Flag lighting in Ireland: flying the flag at night

In Ireland, a flag does not have to come down at sunset. The guidelines “The National Flag” of the Department of the Taoiseach allow the tricolour to fly around the clock, on one condition: that it is properly illuminated at all times. This guide describes what the guidelines say about night-time flying and how flags are lit in practice.

Sunrise to sunset, or lit

According to the guidelines, the National Flag is normally displayed in the open only from sunrise to sunset. There are two exceptions:

• at public meetings, processions or funerals, the flag may be displayed for the duration of the function
• the flag may be flown by night as well as by day as long as it is properly illuminated at all times, preferably by spotlight

The guidelines give fixed times for sunrise and sunset, from 08:00 to 20:00 between June and August and from 08:30 to 15:30 in December and January. The full table is in the guide to flag flying rules.

Half-mast at night

A flag at half-mast normally follows the same hours. During a funeral, however, the guidelines allow a National Flag at half-mast to be displayed day and night for the duration of the funeral, provided the flag is illuminated. More in the guide to half-mast.

Ways of lighting a flag

The guidelines name the spotlight as the preferred way. A light that reaches the flag at every position, including when it hangs limp or flies at full stretch, keeps it lit whatever the wind does.

LED lights on the pole

Pole-mounted LED lights are sold in Ireland specifically for flagpoles. FlagPoles Ireland, a Dublin supplier, offers a system in 25 and 45 watt versions, with an output of about 2,300 and 5,000 lumens, warm (3000 K) or cool (5000 K) white light, beam angles of 11 and 20 degrees and a rated lifetime of more than 35,000 hours. The supplier notes that lighting allows the National Flag to be flown 24 hours a day in line with the national protocol.

Power and installation

Outdoor lighting needs a power supply to the pole, often a cable in the ground from the building. That means digging, and before digging it is common to check for underground services: ESB Networks and Gas Networks Ireland both run Dial Before You Dig services. More in the guides to installing a flagpole and flagpole safety.

Businesses and lit flags

For businesses, a lit flag is also a way to be seen, and suppliers market flagpole lighting for branding. Under the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, advertisements have their own classes of exemption, and the regulations define an illuminated advertisement as one lit internally or externally by artificial lighting, directly or by reflection, for the purpose of advertisement. Several of the classes limit the area of advertisements that are illuminated. A lit company flag may therefore fall under the rules for advertisements, and the council can give a section 5 declaration on whether a particular set-up is exempt. More in the guide to flagpoles for businesses.

Neighbours

A light aimed at a flag all night can also shine into neighbouring windows. Aiming the beam up at the flag and away from houses, and choosing a narrow beam angle, keeps the light where it is needed. Irish planning rules do not name flagpole lighting as such.