Flags of the 6 Celtic Nations


The aim of this article is to briefly describe the elements that make up the flags of the six Celtic nations. It is not intended to be a comprehensive history of each of these countries; instead, we will leave that for a future post.


Brittany, Scotland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Cornwall, and Wales are the six Celtic Nations defined by the Celtic League. These are thought to be the last survivors of the once-mighty Celtic tribes that spanned Ireland to Turkey. Language groups and certain cultural links and customs bind the countries together, but the exact degree of any historical biological ties is still being investigated by DNA studies and is not yet conclusive.


Of course, there are significant Celtic links to all of Britain, as well as present-day France and Belgium (the Gaulic tribes) and Spain (Galicia), but they are no longer considered "Celtic," as their Celtic languages have long been silent in what is now England and France, and ancient Celtic customs have mostly been lost or altered beyond any fair interpretation - while potential DNA research, if conducted on a large scale, can shift some people's expectations of what it means to be a Celt. The Celtic League classifies the six countries as countries where their ancestral Celtic language is still spoken today.

Ireland

Ireland's Tri-color (Bratach na hÉireann) is Green, White, and Orange (it used to be yellow): The green represents the nation and the people of Ireland, while the orange represents the Protestant followers of William of Orange, whose armed powers defeated those of the Catholic Stuart Monarch James II, and the white represents the desire for peace between the two sides. The tri-color (which originated during the French Revolution) was once considered the Sein Fein flag, but since 1916, it has been the flag of all Irish. An older green flag with a harp served as Ireland's national flag at one time.


Isle of Man

Man is an island in the Irish Sea that has the oldest known Parliament in Europe. It was once governed by Scotland, Ireland, and England (and is now controlled by the British Crown). The Manx language has a lot in common with Scottish Gaelic. The flag is a triskelion (popular in other nations, consisting of three interlocking spirals or other symbols - interlocking spirals are a common motif in Celtic art), and it features three armed legs with golden spurs against a deep red backdrop, as can be seen. Since the early 1930s, it has been the official flag of Man, based on an ancient Manx coat of arms.

Cornwall

Cornwall, which is situated on England's low west coast, has a rich history and is frequently associated with King Arthur legends. It is a beautiful location that attracts many English tourists. While the Cornish language is now extinct, it is experiencing a revival as interest in Cornwall's ancient past rises - and it is possible to take classes in it if one so desires. The flag has been dubbed the St Perran Banner and the Cornwall Standard. According to legend, black represents the black ore and white represents the shiny silver color of molten tin that St. Perran saw being smelted.

Scotland

Scotland's official flag, the Saltire, is one of the oldest in the world. It's also known as the Scottish Banner on occasion (Bratach na h-Alba). According to legend, Scotland's patron saint, St. Andrew, was crucified on an x-shaped cross, thus the flag. Another legend describes a 9th-century war between invading Angles and a joint army of Picts and Scots led by Pictish king engus. A white cross is said to have appeared in the bright blue sky during the battle, inspiring the Pictish/Scots warriors and leading them to victory.

Brittany


Though there are older elements in the Bretons' flag (Gwenn-ha-du), it is a recent (20th Century) invention and design. The French have long sought to eradicate any cultural or linguistic differences among the Celtic Bretons (descendants of Celtic Britains who fled their island from invading Romans and settled in what is now France), and the flag was initially thought to be seditious, but it is now known and embraced as a symbol of the Breton people.


The typical dioceses of Brittany are depicted by the nine horizontal stripes. The French-speaking areas are represented by the five black stripes, while the Breton-speaking areas are represented by the four white stripes. A canton in the upper left corner of the flag signifies an ancient Breton coat of arms.

Wales


The Red Dragon of Cadwaladr and the Tudor colors of green and white make up the striking Welsh flag (the Tudors were the Welsh descendant kings of England). The dragon has long been a symbol of the Welsh, and it has been linked to Arthurian legend as well as possibly Roman-British unity. According to legend, the dragon symbolized the Celtic triumph in war and ascension over the invading Saxons (symbolized in this legend as being a white serpent overcome by a red one).

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