Green Ensign facts for kids
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The Green Ensign (which is An Meirge Uaine in Irish) is a historic flag. It was flown by some Irish merchant vessels, which are ships that carry goods for trade. People used this flag from before the 1800s until the early 1900s.
The flag itself is mostly green. In the middle, it has a golden Irish harp, which is a symbol of Ireland. In the top corner closest to the flagpole, there's a small square called a canton. This canton usually showed either St George's Cross (a red cross on a white background, like England's flag) or a version of the Union Jack (the flag of the United Kingdom).
History of the Green Ensign
The Green Ensign appeared in many old books and charts that showed flags from around the world. These books helped sailors and others identify ships from different countries.
Early Appearances
The Green Ensign was first seen in flag charts as early as 1685. This shows that it was an important flag for Irish ships for a very long time. It was included in many famous collections of flags, like:
- A flag chart from 1685 by Downman.
- A French book of flags from around 1700 by Peter Schenk the Elder.
- A large book called Bowles's Universal Display of the Naval Flags of all Nations from 1783.
Later Appearances
Even in the 1800s and early 1900s, the Green Ensign continued to be shown in flag collections. For example, it was in:
- A German flag book from 1848 called Flaggen Aller Seefahrenden Nationen (Flags of All Seafaring Nations).
- The British Admiralty's Drawings of Flags of All Nations from 1889.
- The National Geographic Flag Book from 1917.
This long history shows how important the Green Ensign was for Irish merchant ships for over 200 years.
See also
- Blue Ensign
- Red Ensign
- White Ensign
- Green harp flag
