Copyright 1998 Aberdeen Press and Journal
Aberdeen Press and Journal
October 26, 1998
SECTION: Pg.3
LENGTH: 440 words
HEADLINE: Angus man designs Ulster 'peace flag'
BODY:
AN ANGUS man who spent his schoolboy years in Northern Ireland has designed a new flag to unite the province.
The last official Ulster flag was scrapped after Stormont was suspended in 1972. But now the new Northern Ireland Assembly is to get its own peace flag.
Professional flag designer Graham Bartram was at a meeting with fellow flag experts when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. It took him back to his childhood in Belfast in the late 60s and early 70s, and he set about designing a new flag for the troubled province.
The design shuns the orange and green that have bred hatred for over 300 years. And the designer harks back to more tranquil ancient times using imagery of the Celtic cross.
The background to the flag is gold, which Bartram says is a reference to the papal flag, while the red hand of Ulster stands proud in the centre.
Mr Bartram, who is the general secretary of the Flag Institute, said: "I tried to come up with something that would go back to before the conflict.
"I looked for elements the two communities have in common. The common thread will be the Celts. I have also included the red hand, which is an ancient symbol of Ulster.
"I didn't want it to look too much like the flag of the Province of Ulster or the Irish tricolour. There is the gold and white, which has papal associations, while the red and white will appeal to the Protestants."
The designer is used to appeasing war-torn communi-ties. He designed a new flag for Bosnia-Herzegovina.
He hopes that by designing a new flag for Northern Ireland now he will not be under the same pressure when peace finally comes to the province.
Mr Bartram will now approach politicians in Northern Ireland to consult on his design and make any alterations needed for the flag to be accepted by both communities.
But experts on the conflict believe the Montrose-born graphic designer will have a hard job.
Accepted
David Miller, a lecturer in media studies at Stirling University who has just published a book, Rethinking Northern Ireland, suggests any religious references are totally wrong.
He said: "If the yellow or gold is a reference to Catholicism then that is ludicrous, because the conflict is not about religion. The red hand of Ulster is used by loyalist paramilitaries but it is also used by Sinn Fein.
"It seems to me that this is a terrible mish-mash and I cannot see something like that being accepted."
Pamela Clayton, a politics lecturer at Glasgow University who specialises in Northern Ireland, believes the red hand of Ulster has strong loyalist associations and would offend Catholics in Northern Ireland.
LOAD-DATE: October 27, 1998