This is a list of coats of arms of Ireland. In the majority of cases these are arms assigned to county councils created by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 or later legislation, either by the Chief Herald of Ireland in what is now the Republic of Ireland or by the College of Arms in Northern Ireland. All but two county councils in the Republic have a coat of arms. In Northern Ireland, county councils were abolished in 1973, but the traditional arms are still occasionally used.
The arms of the county town have sometimes been used as an unofficial symbol of a county instead of those of its county council, or when the council had no arms. There are no official county flags. Flags with the GAA county colours serve as de facto county flags. County flags flown at Dublin Castle incorporate the county council arms, while those sold by the GAA county board include the county GAA crest. Coats of arms granted in recent decades often incorporate the GAA colours in the field.
History
The earliest Irish county arms date from the late 17th century, when those of counties Carlow, Kilkenny and "Typerary" were recorded by Richard Carney, Ulster King of Arms.Genealogical office Ms.60, Some 1150 Tricks of Family arms, with arms of Bishoprics and of counties Carlow, Tipperary and Kilkenny collected by Carney, Ulster about 1668, folio 190 In each case the arms consist of an ermine shield bearing a fesse or central horizontal band on which heraldic devices of local families are displayed. The arms of Tipperary became obsolete when the county was divided into North and South Ridings in 1838.
When county councils were established in 1899, each was obliged to adopt a seal. In some cases these used an unofficial coat of arms, but no arms were officially granted prior to the splitting of heraldic jurisdiction in 1943.Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, The Book of Public Arms, Second edition, London, 1915
In 1914 a system of county and city flags were designed as unit colours for the Irish Volunteers. Each county flag was to include a coat of arms, with a list of suggested designs drawn by The O'Rahilly. While few of these colours were ever manufactured, some of the county devices were later to occur in official grants.G. A. Hayes-McCoy, A History of Irish Flags from Earliest Times, Dublin, 1979
Grants by the Chief Herald of Ireland With the establishment of the Genealogical Office in 1943, a native Irish heraldic jurisdiction was established. One of the earliest grants by the new office was to Dublin County Council on 30 September 1944. The grant was notable for its use of Norse symbolism and the motto in the Irish language.Susan Hood, Royal Roots - Republican Inheritance, the Survival of the Office of Arms, Dublin, 2002 In 1949 Edward MacLysaght, the Chief Herald, discovered the 17th century arms of counties Carlow and Kilkenny, and wrote to the county councils concerned informing them of their existence.Genealogical Office Ms 527, MacLysaght Miscellany From 1956 there was a steady flow of grants to county councils. In 1990 Tipperary South Riding County Council was granted arms based on those recorded by Richard Carney.Genealogical Office, Register of Arms Q (1943-52), Register of Arms R (1952-59), Register of Arms S (1959-66), Register of Arms T (1966-72), Register of Arms U (1973-78), Register of Arms V (1978-81) Pt.1, Pt.2 Register of Arms W+X (1982-95), Register of Arms Y (1996-99) Pt.1, Pt.2
Grants by the College of Arms In 1943 heraldic jurisdiction in Northern Ireland passed to the College of Arms in London, with the creation of the merged office of Norroy and Ulster King of Arms. Five out of the six county councils received grants of arms from London. In each case supporters were also granted.Geoffrey Briggs, Civic and Corporate Heraldry, London, 1971 In all cases these arms became obsolete with the abolition of county councils by the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972.
State Present Republic of Ireland
Northern Ireland
Historical
Provinces Present Province Arms Blazon Article Connacht Party Per Pale Argent and Azure, in the first an eagle dimidiated and displayed Sable in the second issuant from the partition an arm embowed and vested, the hand holding a sword erect, all Argent Coat of arms of Connacht Leinster Vert, a Harp Or, stringed Argent Coat of arms of Leinster Munster Azure, three antique crowns Or Coat of arms of Munster Ulster Or, on a Cross Gules, an inescutcheon Argent, charged with a dexter hand erect aupaumee and couped at the wrist Gules Coat of arms of Ulster
Joint symbol
The provincial arms are popularly displayed together, quartered as a coat of arms of all-island Ireland. This symbol, as well as the flag equivalent, are used by various all-Ireland sports teams and cultural organisations. The order in which the flags appear varies.Heraldry in Ireland, The National Library of Ireland The flag and its variations are currently used by many organizations in Ireland, especially those that operate in an all-Ireland context, for example the Ireland rugby league team. Other teams use variations of the flag, including the Irish hockey team, the Irish rugby union team and the Irish Amateur Boxing Association.
Historical
Counties Present County Province Arms Blazon Galway Connacht Azure thereon five mullets argent, on waves of the sea in base a Galway hooker in full sail sailing to the sinister all proper, with the motto: Ceart agus Cóir (Right and Just).Granted 22 June 1993. Leitrim Connacht Per fess double arched or and vert in chief a lion passant sable and in base three fountains. Certified 1 July 1981. Mayo Connacht Per fess gules and argent in chief four crosses one and three the first patriarchal the others passion crosses or, in base on waves of the sea a lymphad proper, the whole within a bordure of the third charged with nine yew trees also proper, with the Crest: On a mount vert a garden rose slipped or and with the Motto: Dia is Muire linn (God and Mary be with us). Certified 10 March 1981. Roscommon Connacht Azure, on a pile vert fimbriated or, between on the dexter a ram's head argent and on the sinister an oak branch proper, a cross patée concave of the third, in base an antique crown also gold, with the motto: CONSTANS HIBERNIAE COR (Steadfast Irish heart). Certified 10 August 1961. In February 2023, the county council passed a motion that the ram should be of the Roscommon sheep breed. Sligo Connacht Sable semée of escallops argent an open book proper thereon in the dexter a Celtic cross and in the sinister a rose gules, on a point [pointed] in base of the second a boar's head erased of the first armed of the fourth with the motto: Land of Heart's Desire. Granted 8 September 1982. Carlow Leinster Ermine on a fess per pale argent and gules on the dexter a lion rampant gules and on the sinister two lions passant guardant Or. Recorded as arms of County Carlow c.1665 Dublin Leinster Or, a raven standing upon a hurdle sable; for Crest, a beacon proper and for motto: Beart do réir ár mbriathar (Action to match our speech). Granted 30 September 1944.