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The Irish national flag is the Republic of Ireland’s national flag and ensign. In Ireland, it is known as “the tricolor” (an trdhathach) and internationally as the Irish tricolor. Green (at the hoist), white, and orange make up the flag’s vertical tricolor. The flag’s dimensions are 1:2. (that is to say, flown horizontally, the flag is half as high as it is wide).

It was sent to Thomas Francis Meagher in 1848 as a gift from a small group of French ladies sympathetic to the Irish cause. It was meant to symbolize the inclusion and hoped-for unification of Roman Catholics (represented by the green color) and Protestants (represented by the red color) (symbolised by the orange colour). “The white in the center represents a lasting peace between Orange and Green, and I believe that within its folds the hands of Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics may be joined in generous and heroic fraternity,” Meagher said of the colors.

The tricolour did not become the national flag until the Easter Rising of 1916, when it was hoisted over Dublin’s General Post Office by Gearóid O’Sullivan. During the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), the Irish Republic adopted the flag. The Irish Free State (1922–1937) continued to fly the flag, and it was eventually accorded official status in the 1937 Irish Constitution. Since 1916, nationalists on both sides of the border have adopted the tricolor as the national flag of the entire island of Ireland. Many nationalists in Northern Ireland, as well as the Gaelic Athletic Association, fly it.

In respect to the Irish national flag, Article 7 of the Irish Constitution simply states:

The tricolor of green, white, and orange is the national flag.

The Department of the Taoiseach assumes overall responsibility for things pertaining to the flag because there are no other statutory obligations. The department has released guidelines to help people in their usage of the national flag as part of its advising function. The flag should be rectangular in shape, with a length twice as wide as it is wide, resulting in a 1:2 aspect ratio. Green, white, and orange-colored pales should be of similar size and arranged vertically. Since at least 2001, the Department of the Taoiseach has determined the exact colors of the flag:

The flag should typically be hoisted from a flagstaff, with the green pale placed adjacent to the flagstaff. The flag may be created to any size that is convenient as long as the proper dimensions are followed.

The flag’s green represents Roman Catholics, while the orange represents the minority Protestants who supported William of Orange. His title was derived from the Principality of Orange, but his authority stemmed from his position as Stadtholder of the Netherlands, a Protestant stronghold dating back to the 16th century. The white in the center represents a long-term peace and hope for Irish Protestants and Catholics to unite.

The flag as a whole is meant to represent the inclusion and hoped-for union of people of various traditions on the island of Ireland. As expressed in the Constitution as every person born in Ireland having the right to be a part of the independent Irish nation, regardless of ethnic origin, religion, or political conviction. (Green was also the color of the mostly Protestant and non-sectarian Friendly Brothers of St. Patrick, which was founded in 1751.)

At civilian occasions, different hues of yellow are occasionally observed instead of orange. The Department of the Taoiseach, on the other hand, noted that this is a “actively discouraged” misrepresentation and that worn-out flags should be replaced. The colors are occasionally listed as “green, white, and gold” in songs and poetry by poetic license. Various emblems of Ireland, such as the presidential harp, the four provinces, or county arms, are used in a variety of different guises.

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