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Commissioner of Irish Lights

Last modified: 2008-07-19 by rob raeside
Keywords: irish lights | commissioner of irish lights | lighthouse | lightship | st patricks cross |
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[Commissioner of Irish Lights] by Martin Grieve, 30 March 2008
Source:  British Flags and Emblems (Bartram, 2004)

See also

Modern Flag

The current flag of the Commissioners of Irish Lights features the St. Patrick's Cross, not the St. George's Cross as on the old flag.
Source: Graham Bartrum, British Flags & Emblems, Tuckwell Press, 2004
Miles Li, 17 September 2004

Commissioners of Irish Lights is a cross-border body (although its HQ is actually in Dublin, Eire). Irish Lights vessels in Northern Ireland fly the defaced blue ensign; vessels in Eire fly the Irish National Flag.
Miles Li, 19 September 2004

Commissioners of Irish Lights - Ensign

Current flag

[Commissioners of Irish Lights - Ensign] image by Martin Grieve, 27 March 2008
Based on British Flags and Emblems (Bartram, 2004)

The inscription is shifted to the right instead of being centred as Flaggenbuch has it (see below). The buckle is more simplified, and the badge has been enlarged - so possibly "introduced" in 1999?
Martin Grieve, 27 March 2008

Detail of Badge

[Commissioners of Irish Lights - Badge] image by Martin Grieve, 29 March 2008

Previous flag

[Commissioners of Irish Lights - Ensign] image by Martin Grieve, 26 March 2008
Based on Flaggenbuch (1939)

Detail of Badge

[Commissioners of Irish Lights - Badge] image by Martin Grieve, 26 March 2008

Burgee

[Commissioners of Irish Lights - Burgee] image by Martin Grieve, 28 March 2008

Flaggenbuch (1939) also reports there was a Burgee.
Martin Grieve, 28 March 2008

Commissioners of Irish Lights - former Commissioner's flag

 [Commissioners of Irish Lights - Commissioner's flag] image by Martin Grieve, 30 March 2008
Based on Flaggenbuch (1939)

In 1863 the Port of Dublin Corporation, which was not only the General Lighthouse Authority in Ireland, but also the Corporation for preserving and improving the Port of Dublin, was granted permission to use the Blue Ensign defaced with a badge in the fly. This consisted of a lighthouse on a circular blue background surrounded by a scroll bearing the words "Irish Lights Department". The General Lighthouse Authority became a separate body in accordance with the Dublin Port Act of 1867, and was designated the Commissioners of Irish Lights. At the same time, the design of the badge on the Blue Ensign was changed as shown to that shown above.

The flag of the Commissioners is white, three by two, charged with the red cross of St. George; each quarter comprises a seascape - first and fourth showing a lighthouse on a rock, second and third a lightship, all proper. There seems to be no record of the date of the adoption of this flag. Similar charges, only placed within a circle, are displayed on the blue triangular field bearing the St. George's Cross, of the "Pennant". This is flown at the main masthead, but is replaced with the Commissioners' flag whenever they are embarked. The Commissioners' flag is also flown at all lighthouse stations in the Republic of Ireland; however, those in Northern Ireland fly the Blue Ensign defaced, as described above."
Source: Carr (1961)
Jarig Bakker, 28 August 2001