Irish Flag can now be Flown at Night Thanks to Protocol Change
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The protocols for the flying of the Irish flag have been changed to allow the flag to be flown at night. Before, it was required that the flag be taken down at sunset according to protocols issued by the Taoiseach’s department. The National Flag protocols and guidelines have been changed that will now allow the flag to be flown at night once illuminated. Senator Mark Daly who is a member of the Governments all party consultation group on the decade of Commemorations chaired by the Minister for Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht worked with the Taoiseach Department to amended the previous guidelines. |
“Protocols are created from precedent, the research of the history of the tricolour shows that the first time the tricolour flag was flown by Thomas F Meagher was on the 7th of Mach 1848 and it flew continuously day and night until removed by the authorities. The second occasion it was flown was from the GPO on Easter Monday 1916 and again it flew day and night until the end of the Rising. The protocols and guidelines have been changed to reflect the history and origins of the flag and allow for the flag to be flown at night once illuminated. So it is entirely appropriate to fly the flag with pride and respect at all times.”
According to research, “the history of the tricolour shows that the first time the tricolour flag was flown by Thomas F Meagher was on the March 7, 1848, and it flew continuously day and night until removed by the authorities." Then, on the second occasion it flew, “from the GPO on Easter Monday 1916 … again it flew day and night until the end of the Rising”. Thus, the protocols and guidelines have been changed to reflect the history and origins of the flag and allow for the flag to be flown at night once illuminated.
The change came in time for a state ceremony on January 1st 2016 in Dublin Castle and 1916 Rising Celebrations.
Senator Mark Daly explains “This first state ceremony on January 1st 2016 marks a very important commemorative year for Ireland. From 1916 onwards, the tricolour captured the national imagination and became enshrined in the Constitution of 1937.”
‘The Irish Flag and its significance is as important today as it was when Thomas F Meagher first raised it on the 7th of March 1848'
And when he explained its symbolism; “The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between orange and green. I trust beneath its folds the hands of the Irish Catholics and the Irish Protestants may be clasped in generous and heroic brotherhood”
The Irish flag that was raised at the event in Dublin castle was previously flown from 33 The Mall, Waterford where Thomas F Meagher first flew the tricolour for the first time in 1848. The 2016 Programme of commemorative events began on Friday, January 1st 2016. A symbol of peace and reconciliation, the national flag of Ireland, was raised at Dublin Castle with The President of Ireland in attendance.