Ireland's coat of arms: appearance and history of appearance

Like the country to which it belongs, the coat of arms of Ireland is distinguished by a complicated history. He survived the centuries and is still the pride of every inhabitant. How does it look and when did it appear?

History of creation

Undoubtedly, the coat of arms of Ireland is very ancient, but no one knows for sure when it appeared. Already in the thirteenth century it was universally known that the golden harp is the heraldic symbol of these lands. In the sixteenth century, when King Henry the Eight declared himself King of Ireland, he officially approved this symbolism. Even being a stranger, he decided not to break the tradition. After that, the symbol began to appear on local coins. Interestingly, the coat of arms of Ireland is unique not only in its impressive age, but also in its very appearance: it is the only one in the world who represents a musical instrument. In 1603, a new symbol was approved, as the country became part of the United Kingdom, but the harp still found its place. In 1922, it was adopted by the emblem of a free state, and in 1945 it was officially approved.

How did the appearance develop?

The modern coat of arms of Ireland, photographs or images of which can be seen even on products from this country, for example the famous Guinness beer, did not immediately take shape, although its essence has not changed for centuries. In the seventeenth century, he looked more frivolous: the base of the harp was a woman's chest. After obtaining sovereignty, the image of the musical instrument was changed so that it corresponded to the old Gaelic version. At Trinity College in Dublin, the ancient harp of Brian Boru is kept. It was taken as a basis. The background is a shield of a saturated blue color. Many assume that the coat of arms of Ireland should be green. This is completely wrong, because it is blue that associates the locals with their country. The image of the harp can be found on the legislative acts of the parliament, the covers of passports and documents of government departments, as well as on the obverse of Irish coins. Even on the British coat of arms there is still such symbolism. However, the Northern Irish officially use another emblem, but in fact they also like the harp as much as the Southerners.

State flag

You can not study one state symbol, forgetting about the other. Information about the flag and the coat of arms of Ireland should be recognized at the same time. Citizens use a tricolor with vertical stripes of green, white and orange. The cloth has existed since the nineteenth century and personifies the indigenous people, the British colonists and the world between the two sides.