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The Irish Republican Army, commonly known as the IRA, has a youth wing whose symbol is a sunburst flag. The symbol is that of a golden sun with long rays on a blue background. This Irish Republican Army symbol represents the dawn of a new era in Irish life and for Ireland. The Gaelic name of the sunburst is ‘Fianna na hEireann’ and this symbol can be seen in many murals of the Republican army all across the Irish nation. The Gaelic name for the symbol literally means ‘warriors of Ireland’ and this title is derived from an ancient Celtic legend.
The national flag of the Republic of Ireland is the Tri-color, which consists of three vertical lines of color, green, white and orange. This flag was a fledgling Irish Republican Army symbol during uprisings to quell the colonial influence of the British in Ireland. This symbol signified peace, represented by the white vertical band, between the Nationalists, represented by the green color, and the Unionists, reflected in the orange band. This unifying symbol of the struggle for independence was hoisted above the General Post Office in Dublin, Ireland during the Easter Rising of 1916, spearheaded by Michael Collins, the great fallen patriotic son of Irish soil.
Significance of the Republican Army Symbol
The Irish Republican Army symbol most associated with the struggle for a unified Ireland is the color green. This is the traditional symbolic color of the Irish nation and widely used as the background color or basis for many Irish flags. The Irish Republican Army fought the Irish War of Independence that lasted from 1919 to 1921.
This armed conflict was continued in present times by the Provisional Irish Republican Army, whose objective was to both end British rule and to form a Socialist Irish Republic that was founded on the Proclamation of 1916. The armed campaign officially ended on 28 July 2005 and in 2007 a British Army document stressed that the British had failed in its efforts to defeat the IRA by force of arms.
The Irish Republican Army symbol remains a strong reminder of the patriotism of the Irish people and their valor in resisting the influence of the British. Their fallen heroes are testament to the will of the Republican Army to form a unified Ireland.