UK Emblems

[Tanzanite]

I'm going a little Jubilee crazy this month and making several related bookmarks for June's giveaway. I came across a pattern that has several emblems/symbols of the UK that I'm planning on incorporating into a bookmark. But there are two that puzzle me a little and I don't want to include them incorrectly. They are a harp and a shamrock, which I've always associated more with "Ireland".

The pattern contains symbols from Scotland (red lion and thistle), Wales (red dragon), England (Tudor rose and a crown), so the only thing I can figure is that these are meant to represent Northern Ireland. If I included the harp with some of these others symbols, would that be considered incorrect or offensive in any way?

Any information/thoughts would be appreciated.

[annis]

I'm pretty sure the harp is the official emblem of Eire- the Republic of Ireland. The shamrock is the national emblem of Northern Ireland, though of course both the harp and the shamrock as emblems have been associated with Ireland long before it was divided.

[Vanessa]

When I see the harp emblem, I think of Guinness! It's on the side of the tin. Not very helpful, though, I know!

[Tanzanite]

Vanessa - me too!

So, it sounds like maybe the shamrock would be OK but not necessarily the harp (I only wanted one from each anyway). Thanks Annis!

[Madeleine]

Just been looking at the UK's Coat of Arms - purely by chance, I was trying to find out how long Queen Victoria reigned - and the quarter depicting Ireland does show a harp, or as it seems to be officially called, a stringed argent. This coat of arms is still used by the present Queen.

[marshalslion]

Ireland was a part of the UK!
"In 1800, the British and Irish parliaments both passed Acts of Union that, with effect from 1 January 1801, merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain to create a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland

We didn't get our freedom (the Republic ) till 1932!

[Susan]

This gives information on the Royal Standard: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_S...ted_Kingdom%29

According to Wikipedia, "...the third quadrant represents the ancient Kingdom of Ireland and contains a version of the gold harp from the coat of arms of Ireland on a blue field. The inclusion of the harp remains an issue for some in Ireland. In 1937 Éamon de Valera, then Taoiseach asked Dominions Minister Malcolm MacDonald if the harp quarter could be removed from the Royal Standard on the grounds that the Irish people had not given their consent to the Irish emblem being included. The request was denied and the harp remains."

[Tanzanite]

Thanks for all the info - I went ahead and included the harp (see link on Bookmark Giveaway post if you are curious).