Starry Plough (flag)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Plough flag.

Irish Citizen Army
Other namesThe Starry Plough, Plough and Stars flag
UseOther Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
Adopted1914
DesignA yellow plough with a sword for a coulter outlined in black with seven silver stars forming the Big Dipper outlined in black.
Designed byWilliam H. Megahy or George William Russell[1]
A modern variant of the Starry Plough flag.
Members of the socialist political party Éirígí carry facsimile-Starry Plough flags in Derry, January 2013

The Starry Plough banner (

Irish republican
movement, and subsequently adopted by other Irish political organizations.

Composition

The original Starry Plough was designed by William H. Megahy, though the concept may have originated with

Jack White and James Larkin, said the significance of the banner was that a free Ireland would control its own destiny from the plough to the stars.[4]
The sword as the ploughshare is also a biblical reference in
Catholic tradition, the biblical reference being integral to the flag's design, with socialist concepts, like the working class and the oppressor forcing them to take up their plowshares as arms, leaves the Starry Plough flag with complexity and nuanced implications, which culminate in a very wide range of interpretations.[5]

History

Original 1914 Starry Plough.
Starry Plough on a modern anti-fascist graffito, Longford

The original Starry Plough was unveiled on 5 April 1914 and flown over the

Collins Barracks, in Dublin.[6]

At public performances of The Plough and the Stars, the Seán O'Casey play which takes its name from the flag, riots were known to break out when the Starry Plough appeared.[7][8]

During the 1930s the design changed to a blue banner which was designed by members of the

rallies and funerals.[citation needed
]

The flag, and alternative versions of it, are also used by Saoradh, Éirígí, the Connolly Youth Movement, Republican Sinn Féin, Labour Youth, Ógra Shinn Féin, Communist Party of Ireland, the Republican Socialist Youth Movement, and socialist Celtic F.C. supporters. In the past it was used by the Sligo/Leitrim Independent Socialist Organisation before it merged with the Irish Labour Party. The flag was draped on the coffin of the Independent TD Tony Gregory during his funeral.[9]

The older banner featuring the plough is still occasionally used today by the Irish Republican Socialist Party, Sinn Féin, the Workers' Party (formerly known as Official Sinn Féin), and many other socialist republican parties.[citation needed]

While similar to the flag of the US state of Alaska, it predates the latter by more than a decade.

In Northern Ireland, the flag is often burned by loyalist activists in protest.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Higgins, Michael D. (30 April 2013). "Remarks at the Conservation of the original Starry Plough Flag". www.president.ie. Office of the President of Ireland. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Irish Literary Portraits" ed. W. R. Rodgers p.195
  3. ^ "History of Starry Plough Flag". Angelfire.com. 6 November 1989. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  4. ^ "The Plough and the Stars Irish Theatre Players Perth". www.dfa.ie. Department of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  5. ^ "The Starry Plough Flag". Irish Studies Group at SUNY Geneseo.
  6. Raidió Teilifís Éireann
    . Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  7. ISBN 9781349153015
    . Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  8. ^ Crawley, Peter (18 March 2016). "Culture Shock: 'The Plough and the Stars' is back. Must be time for a riot, so". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  9. Raidió Teilifís Éireann
    . 7 January 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  10. ^ VICE News (22 July 2014). "Belfast Burning: Religious Divide in Northern Ireland Between Protestants and Catholics". Archived from the original on 23 July 2014 – via YouTube.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Starry_Plough_(flag)&oldid=1195397661"