The distinctive Tiffany flag of the 28th Massachusetts Regiment of the Irish Brigade were commissioned by Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher and was modeled on the flags created for the three New York Regiments of the Brigade.. The flags were made by Tiffany & Co., a luxury jewelry and speciality design house founded in 1837 in New York City. During the Civil War, Tiffany & Co. supplied the US Army with swords, flags, and surgical instruments.
The Irish Brigade Tiffany flag is replete with Irish symbology.
Green Field: The Green silken field of the flag represents Ireland. The choice was in stark contrast to the dark blue of standard US Army Infantry Regimental flags. Interestingly, green only became associated with Ireland in the late 1790s, when the United Irish movement aimed at overthrowing the British occupation of Ireland, adopted it as their color, and began to promote the “wearin’ of the green” to represent Irish nationalism and their fight against British imperialism. Previously, the predominant color for Ireland was, ironically, blue.
On the modern tricolour of the Republic of Ireland – originally presented to Thomas Meagher in 1848 and modeled on the French Tricolor – green represents the Catholic population of Ireland.
Upper Scroll: The Upper scroll simply reads “4th Regt Irish Brigade.” This is due Brigadier General Meagher not knowing what units would be assigned to the Brigade. The wisdom of this generic choice was born out when the 28th Massachusetts — originally intended for the Irish Brigade – was detailed away for separate service in the Carolinas, and did not actually join the Irish Brigade until 23 November 1862.
Sunlight Bursting from Clouds: Centered on the flag, immediately below the upper scroll, is an embroidered depiction of sunlight bursting from clouds. This is a Fenian symbol and by the late 1850s, commonly seen on their flags. The sunburst – “after the clouds, sun” – symbolizes a new day.
“Fenian” is an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and its American counterpart, the Fenian Brotherhood. Fenianism had two basic principles – 1) That Ireland deserved its independence, and 2) that such independence could only be gained by armed revolution. The name originated with groups of legendary Irish warrior-bands — the Fianna — due their association with Fionn mac Cumhail (Finn MaCool), a hero of Irish mythology. The Fianna referred to themselves as either Gal Gréine or Scal Ghréine, which both mean sunburst – hence the symbology.
The Golden Harp: A golden harp has long been the heraldic symbol of Ireland. References to the harp as being the arms of the King of Ireland can be found as early as the 13th century. The modern coat of arms for Ireland is the golden harp on a blue field. The version used on the Tiffany flag — and indeed in modern Ireland today – is a a late-medieval Gaelic harp (a cláirseach), sometimes referred to as a “Brian Boru” harp after a legendary High King of Ireland circa 1000 AD, or the Trinity College harp, as one dating from the 14th or 15th Century is on display at Trinity College. Dublin.
Wreath of Shamrocks: Below the Golden Harp is a wreath of embroidered shamrocks. A shamrock is a type of clover, normally of three leaves, used as a symbol of Ireland. Saint Patrick, one of Ireland’s patron saints, is said to have used it as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity. The shamrock has roots in ancient Celtic culture, where it was believed to represent fertility, rebirth, and the interconnectedness of life. It was considered a sacred plant and often featured in various folklore and traditions.
Lower Scroll: The phrase on the lower scroll is: “Riamh nár dhruid ó spairn Lann” which is generally understood to mean “Those (or Who) Never Retreated from the clash of spears.”
The phrase was taken from the poetry of the legendary ancient Irish warrior-bard Oisín (the son of Finn MacCool) — specifically from the “Agallamh na Seanórach” (In English variously “Tales of the Elders of Ireland, The Dialogue of the Ancients of Ireland, etc.) from the 12th Century which included a poetic debate between Oisín and St Patrick.
Word-for-word breakdown:
- Riamh means “ever or never”
- Nár is a particle,of speech with a number of applications, but generally is suggests a negative. “Riamh” plus “nár” doubles down as “Never”
- Dhruid (the actual word is “druid” which means “to shut” but has applications where it means to move away from/move.back. (The “h” in the spelling here is an odd thing in Irish called a “séimhiú” (‘softening”) where an “h” sometimes inserted as a second letter.)
- Ó is another word with mutiple applications — in this case meaning ‘from”
- Spairn means “fight or struggle.”
- Lann means “blade.” (spairn lann “a fight with a blade” – armed conflict – poetically a clash of spears or swords.)
Bottom line the literal translation is approximately “Never moved away from a fight with a blade” or more poetically “Those who never retreated from the clash of spears.”
Pronunciation for English speakers is along the lines of “Reeve naw-r ghrid oh spairn lon” (Munster accent).
Lastly, on the original 28th Mass Tiffany flag (pictured) that is in Massachusetts, the lower scroll is missing – fallen off over the years.
