Flags might just be mere strips of fabric but in Northern Ireland, there’s a world of meaning woven into every stitch.
Flag debates have raged in the province since it was first created. Unionists favour the British Union Jack and splash its red, white and blue stripes over “their” streets, events and institutions in the province. In the run-up to the annual Orange Order parades every July, lampposts and pavements in Protestant areas are painted in the iconic colours. On the day of the parades themselves, revellers incorporate the colour scheme anywhere they can, with Union Jack wigs, face paint and onesies making the parade route melt into a sea of red, white and blue flickers.
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