Types of flagpoles in Ireland – an overview

Flagpoles in Ireland range from a small wooden staff in a school hall to a row of 10-metre poles outside a hotel or county hall. The type decides how the flag is changed, how the pole is fixed and maintained, and, together with the site, whether planning permission comes into question. This guide gives an overview of the main types.

Ground-mounted flagpoles

The most common type outdoors is a ground-mounted pole set in a concrete foundation. Irish suppliers sell outdoor poles of 6, 7 and 8 metres for homes, clubs and businesses, and taller poles for public buildings. According to FlagPoles Ireland, a Dublin supplier and installer, about 90% of its installations go into a soft margin such as grass, a flowerbed or a stone yard; an existing concrete slab needs a different fixing, sometimes with a flat metal flange base.

The same supplier describes two ways of fixing a ground-mounted pole:

Foundations are covered in the guide to installing a flagpole.

Wall-mounted flagpoles

A wall-mounted pole is fixed with a bracket, often at an angle, on a house, shop front or club building. Irish flag makers sell short poles for this, such as 2-metre wall-mounted poles. According to FlagPoles Ireland, the wall that holds the bracket has to be strong enough to carry the weight and the extra force when the flag is wet, and the supplier does not recommend wall brackets on cladding, which is common on car showrooms.

Roof flagstaffs

A flagstaff on the roof of a building is common on older public buildings, hotels and shops. For businesses, the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 exempt one flag as an advertisement: a flag attached to a single flagstaff fixed upright on the roof of a business premises, bearing no inscription or emblem other than the name, device or logo of the business occupying it. The exemption covers the flag as an advertisement; the rules are described in the guide to flagpoles for businesses.

Indoor staffs

Indoors, the flag stands on a presentation staff in a weighted base, often with a brass or wooden finish and a finial on top. Indoor staffs are used in schools, council chambers, offices and at ceremonies. According to the guidelines of the Department of the Taoiseach, a gold fringe or tassels can be used when the flag is displayed indoors, and on a platform the National Flag stands above and behind the speaker’s desk.

Banner and feather poles

For events and business premises, suppliers sell banner poles that hold a flag on an arm, and feather or teardrop banners on portable bases. They are used for advertising rather than for national flags. A rotating banner arm at the top of a hinged-base pole is a common set-up at car dealerships in Ireland.

Internal or external halyard

The rope that raises the flag, the halyard, runs either outside the pole or inside it. FlagPoles Ireland recommends internal halyards mainly for safety and as an anti-vandal measure, for example at schools and in public areas, but notes that an external halyard can work well at homes and at business parks without children around. More in the guide to how a flagpole works.

Several flagpoles

Hotels, councils and businesses often have a row of poles. According to the guidelines, flags of different nations fly from separate flagpoles of the same height. FlagPoles Ireland recommends at least 2 metres between poles, so that the flags do not touch the pole beside them. The order of the flags is explained in the guide to flag protocol.

Choosing among types

The choice of type depends on the site, the height, how often the flag is changed and who has access to the pole. Materials are compared in the guide to flagpole materials, and heights in the guide to flagpole heights.