Last modified: 2024-07-13 by rob raeside
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2:3 Zoltan Horvath, 16 June 2024
Flag introduced July 1947 (Hayes McCoy, 1979)
Vincent Morley, 2 February 2002
The Irish jack is a green flag with a yellow harp. Even if the harp represented should picture the same real harp (Brian Boru) as on the coat of arms, according to Vincent Morley, the representation actually used as a rule is much simplified. In effect it is only the silhouette of the harp. Also while the harp in the coat of arms is in the "playing position" so that the strings are vertical, on the jack it is rotated a bit (apparently about 15 degrees counterclockwise). See also discussion of the harp.
Željko Heimer, 29 January 2002
The naval service jack is the historic Green Flag.
Vincent Morley, 19 December 1996
The Irish Naval Service flags website at
http://www.military.ie/naval/naval_flags.htm shows the harp on the Jack with
its strings upright (in the playing position) and gives the colour of those
strings as "silver", rather than with yellow strings at an angle as we show
here.
Christopher Southworth, 9 March 2004
The senior officer of the Irish Naval Service holds the rank of commodore and flies a swallowtail green pennant with a single yellow star centered between the point of the fork and the hoist.
Tom Gregg, 25 May 1997
Green triangular pennant.
Željko Heimer, 30 January 2002
by Željko Heimer
White long pennant with blue field by hoist containing the harp.
Željko Heimer, 30 January 2002
The pennant was introduced December 1939 (Hayes McCoy, 1979)
Vincent Morley, 2 February 2002
I doubt very much whether this flag is in use. I know that it was used during WWII when there were fears that Ireland might be invaded, but I have been looking at flags, including naval flags, for the past thirty years and I have never seen the masthead pennant in use. I don't think I would have overlooked it if I had seen it, because I know what it looks like from the books.
You must remember that the Irish naval service is not really a military force. It is more of a coast guard, engaged in fisheries protection, prevention of smuggling, rescue missions, etc. It's armament is very light - usually one gun per ship, and I suspect this explains why a flag that would be more appropriate for warships is not used.
There is a picture of the naval pennant in G.A. Hayes-McCoy, 'A History of Irish Flags' (Dublin 1979), and that shows a fairly detailed harp, similar to the one you have drawn, but with *white* strings, and on a more elongated field (about 3:2) of a lighter blue colour (about 51:51:204 in RGB colours). See also discussion of the harp.
Vincent Morley, 30 January 2002
With reference to Vincent Morley's comment (above) on the absence of masthead
pennant's on Irish Naval Service ships. I can assure that they are very much, in
use once the ship is "in commission" (i.e., most of the ship's life).
Gerry O'Donoghue, Lt. Cdr. Irish Naval Service (Retd.)
Those with good eye-sight may wish to study the photographs of the eight vessels of the Irish naval service on the following pages for evidence of continued use of the pennant (I can't find any): Eithne, Deirdre, Emer, Aoife, Aisling, Orla, Ciara, Roisin.
Vincent Morley, 2 February 2002
I was aboard an Irish naval ship (the flagship) which was visiting the
International Festival of the Sea in Portsmouth, England, in late June 2005, and
can confirm that the warship pennant was being used. I saw the ship on several
days, and the commissioning pennant was displayed throughout. It was hoisted
from the mainmast. From deck it could be seen, but its small size (I estimate
about 4 inches in width, by 36 inches in length) means that it would be rather
difficult to spot from a distance. A crewmember confirmed that it was indeed the
commissioning pennant. He also confirmed the Irish Navy's use of the green
swallow-tailed Commodore's Flag with single gold star. As expected, the ship
wore the Irish National Flag at the stern, and the Irish Jack at the jackstaff.
James Liston, 13 July 2005
image by Zoltan Horvath, 16 June 2024
based on image
located
by Miles Li, from the Irish Defence
Force website
The Naval Service Colour is a double-sided square banner. The primary colour
is navy blue on both sides. The obverse side carries the Defence Forces badge at
the centre superimposed over a pair of crossed silver foul anchors. The reverse
side bears a Gold harp with silver strings enclosed in a gold grommet or
continuous rope ring. Below the grommet are the words 'An tSeirbhis
Chabhlaigh'. The colour is bordered by a two inch wide gold fringe.
Apart from the Naval Service Colour, each individual ship carries a pennant,
which is a smaller navy blue flag, also square and fringed. The obverse side
shows the ships coat of arms or crest as it is more commonly (but incorrectly)
known, while the reverse bears a foul anchor in gold. The pennant would be worn
by the ships company on ceremonial parades and displayed near the gangway on
important occasions.
Source: www.military.ie/naval/naval_flags.htm
In Ireland, colours are governed by Defence Force Regulations that lays down which formations may have colours and the broad rules as to their design and use. The Naval Service colour was presented to the Naval Service on 12 July 1996 by her Excellency, President Mary Robinson.
Joe McMillan, 10 December 2002