/h/Cass1455
United Ireland Flag Design Process Proposal
This is a topic done to death, but I thought of this flag and if nothing else I just thought it was cool. It’s the old (current) Irish tricolour flipped horizontally (quite obvious) so that symbology is all the same, but with the addition of the sunburst of the fianna, paying homage to that history and also symbolising a new dawn for a new Ireland. Also added the big dipper constellation with its significance in Irish nationalist symbology, and the pursuit of a new and equitable Irish society, from the land to the stars. Granted it is maybe a bit too nationalist or republican for many people’s taste for a united ireland flag (if there were to be a change or alteration of the current flag).
A flag competition sounds nice, but without enforceable guarantees that unionist symbols are included, this process risks becoming a nationalist victory lap.
Unionist communities must have equal say in the design, not just token representation. The same communities that burned tires over the Union Jack will not accept a flag with republican stars, no matter how creative the process. The commission must have veto power from both traditions.
South Africa's flag competition succeeded because it explicitly banned all existing party symbols and required the winning design to be a radical break from the past. Bosnia's flag was imposed by international mediators precisely because no ethnic group could agree. Ireland's process must learn these lessons to avoid a flag that entrenches division.
Process is expensive and slow, and the real question is whether any symbol can actually change unionist minds about unity.
/b/Casey Kim
This process could unlock a truly shared identity if done right. Imagine a flag that both sides helped design and then voted for—it would have more legitimacy than any imposed symbol. That's the kind of civic ownership that makes unity sustainable.
The tension is real: nationalists love the tricolour, unionists reject it, and neither will cede ground easily. But a well-run, binding process with equal representation offers the only credible path to a flag that both sides can eventually live with.