{{short description|Heraldic banner}} {{about|the former flag of Northern Ireland|the traditional provincial flag of Ulster|Flag of Ulster}} {{EngvarB|date=July 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox flag | Name = Ulster Banner | Nickname = Ulster Banner | Morenicks = | Image = Flag of Northern Ireland (1953–1972).svg | Alt = Red cross on a white field, defaced by a six-pointed star bearing a red hand ensigned by a crown. | Use = {{FIAV|110000}} | Image2 = Flag of Northern Ireland (1924–1953).svg | Use2 = {{FIAV|110000}} Version with Tudor Crown used between 1924 and 1953 | Designer = Sir Nevile Wilkinson<br />(Ulster King of Arms) | Symbol = | Proportion = 1:2 | Adoption = {{unbulleted list|1924 (Tudor{{nbsp}}Crown)|1953 (St Edward's{{nbsp}}Crown)}} | Relinquished = 1973 (Government{{nbsp}}abolished) | Design = Red cross on a white field, decorated by a six-pointed star bearing a red hand and ensigned by a crown. }}
The '''Ulster Banner''' (also unofficially known as the '''Ulster Flag''' or '''Flag of Northern Ireland''') is a heraldic banner taken from the former coat of arms of Northern Ireland, consisting of a red cross on a white field, upon which is a crowned six-pointed star with a red hand in the centre. It was the flag of the former Government of Northern Ireland from 1953 until that government was abolished in 1973 with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973.
==Origin== [[File:Flag of Ulster.svg|thumb|right|Provincial Flag of Ulster]] [[File:Coat of Arms of Northern Ireland.svg|thumb|right|Arms of the former Government of Northern Ireland, 1924–1973]] The arms and flag were said to have been designed in Dublin Castle by Major Sir Nevile Wilkinson, Ulster King of Arms, in 1923–1924. However he spent most of his time travelling abroad so the final version of the flag was designed by his deputy Thomas Sadleir. The flag is based on the flag of the traditional province of Ulster,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-ni.html|title=Northern Ireland (United Kingdom)|website=www.crwflags.com}}</ref> including a Red Hand of Ulster in the centre, and the red de Burgh cross<ref name="auto"/> (though some claim this is the Saint George's Cross<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/images/symbols/flags.htm|title=CAIN: Symbols - Flags Used in Northern Ireland|website=cain.ulst.ac.uk}}</ref>). It has the addition of a crown to represent the monarchy of the United Kingdom. Rather than a shield, the Red Hand is inside a six-pointed star, representing the six counties that make up Northern Ireland. It is blazoned: ''"Argent a cross gules, overall on a six-pointed star of the field ensigned by an Imperial crown proper a Dexter hand couped at the wrist of the second"''.
The flag is also sometimes called the '''Ulster flag''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2006-07-13/debates/06071361000007/NorthernIreland(MiscellaneousProvisions)Bill|title=Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Billd|website=UK Parliament}}</ref> the '''Northern Ireland flag''', the ('''old''') '''Stormont flag''', or the '''Red Hand of Ulster flag'''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.limavady.gov.uk/filestore/documents/good_relations/Web_Questionnaire.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-10-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030185054/http://www.limavady.gov.uk/filestore/documents/good_relations/Web_Questionnaire.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2008 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Loyalists often use "Ulster" as another name for Northern Ireland,<ref>{{cite book |last1=McGarry |first1=John |last2=O'Leary |first2=Brendan |title=Explaining Northern Ireland |date=1995 |publisher=Wiley |page=509}}</ref> and Stormont was the seat of the former Government of Northern Ireland.
==History==
===Use by the Government of Northern Ireland=== {{Unreferenced section|date=December 2021}} In 1924, the Government of Northern Ireland was granted its own coat of arms by Royal Warrant and had the right to display these arms on a flag or banner. This right was exercised for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. From 1953 until 1972 (when the government last sat), the flag was used officially by the Government of Northern Ireland and also as a ''de facto'' civic flag for Northern Ireland. In 1973, the Government and Parliament of Northern Ireland were abolished by the Parliament of the United Kingdom under the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973.
===Later use=== Since the Government of Northern Ireland was abolished in 1973, the flag (and variations thereof) has continued to be used by unionists. In 2004, Belfast City Council commissioned a study on the flying of flags that noted that the Ulster Banner continued to be flown, alongside the Union flag, by three unionist-controlled local authorities in Northern Ireland: Ards Borough Council, Carrickfergus Borough Council, and Castlereagh Borough Council.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/equality/docs/FlyingOfUnionFlagEQIA.pdf |title=Archived |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=www.belfastcity.gov.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326225420/http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/equality/docs/FlyingOfUnionFlagEQIA.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref>
==International sport==
The Ulster Banner is used to represent Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/countries/northern-ireland|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420033040/https://thecgf.com/countries/northern-ireland|url-status=dead|title=Northern Ireland | Commonwealth Games Federation|archivedate=20 April 2019|website=thecgf.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/graphics/gallery/commonwealth06/opening/nireut.jpg|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406182956/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/graphics/gallery/commonwealth06/opening/nireut.jpg|url-status=dead|title=''Telegraph''|archivedate=6 April 2008}}</ref> to represent golfers on the PGA Tour,<ref name="PGAProfile">{{cite web |title=Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR Profile - News, Stats, and Videos |url=https://www.pgatour.com/players/player.28237.rory-mcilroy.html |website=PGATour |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=2018-08-06 |language=en}}</ref> and by FIFA to represent the Northern Ireland national football team.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070917110313/http://fifa.com/associations/association=nir/countryInfo.html Northern Ireland: Country information], FIFA.com</ref>
In November 2024, the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council (NICGC) discussed the possibility of using its own flag at the Commonwealth Games if a new "Civic Flag" proposed by the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Traditions is not in place before the 2026 Commonwealth Games.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/26/ireland-commonwealth-games-ditch-offensive-ulster-banner/ | title=Ulster banner may be dropped from Commonwealth Games | newspaper=The Telegraph | last1=Kelly | first1=Kieran }}</ref>
Rory McIlroy used the version with the Tudor Crown for his 2025 Masters Tournament win. {{Citation needed|date=April 2026}}
==See also== {{portal|Northern Ireland}} * List of flags of Ireland * List of flags of the United Kingdom * List of flags used in Northern Ireland <!-- in alphabetical order -->
==References== {{Reflist|30em}} {{UKFlags}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Flags of Ireland Category:Ulster Category:Government of Northern Ireland Category:Flags of Northern Ireland Category:Flags with crosses