Two Irish Flags: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

The island of Ireland is a paradoxical place. The city of Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, lies at the same latitude as Moscow. However, a driver going down-country towards Limerick or Cork might notice palm trees around Bantry Bay. The southwestern counties catch the Gulf Stream and the climate there is subtropical. (Donegal, the northernmost county, is not part of Northern Ireland but actually belongs instead to the Republic.) The Emerald Isle represents a very old country but two very young nations—one with two flags: the green flag with the gold harp and the tricolor of the Republic, that are a colorful illustration of that contrast.