348,en.doc |title=The University's Coats of Arms |publisher=[[Queen's University Belfast]] |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404162104/http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/EstatesDirectorate/FileStore/UniversitysCoatsofArms/Filetoupload,18348,en.doc |archive-date=4 April 2014 |format=DOC |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland]].<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://rcsi.ie/files/admissions/docs/20120702104841_RCSI%20Prospectus%20July%202012.pdf#page=38 |title=Prospectus |date=July 2012 |publisher=[[Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland|RCSI]] |access-date=22 August 2015|page=38 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501075944/http://rcsi.ie/files/admissions/docs/20120702104841_RCSI%20Prospectus%20July%202012.pdf#page=38 |archive-date=1 May 2015 |url-status=live |quote=The crest is an eagle, preying on a serpent which is an emblem of disease. The supporters are Irish elks, with chaplets of shamrocks around their necks. Over the helmet is conventional drapery, called the Mantling, and derived from a head-covering worn by knights in armour for protection against the sun's heat.}}</ref>

{{gallery |width=135 |noborder=yes |whitebg=no
|File:Flag of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.svg |Flag of the [[Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland]]
|File:Flag of Trinity College Dublin.svg |Flag of [[Trinity College Dublin]]
|File:QUB flag.svg |Standard of [[Queen's University Belfast]]
}}

The [[Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland)|Church of Ireland diocese of Connor]]'s arms, granted in 1945,<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.connordiocese.org.uk/index.cfm?id=5 |title=How was the Diocese of Connor created? |publisher=Diocese of Connor |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220122141/http://www.connordiocese.org.uk/index.cfm?id=5 |archive-date=20 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> include Saint Patrick's Saltire in memory of his supposed enslavement at [[Slemish]].<ref>
{{cite news |title=An Irishman's Diary: Episcopal Arms |author=Nichevo |date=11 May 1946 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |page=5 |quote=...&nbsp;the St. Patrick's Cross symbolises the connection with the Saint, when he was a slave in County Antrim. |id={{ProQuest|523540534}} }}</ref> The [[Church of England]] [[Diocese of Truro]], established in 1876, has a Saint Patrick's Saltire in its arms, representing "the ancient Celtic Church".{{sfn|Dorling|1911|p=66}} The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York]], whose cathedral is [[St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York|St Patrick's]], incorporates the saltire.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.ny-archdiocese.org/about-us/archbishop-timothy-m-dolan/the-coat-of-arms/ |title=The Coat of Arms of His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy Michael Dolan, PhD, D.D. Archbishop of New York |last=Sullivan |first=Paul J. |publisher=Archdiocese of New York |access-date=7 July 2009}}</ref>

St Patrick's National School in [[Drumcondra, Dublin|Drumcondra]], Dublin City has a saltire on its arms<ref>{{cite web |url=http://saintpats.ie |title=St Patrick's Boys' National School}}</ref> [[St. Patrick's High School (Ottawa)|St. Patrick's High School, Ottawa]] has the saltire in its flag and arms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?ProjectID=228&ShowAll=1 |title=St. Patrick's High School |year=2005 |work=The Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada |publisher=Canadian Heraldic Authority |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818031122/http://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?ProjectID=228&ShowAll=1 |archive-date=18 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{gallery |width=100 |noborder=yes |whitebg=no
|File:Trinity College Dublin Arms.svg|Arms of Trinity College Dublin
|File:Coat of arms of Belfast (shield).svg|Arms of Belfast
|File:Westport Coat of Arms.png|Arms of Westport
|File:Diocese of Connor arms.svg|Arms of the Diocese of Connor
|File:Diocese of Meath and Kildare arms.svg|Arms of the [[Diocese of Meath and Kildare]]
|File:Diocese of Truro arms.svg|Arms of the Diocese of Truro
|File:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.svg|Arms of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
|File:Coat of arms of Manitoba (1870-1905).svg|[[Coat of arms of Manitoba|Unofficial arms of Manitoba]] (1870–1905)
}}

===To represent Ireland or Northern Ireland===
{{main|Flag of Northern Ireland}}
[[File:Edinburgh tattoo Patrick's Cross for N Ireland (crop).jpg|thumb|St Patrick's Saltire flying for Northern Ireland at the 2011 [[Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo]] (left to right: The Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway)]]
[[File:The Royal Barge Gloriana at the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on 3 June 2012.jpg|thumb|St Patrick's Saltire flying for Northern Ireland from The Royal Barge Gloriana at the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on 3 June 2012]]
At the 1935 celebrations in London for [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]]'s silver jubilee, "The cross of St George representing [[England and Wales]], and the saltires of St Andrew and St Patrick, representing Scotland and Ireland" were flown separately and used in combination.<ref>{{cite Hansard |title=His Majesty's Silver Jubilee |house=House of Commons |date=7 May 1935 |volume=301 |column=814–5W |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1935/may/07/his-majestys-silver-jubilee#S5CV0301P0_19350507_CWA_6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618183459/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1935/may/07/his-majestys-silver-jubilee#S5CV0301P0_19350507_CWA_6 |archive-date=18 June 2013 |quote=The cross of St. George representing England and Wales, and the saltires of St. Andrew and St. Patrick, representing Scotland and Ireland, which together form the Union Jack, have been used in association with each other as separate flags or incorporated in banners at a&nbsp;... number of points. |url-status=live}}</ref> At the time the [[Irish Free State]] was a separate [[Dominion]] within the [[British Commonwealth]]. In 1986, government policy during [[state visit]]s to London was to fly the crosses of Saints George, Andrew and Patrick and the [[Flag of Wales|Welsh Dragon]].<ref>{{cite Hansard |title=Northern Ireland Flag |house=House of Commons |date=22 July 1986 |volume=102 |column=111W |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1986/jul/22/northern-ireland-flag#S6CV0102P0_19860722_CWA_2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016044638/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1986/jul/22/northern-ireland-flag#S6CV0102P0_19860722_CWA_2 |archive-date=16 October 2013 |url-status=live |quote=The St. Patrick's flag is flown alongside those of St. Andrew, St. George and the Red Dragon of Wales.}}</ref> The government clarified that the Union Flag was the flag of Northern Ireland, not the Saint Patrick's Saltire or the [[Ulster Banner]].<ref>{{cite Hansard |title=Flag of St. Patrick |house=House of Commons |date=25 July 1986 |volume=102 |column=571W |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1986/jul/25/flag-of-st-patrick#S6CV0102P0_19860725_CWA_448 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016043933/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1986/jul/25/flag-of-st-patrick#S6CV0102P0_19860725_CWA_448 |archive-date=16 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Gloriana (barge)|barge ''Gloriana'']] during the 2012 [[Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant]] flew flags for the five "[[Countries of the United Kingdom|home nations]]" of the United Kingdom, including Saint Piran for Cornwall, Saint Andrew for Scotland, Saint George for England, Saint David for Wales and Saint Patrick's Saltire for Northern Ireland. In this context, the symbol was referred to as St Patrick's Cross.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flaginstitute.org/Thames_Pageant_Flag_Guide.pdf |title=A Visual Guide to the Flags used in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant |last=Bartram |first=Graham |author-link=Graham Bartram |year=2012 |publisher=Flag Institute |page=5 |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307100005/http://www.flaginstitute.org/Thames_Pageant_Flag_Guide.pdf |archive-date=7 March 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The all-island bodies for men's and ladies' [[bowls]] compete internationally under the Saint Patrick's flag.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nolan's cross words |date=5 September 2008 |work=[[The Times]] |page=84 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldbowlsltd.co.uk/members.html#ireland |title=Full List of International Member Countries |publisher=World Bowls |archive-date=28 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228122145/http://www.worldbowlsltd.co.uk/members.html#ireland |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Unionist politician [[David McNarry]] has suggested the saltire should be allowed in [[License plates of Northern Ireland|Northern Irish number plates]] analogous to the flags allowed on English, Scottish, and Welsh plates.<ref>
{{cite news |title=St Patrick's cross 'is NI symbol' |date=16 December 2008 |work=[[Daily Mirror]] |access-date=22 August 2015 |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-190676855.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924150220/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-190676855.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===On St Patrick's Day===
Saint Patrick's Flag is sometimes seen during [[Saint Patrick's Day]] parades in [[Northern Ireland]] and [[Great Britain|Britain]].{{sfn|Groom|2007|p=81}} Flags are handed out by [[Down District Council]] before the [[Downpatrick]] parade, near Patrick's burial place at [[Down Cathedral]], in an attempt to create a parade that has cross-community support.<ref name="Emerson2003">
{{cite news |title=St Patrick's parade remains inoffensive |last=Emerson |first=Newton |date=20 March 2003 |work=[[Irish News]] |access-date=22 August 2015 |url=http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/irish_news/arts2003/mar20_no_offense_parade__NEmerson.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818194054/http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/irish_news/arts2003/mar20_no_offense_parade__NEmerson.php |archive-date=18 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> This has had only limited success, however, and controversy continues over the use of flags in the parade.<ref name="McKeown2012">
{{cite news |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/irish-language-on-st-patricks-day-parade-flag-prompts-unionist-boycott-28726795.html |title=Irish language on St Patrick's Day parade flag prompts unionist boycott |first=Lesley-Anne |last=McKeown |date=16 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924084536/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/irish-language-on-st-patricks-day-parade-flag-prompts-unionist-boycott-28726795.html |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> In Great Britain, Saint Patrick's Flag was flown in place of the Irish tricolour at the 2009 parade in [[Croydon]], prompting complaints from some councillors.<ref name="Austen2009">
{{cite news |title=Croydon Council accused of insulting borough's Irish community |last=Austen |first=Ian |date=20 March 2009 |newspaper=Croydon Advertiser |access-date=22 August 2015 |url=http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/Croydon-Council-accused-insulting-borough-s-Irish-community/story-11371358-detail/story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818195320/http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/Croydon-Council-accused-insulting-borough-s-Irish-community/story-11371358-detail/story.html |archive-date=18 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was flown on some years on Patrick's Day by [[Bradford]] City Council,<ref>
{{cite news |title=Race row over tricolour |date=12 April 2006 |work=[[Daily Mirror]] |access-date=8 July 2009 |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-144373838.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924135254/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-144373838.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> which subsequently reverted to flying the Irish tricolour.

===In political movements===
The Saint Patrick's Saltire was on the flag proposed in 1914 of the [[County Down]] unit of [[Irish Volunteers]].{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|p=200}} A writer in ''The Irish Volunteer'' complained that [[The O'Rahilly]] should have known the saltire was "faked for Union Jack purposes".{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|p=201}}

In 1932–33 a variation of the flag with a [[St. Patrick's Blue|St Patrick's blue]] background was adopted as the badge and flag of the short-lived [[Blueshirts|Blueshirt]] fascist movement.{{sfn|Cronin|1995}} This militant group incorporated right-wing, conservative and some former-unionist elements in opposition to the then left-wing [[Irish republicanism|republican]] [[Fianna Fáil]] party.{{sfn|Cronin|1995}}

A flag combining [[saltire|St Andrew's Saltire]], St Patrick's Saltire, and the [[Red Hand of Ulster]] has been used by [[Ulster nationalism|Ulster separatists]], who wish to see Northern Ireland leave the United Kingdom and become an independent state, not joining with the Republic of Ireland.<ref name="cain"/>{{sfn|Groom|2007|p=85}}

The saltire was incorporated in the badge of the [[Reform Movement (Ireland)|Reform Movement]],<ref name="refnl1">{{cite journal |url=http://www.reform.org/TheReformMovement_files/newsletter.pdf |title=The History and Origins of the Saint Patrick's Cross |last=Johnston |first=Shane |date=Spring–Summer 2004 |journal=The Reform Movement Newsletter |publisher=[[Reform Movement (Ireland)|Reform Movement]] |pages=3–4 |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040710181910/http://www.reform.org/TheReformMovement_files/newsletter.pdf |archive-date=10 July 2004 |quote=It is seen amongst others in the arms of Queens University, the Royal Irish Academy, The Royal College of Surgeons, and of course in the badge of the Reform Movement. |volume=1 |issue=1 |url-status=dead}}</ref> for some time after its inception in 1998, but this no longer so prominent. The Reform Group is a "post-nationalist" pressure group in the [[Republic of Ireland]] seeking closer ties with the United Kingdom.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.reform.org/site/aims/ |title=Aims |date=27 July 2007 |publisher=[[Reform Movement (Ireland)|Reform Movement]] |access-date=6 July 2009}}</ref>

{{gallery |width=135 |noborder=yes |whitebg=no
|File:Fine Gael historical flag.svg |Historical flag of the [[Blueshirts]], and early [[Fine Gael]]
|File:Flag of the Ulster Nation.svg |Flag proposed by the [[Ulster Independence Movement]]; also sometimes used in [[Ulster Defence Association|UDA]]<ref name="cain"/>
}}

==Other symbols of Ireland==
The [[arms of Ireland]] since the 16th century have been a gold harp with silver strings on a blue field.{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|pp=20, 22}} It represented Ireland in the flags of earlier unions: the [[Flags of the Interregnum (British Isles)|Commonwealth Flag]] (England and Ireland, 1649) and the [[Protectorate Jack]] (England, Ireland and Scotland, 1658). It also featured on the [[Royal Standard of the United Kingdom|Royal Standard]] since [[James I of England|James I]].{{sfn|Hayes-McCoy|1979|p=25}}

The [[Celtic cross]] and [[Brigid's cross]] are other crosses which have been used as symbols of Ireland.

==Unrelated similar saltires==
{{commons category|Argent a saltire gules}}
Other flags exist which feature a red saltire on a white field.

The [[flag of Jersey]] has unknown origins, and a link with St Patrick's saltire has been proposed. The [[FitzGerald dynasty|FitzGerald]] family, who were powerful in Ireland, were [[Anglo-Normans|Anglo-Norman]] in origin and also owned land in Jersey. Alternatively, N.&nbsp;V.&nbsp;L. Rybot in 1951 suggested that Jersey's flag originated from a mistake in a [[:File:Naval flags of the World 1783 (small).jpg|1783 flag book by Carington Bowles]], which was copied by later authors. Rybot's theory is that Bowles misinterpreted ''Ierse'' (Dutch for "Irish") as meaning "Jersey" in a Dutch flag-book he used as a source.{{sfn|Stewart|Noble|Bruce|Greenhill|1951}} However, John Tessin-Yandell claims a 1757 French Admiralty chart shows the red saltire for Jersey.<ref name="Jersey">{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805160739/http://jersey.com/english/discoverjersey/aboutjersey/history/pages/jersey-flag.aspx |archive-date=5 August 2014 |url-status=live |url=http://jersey.com/english/discoverjersey/aboutjersey/history/pages/jersey-flag.aspx |title=Jersey Flag |publisher=Visit Jersey}}</ref> It was widely felt in Jersey that the flag's similarity to St Patrick's Saltire was causing confusion, and so an amended flag was adopted by the [[States of Jersey]] on 12 June 1979, [[royal proclamation|proclaimed]] by [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth]] on 10 December 1980 and first officially hoisted on 7 April 1981. The amended flag includes in the upper quadrant the [[Coat of arms of Jersey|badge of Jersey]] (a red shield holding the [[Flag of Normandy|three leopards of Normandy]] in yellow) surmounted by a yellow "[[Plantagenet]] [[crown (heraldry)|crown]]".

The [[Flag of Florida]] is a red saltire on a white field, with the [[seal of Florida|state seal]] in the centre.<ref name="Ballotpedia">{{cite web |quote=The seal of the State ... in the center of a white ground. Red bars ... extending from each corner toward the center, to the outer rim of the seal. |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_State_Seal_and_Flag,_Amendment_4_(1900) |title=Florida State Seal and Flag, Amendment 4 (1900) |access-date=30 July 2016 |work=Ballotpedia}}</ref> The [[Secretary of State of Florida|Florida Department of State]] calls this saltire a Saint Andrew's Cross.<ref name="FL DOS">{{cite web |url=http://dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-state-symbols/state-flag/ |title=State Flag |access-date=29 July 2016 |work=Florida Department of State}}</ref> Some historians see its adoption in 1900 as alluding to the [[Confederate Battle Flag]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Williams|first1=Dave|title=Flag debate spreading across Deep South|url=http://savannahnow.com/stories/091700/LOCflaginsight.shtml#.VaunxRNVhBd|access-date=19 July 2015|work=Savannah Morning News|date=17 September 2000|archive-date=22 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722185513/http://savannahnow.com/stories/091700/LOCflaginsight.shtml#.VaunxRNVhBd|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ingraham|first1=Christopher|title=How the Confederacy lives on in the flags of seven Southern states|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/06/21/how-the-confederacy-lives-on-in-the-flags-of-seven-southern-states/|access-date=19 July 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=21 June 2015}}</ref><ref name=Coski8081>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zs0VJTbNwfAC&pg=PA80 |title=The Confederate Battle Flag: America's Most Embattled Emblem |date=2005 |first=John M. |last=Coski |access-date=8 March 2016 |pages=80–81 |location=United States of America |publisher=First Harvard University Press |isbn=0-674-01983-0 |quote=The flag changes in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida coincided with the passage of formal Jim Crow segregation laws throughout the South. Four years before Mississippi incorporated a Confederate battle flag into its state flag, its constitutional convention passed pioneering provisions to 'reform' politics by effectively disenfranchising most African Americans. |via=[[Google Books]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309032406/https://books.google.com/books?id=zs0VJTbNwfAC&pg=PA80 |archive-date=9 March 2016 }}</ref><ref name="Allman">{{cite web |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article25363219.html |title=Florida's racist state flag |date=23 June 2015 |access-date=29 July 2016 |first=T. D. |last=Allman |work=Miami Herald}}</ref> Sources which ascribe Florida's saltire to Saint Patrick include an article in the ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]''<ref name="OS">{{cite web |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-pictures-florida-state-flags-through-the-years-20150624-photogallery.html |title=Pictures: Florida state flags through the years |access-date=29 July 2016 |work=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref> and a column in which Joseph Cotto suggests it was a symbol of Florida's Britishness.<ref name="Cotto">{{cite web |url=http://www.caglecartoons.com/column.asp?columnID={661AFD8B-24A0-422D-B80A-D02BE07F44EE} |title=America's 14th and 15th Colonies |date=6 July 2016 |access-date=30 July 2016 |first=Joseph |last=Cotto |work=Cagle Cartoons|quote=Florida has traditionally been quite proud of its Britishness, going so far as to make the St. Patrick's Saltire -- a powerful symbol of Irish unionism -- its state flag.}}</ref>

The [[flag of Alabama]] is "a crimson cross of St. Andrew on a field of white".<ref>
{{cite web |title=Official Symbols and Emblems of Alabama: State Flag of Alabama |work=[[Alabama Department of Archives and History]] |date=6 February 2014 |access-date=22 August 2015 |url=http://www.archives.state.al.us/emblems/st_flag.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626122703/http://www.archives.state.al.us/emblems/st_flag.html |archive-date=26 June 2015 |url-status=live |quote=According to the ''Acts of Alabama'', 1895, the state flag was to be a crimson cross of St. Andrew on a field of white.}}</ref> The flag [[Flag of Valdivia|of Valdivia]] is derived from the Spanish [[Cross of Burgundy]].

The village of [[Luqa]] in [[Malta]] also has a similar flag. Its origins are unknown; however, the flag is almost identical to the personal flag of Grandmaster [[Piero de Ponte]] who ruled the Maltese islands from 1534 to 1535.

In the system of [[International maritime signal flags]], a red saltire on a white background denotes the letter ''V'' and the message "I require assistance".

In the [[Shanghai International Settlement]], the Shanghai Municipal Council used a flag with a red saltire on a white field, with its seal in the middle.

The arms of [[West Dunbartonshire]] derive from the former arms of the [[burgh]] of [[Clydebank]], including a red saltire as the arms of [[Lennox (district)|Lennox]].<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://ngw.nl/int/gbr/scot/westdunb.htm |title=West Dunbartonshire |website=Heraldry of the World |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613213840/http://ngw.nl/int/gbr/scot/westdunb.htm |archive-date=13 June 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web |url=http://heraldry-scotland.com/copgal/displayimage.php?album=46&pos=2 |title=West Dunbartonshire Council |publisher=Heraldry Society of Scotland |access-date=7 July 2009}}</ref> Since [[Old Kilpatrick]], a legendary birthplace of Saint Patrick, is in the district, the association of Saint Patrick's Saltire may be considered appropriate, if coincidental.{{sfnm|1a1=Urquhart|1y=1973|1p=129|2a1=Urquhart|2y=1979}}

{{gallery |width=135
|File:Flag of Alabama.svg |[[Flag of Alabama]]
|File:Flag of the Governor of Alabama.svg|Flag of the [[governor of Alabama]]
|File:Flag of Jersey.svg |[[Flag of Jersey]]
|File:Flag of Jersey (pre 1981).svg|Flag of Jersey (before 1981)
|File:Flag of Luqa.svg |Flag of [[Luqa]], Malta
|File:Flag of Valdivia, Chile.svg |Flag of [[Valdivia]], Chile
|File:Bexhill town flag.svg|Flag of [[Bexhill-on-Sea]]
|File:Penrith town flag.svg|Flag of [[Penrith, Cumbria]]
|File:Flag of Florida.svg|[[Flag of Florida]]
|File:Burgee of Porthpean Sailing Club.svg|Burgee of Porthpean Sailing Club, Cornwall
|File:Flag of the Empire of China (1915–1916).svg|Flag of the [[Empire of China (1915–1916)|Empire of China]], December 1915&nbsp;– March 1916
|File:Flag of the Shanghai International Settlement.svg|Flag of Shanghai Municipal Council, [[Shanghai International Settlement]], {{ca.|1917}}&nbsp;– 1941
|File:Flag of Montreal (1935-1939).svg|[[Flag of Montreal]], 1935–1939
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Ireland|United Kingdom|Heraldry}}
* [[List of Irish flags]]
* [[List of United Kingdom flags]]
{{break}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|35em}}

==References==
{{refbegin|35em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book
|last=Bryan
|first=Dominic
|year=2000
|title=Orange Parades: The Politics of Ritual, Tradition and Control
|location=Sterling, Virginia
|publisher=Pluto Press
|isbn=978-0-7453-1413-6
|lccn=00-008816
|oclc=51002515
|ol=7955284M
}}
* {{cite journal
|last=Casey
|first=Michael
|year=1991
|title=The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick
|journal=Dublin Historical Record
|volume=44
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|publisher=Old Dublin Society
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|issn=0012-6861
|jstor=30100982
}}
* {{cite journal
|last=Cronin
|first=Mike
|year=1995
|title=The Blueshirt Movement, 1932–5: Ireland's Fascists?
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|s2cid=159632041
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Dixon
|first=W. Macneile
|author-link=William Macneile Dixon
|date=1902
|title=Trinity College Dublin
|url=https://archive.org/details/trinitycollegedu00dixouoft
|series=College Histories
|location=London
|publisher=F. E. Robinson & Co.
|asin=B000J2LZNK
|lccn=02021239
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|access-date=22 August 2015
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Dorling
|first=E. E.
|author-link=Edward Earle Dorling
|year=1911 
|editor-last=Dearmer
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|editor-link=Percy Dearmer
|title=Heraldry of the Church: A Handbook for Decorators
|url=https://archive.org/details/heraldryofchurch00dorl
|series=Arts of the Church
|volume=10
|location=London
|publisher=A. R. Mowbray
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* {{cite book
|last=Galloway
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}}
* {{cite book
|last=Groom
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|chapter=Union Jacks and Union Jills
|year=2007
|editor-last1=Eriksen
|editor-first1=Thomas Hylland
|editor-link1=Thomas Hylland Eriksen
|editor-last2=Jenkins
|editor-first2=Richard
|title=Flag, Nation and Symbolism in Europe and America
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}}
* {{cite book
|last=Hayes-McCoy
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|year=1979
|editor-last=Ó Snodaigh
|editor-first=Pádraig
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|title=A History of Irish Flags from Earliest Times
|location=Dublin
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|lccn=80454969
|oclc=5903942
|ol=6276614W
}}
* {{cite journal
|last1=Stewart
|first1=John A.
|last2=Noble
|first2=Percy
|author2-link=Percy Noble (Royal Navy officer)
|last3=Bruce
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|last4=Greenhill
|first4=Basil
|author4-link=Basil Greenhill
|last5=Rybot
|first5=N. V. L.
|year=1951
|title=The So-Called Jersey Flag
|journal=The Mariner's Mirror
|location=London
|publisher=Society for Nautical Research
|volume=37
|issue=1
|pages=82–84
|issn=0025-3359
|doi=10.1080/00253359.1951.10658064
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Urquhart
|first=R. M.
|year=1973
|title=Scottish Burgh and County Heraldry
|location=London
|publisher=Heraldry Today
|isbn=978-0-900455-24-7
|oclc=1047118
|ol=7044905W
|lccn=74174605
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Urquhart
|first=Robert Mackenzie
|author-mask=3
|year=1979
|title=Scottish Civic Heraldry: Regional, Islands, District
|location=London
|publisher=Heraldry Today
|isbn=978-0-900455-26-1
|lccn=80467758
|oclc=6230785
|ol=6392871W
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Wilson
|first=Timothy
|year=1986
|title=Flags at Sea: A Guide to the Flags Flown at Sea by British and Some Foreign Ships, from the 16th Century to the Present Day, Illustrated from the Collections of the National Maritime Museum
|location=London
|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office
|isbn=978-0-11-290389-5
|oclc=13238458
|lccn=86165180
|ol=2294745M
}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}

[[Category:Flags of Ireland]]
[[Category:Historical flags]]
[[Category:National symbols of Ireland]]
[[Category:Flags of saints|Patrick]]
[[Category:Saltire flags]]
[[Category:Saint Patrick|Saltire]]
[[Category:Crosses in heraldry|Saint Patrick]]