Flag sizes in Ireland: what size flag for a flagpole?

There is no official size for the Irish flag. According to the guidelines of the Department of the Taoiseach, the National Flag may be made to any convenient size, provided the proportions are observed: the width twice the depth, and the three colours of equal size. The size that suits a flagpole is therefore a matter of proportion, weather and practice, and Irish flag and flagpole suppliers publish their own charts.

A size chart by pole height

FlagPoles Ireland, a Dublin flagpole supplier and installer, publishes a flag size guideline that matches flag sizes to pole heights. All sizes in it have the 2:1 proportions of the tricolour:

The same supplier notes that most flagpoles fly national, county and custom flags of 90 × 180 cm, and that it starts its range of vertical poles at 6 metres, which it calls the standard height. The flag size calculator shows the size for each pole height together with the half-mast positions.

Why size matters

The supplier gives several reasons for matching the flag to the pole:

• when the flag is not flying, it hangs down the pole, and an oversized flag can come within reach from the ground, which may encourage vandalism
• an oversized flag looks wrong and can cause offence to the country whose flag it is
• the weight of an oversized flag can damage the pole, especially when it is wet; the supplier puts a wet flag at roughly three to four times the weight of a dry one
• cheap flags with eyelets are not suited to flagpoles, as the eyelets can fail and leave the flag stuck at the top

Common sizes

Irish flag makers sell the tricolour in many sizes. Flags Ireland, a Dublin flag maker, lists sizes from 60 × 90 cm to 180 × 360 cm, among them:

Sizes such as 5 × 3 ft are common for flags in general, but they do not have the 2:1 proportions the guidelines describe for the National Flag. The 2:1 sizes do. The finish also varies: a rope loop and tail or brass rings on the hoist side for a flagpole, corner rings for hanging, or a sleeve for a hand-held pole.

Several flags together

When the tricolour flies with the flags of other nations, the guidelines state that each flag has the same width and flies from a separate flagpole of the same height. Because many national flags are 3:2 or 5:3, flags of equal width can differ in depth. Where more than one National Flag flies on festive occasions, they are of uniform dimensions. More in the guide to flag protocol.

Size and half-mast

The size of the flag also decides the half-mast position. According to the guidelines, the top of a flag at half-mast is, as a general guide, one flag depth below the top of the pole, and the flag is never below the middle of the pole. A 1200 mm deep flag on an 8-metre pole therefore has its top at about 6.8 metres. More in the guide to half-mast.

Flag and pole

Taller poles and larger flags meet more wind, and the pole, fittings and foundation have to carry the load. Pole heights are compared in the guide to flagpole heights, and the types of flag in the guide to flags of Ireland.