Green Ensign
The Green Ensign is a historic flag flown by some Irish merchant vessels from the 17th Century to the early 20th Century. The flag consists of a green field with a golden harp and a canton containing either the English Flag (St George's Cross) or a version of the Union Flag (pre 1800 - a combination of St George's cross and St Andrew's Cross, post 1800 - containing the addition of St Patrick's Cross).
This flag has appeared in these historical flag plates:
- 1685 Downham's Flag Chart
- 1700 Len's Flag Chart
- 1799 Flags of all Nations
- 1848 Flaggen Aller Seefahrenden Nationen
- 1889 Drawings of Flags of All Nations - British Admiralty
- 1917 National Geographic Flag Book
There remains a lively debate concerning whether the flag had any form of official status within the British Isles or was simply an informal flag used by some merchant ships.
See also
Categories
Ensigns | Flags of Ireland | Historical flags