Madam, – I share Shane Murphy’s bemusement that some people are convinced the tricolour is “green, white and gold” (March 22nd). However, he is not quite correct to say “green represents nationalism, orange represents unionism”.
As explained by Thomas Francis Meagher on his return from France with the original Irish tricolour in 1848: “The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between the Orange and the Green, and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of the Irish Protestant and the Irish Catholic may be clasped in generous and heroic brotherhood”.
I don’t think Meagher would have envisaged the terms “Irish Protestant” and “unionist” being used interchangeably! – Yours, etc,