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. Image File history File links COA_IRELAND.PNG Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links COA_IRELAND.PNG Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 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... The Great Seal of the Irish Free State (Irish: Séala Mor do Shaorstát Éireann) was the official seal which replaced the Great Seal of the Realm used to seal official documents of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann) by the Governor-General. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) 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, and appears as the third quarter of the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom. This style of triangular harp originated in Scotland and were known as far back as the 8th century, when they appear on Pictish stone carvings, in the Scottish Highlands. At this time, Irish stone carvers are continuing to represent quadrangular instruments, more likely to be lyres than harps in modern classification and no evidence exists of the triangular frame until until the 11th century. The harp is a chordophone which has its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. ... The term Anglo-Irish means English-Irish. ... 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 Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom for general purpose. ...

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 College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin or more commonly Trinity College, Dublin was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, and is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin, Irelands oldest university. ... Although the traditional list of those bearing the title High King of Ireland (Irish: Ard Rí Éirinn) goes back thousands of years, into the second millennium BC, most scholars believe that the earlier parts of the list, at least, are largely mythical. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The image of the harp is used on Irish coinage, passports, and official documents of the state, it is also the official seals of the President, Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Ministers of the Government 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 largely 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 cabinet. ... The Tánaiste (plural: Tánaistithe), or more formally An Tánaiste, is the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Ireland1. ... The Irish Government contains a number of departments or ministries, known in the Republic of Ireland as a Department of State. ... 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 ... Irish euro coins all share the same design by the hand of Jarlath Hayes, that of the harp, a traditional symbol for Ireland since the Middle Ages, based on that of the Brian Boru Harp, housed in Trinity College Dublin, and said to have once been owned by ancient High...

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. ... The Shamrock The shamrock, an unofficial symbol of Ireland, 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 (lesser clover, Irish: seamair bhuí). The shamrock was traditionally used for its medical properties...

External links

• Department of Foreign Affairs - Government of Ireland: Facts about Ireland
• The Brian Boru Harp
• Henry VIII Harp Groat - H & I