The Coat of Arms of the Republic of Ireland.

The Brian Boru harp also referred to as the Trinity College harp or simply the Brian Boru, is the coat of arms of the Republic of Ireland. The harp was selected as the state emblem on the establishment of the Irish Free State, and one of its earliest treatments was on the Great Seal of the Irish Free State, although it was not officially registered as the arms of the state until 1945-11-09. The Coat of Arms of the Republic of Ireland This image depicts a seal, an emblem, a coat of arms or a crest. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... The Irish Free State (Irish: Saorstát Éireann) was (1922–1937) the name of the state comprising the 26 of Irelands 32 counties which were separated from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Irish Free State Agreement (or Anglo-Irish Treaty) signed by British and Irish... The Great Seal of the Irish Free State (Irish: Séala Mor do Shaorstát Eireann) was the Great Seal which replaced the Great Seal of the Realm used to seal official documents of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann). ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ...

The official heraldic description is:

A harp or, stringed argent, on a field azure.

The harp was recognised as a symbol of Ireland since the 13th century, and first appeared on Anglo-Irish coinage of 1536 during the reign of Henry VIII. The Brian Boru harp dates back to the late 14th century and is on permanent display in the Long Room of the library of Trinity College, Dublin - it is the oldest surviving Irish harp. This harp was named after the High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, but as he died about 400 years before it was made, it did not belong to him. The harp is a chordophone whose strings are positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. ... The term Anglo-Irish means British-Irish and is used frequently to describe formal contacts, negotiations or treaties between both states. ... Henry VIII King of England and Ireland by Hans Holbein the Younger His Grace King Henry VIII (28 June 1491–28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin or more commonly Trinity College, Dublin (TCD) was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin, Irelands oldest university. ... The office of High King of Ireland (Irish: Ard Rí Érenn) was in origin a pseudohistorical construct of the eighth century that placed a king of all Ireland atop the fragmented pyramid of kingship that actually existed at that time. ... Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, known as Brian Boru born probably 941 (near Killaloe in modern County Clare). ...

The image of the harp is used on Irish coinage, passports, and government documents, it is also the official seals of the President, Taoiseach, Tánaiste, government ministers and other officials. The harp on 1928 coinage was also based on the Galway harp, whilst a much modified version was introduced on 1939 coinage and the present Irish euro coins are largly based on this. This version of the harp, on a 1990 Irish pound, has been on Irish coinage circulated from 1939 until 2000. ... Seal on envelope A seal is an impression printed on, embossed upon, or affixed to a document (or any other object) in order to authenticate it, in lieu of or in addition to a signature. ... The President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of the Republic of Ireland. ... The Taoiseach (plural: Taoisigh) or, more formally, An Taoiseach, is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet1. ... The Tánaiste (plural: Tánaistithe), or more formally An Tánaiste, is the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Ireland1. ... Download high resolution version (748x743, 412 KB)own image Obverse of Irish pound File links The following pages link to this file: Coinage of the Republic of Ireland Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (748x743, 412 KB)own image Obverse of Irish pound File links The following pages link to this file: Coinage of the Republic of Ireland Categories: GFDL images ... The euro (EUR or €) is the common currency for 12 member states of the European Union, including Ireland. ...

See also

• Presidential Seal
• Presidential Standard
• Shamrock

The Official Seal of the President of Ireland (Irish: Séala Oifigeamhail Uachtarán na hÉireann) was presented to the first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde and every subsiquent president to be affixed to every ...order, commission, warrant, or other instrument. ... The Presidential Standard of the President of Ireland, adopted in 1945, consists of a gold harp, (the coat of Arms of Ireland), on a St. ... This article is about the three leaf clover; for other meanings of the term, see shamrock (disambiguation) The shamrock, an Irish national symbol, is a three-leaved young white clover, sometimes (rarely nowadays) Trifolium repens (white clover, known in Irish as seamair bhán) but more usually today Trifolium dubium...

External Links

• Department of Foreign Affairs - Government of Ireland: Facts about Ireland (http://www.dfa.ie/information/publications/facts/fai/historystate.asp)
• The Brian Boru Harp (http://www.clarsach.net/Grainne_Yeats/brian_boru.htm)
• Henry VIII Harp Groat - H & I (http://www.irishcoinage.com/J00050.HTM)