Bakker Bugle Blog

In my sister Theodora‘s neighborhood in Manhattan, there’s a pub that displays two Irish flags beneath the US flag: The Kinsale Tavern.

On the left is the official national flag of the Republic of Ireland. On the right is an unofficial flag of Ireland, representing the four provinces of the island. According to an unsourced website:

The Four Provinces flag has two main uses. Firstly, it is an economical way of flying the flags of all the provinces – one saves the cost of three flags and three flag poles! Secondly, it is sometimes flown when a politically neutral flag representing all of Ireland is required. For example, Irish hockey teams, which draw players from both the Republic and Northern Ireland, use the Four Provinces flag as their emblem in international competitions.

That last explanation rings true to me. As I’ve seen on numerous posters, placemats, and menus:

A Publican must be a democrat, autocrat, acrobat and doormat. He must be able to entertain prime ministers, pick-pockets, pirates, philanthropists and police whilst sitting on the political fence. (from the web)