Green Ensign

The Green Ensign (Irish: An Meirge Uaine) is a historical flag flown by some Irish merchant vessels before the 19th century to the early 20th century.[1] The flag consists of a green field with a golden harp and a canton containing either the English Flag (St George's Cross) or a version of the Union Jack.

Green Ensign after 1800[1]
Green Ensign circa 1701
On a 1783 flag chart

This flag has appeared in these historical flag plates:

  • 1685 Downham's Flag Chart
  • 1700 Len's Flag Chart
  • 1772 French Encyclopédie
  • 1783 Bowles's Universal Display of the Naval Flags of all Nations
  • 1799 Flags of all Nations
  • 1848 Flaggen Aller Seefahrenden Nationen
  • 1868 Johnson's new chart of national emblems
  • 1889 Drawings of Flags of All Nations - British Admiralty
  • 1917 National Geographic Flag Book

There remains a lively debate concerning whether the flag had any form of local official status within the British Isles or was simply an informal flag used by some merchant ships.

See also

References

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