Background: The flag was unveiled in 1914 as the flag for the Irish Citizen Army and depicts part of the constellation of Ursa Major, known as The Plough in Ireland and Britain.

If the flying of the flag implied national unity in 1916 the events of the bloody War of Independence and then the Irish Civil war showed huge bitter divisions existed within the state.

(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – An American and Irish flag marks the grave of Pvt. Bernard Trainor a Soldiers in the 69th New York Volunteer Infantry ...

Rare footage shows the Irish Army in 1956 marching through Youghal, County Cork in what was the army’s first “peacetime exercise” maneuver. Over a span of ten days, 1,000 Irish soldiers ...