Banner of the Harp

The story of Ireland’s first flag — and the harp that still sings of home.

Author

Irish Roots
October 14, 2025

Dear Reader,

Here’s a quick look at what’s inside this week’s journey through Irish heritage — a story of symbols, memory, and the banner that flew before the nation was born:

  • 🏴‍☠️ The forgotten banner that flew before the tricolour

  • 🪕 How a harp became a symbol of rebellion

  • 🌍 The flag that followed the Irish around the world

  • 🍺 Why two harps still face different directions

  • 💚 The meaning behind green and gold

  • ✨ Why this old flag still matters today

☘️ The Flag That Flew Before the Nation Was Born

The green harp flag, first used by Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill in 1642

In the smoky dawn of a 17th-century battlefield, an Irish rebel banner caught the wind — a golden cláirseach (harp) on a green field. This was no borrowed symbol. It was ancient, Gaelic, and unmistakably Irish.

The year was 1642, and Owen Roe O’Neill had just returned from exile to lead the forces of Confederate Ireland. Above his ship, history records a flag: the Irish harp set against a green field — a banner that would come to represent memory, rebellion, and belonging.

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