Firstly, if you are visiting this site on 17th March may I wish you, very warmly, a happy St. Patrick’s day.
Most Irish people are familiar with the story about how St. Patrick brought Christianity to the people of ancient Ireland. His legacy though is much more special and multi-dimensional than that. It is not merely the fact that, unlike other patron saints of other nations, he has an historical connection with this country.
Part of St. Patrick’s uniqueness in a sectarian-ridden country like Northern Ireland is that his legacy is shared by churches of all religions in Ireland. He is a non-sectarian symbol and that makes him extra special. In case you are not already aware, promoting normal politics in Northern Ireland is a subject very close to my heart. That is why I decided to adapt the flag of St. Patrick as part of my logo for this Blog site.
It is my hope that we as a party can help to break the shackles of institutional sectarianism in politics. One thing we can do to help the process is to break toxic political symbols and replace them with those that can represent both communities like St. Patrick does. How about using St. Patrick’s cross to represent Northern Ireland?
I believe that Northern Ireland would benefit from a new flag. The existing flag has unfortunately come to be regarded as loyalist flag. I do believe that Northern Ireland would benefit from a new flag which all communities can share their identity with. I am not actually the first person to suggest that St. Patrick’s cross should be incorporated into a new flag. Some useful research has already been carried out by the Alliance Party. The document “the Case for a new flag for Northern Ireland” is definitely worth a read.
Filed under: Culture, Flag, Normal Politics, Northern ireland, Northern Ireland politics, Symbolism | Tagged: Conservative Party, Culture, Flag, Ireland, Normal Politics, Northern ireland, Northern Ireland politics, Patron Saint, Saint Patrick, sectarianism, St. Patrick, Symbolism | 2 Comments »
