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House flags of Irish shipping companies

Last modified: 2008-07-26 by rob raeside
Keywords: house flag | ireland | irish ferries | shamrock | clover | guiness |
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Alliance & Dublin Consumers' Gas

[British & Ireland houseflag] image by James Dignan

Source: "The dumpy book of ships and the sea" (ed. Henry Sampson, published by Sampson Low, London, circa 1957).
James Dignan, 11 October 2003

Alliance & Dublin Consumers' Gas Co. Ridley Chesterton in his 1967 Coastal Ships describes an orange flag bearing the coat of arms of the company in black and white.
Neale Rosanoski, 17 June 2004


Arklow Shipping Ltd.

[Arklow Shipping Ltd. houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, 24 February 2006

Arklow Shipping Ltd., Arklow - white flag, the firm's arms
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 24 February 2006


Bell Lines Ltd.

[Bell Lines Ltd. houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, 24 February 2006

Bell Lines Ltd., Dublin - purple flag, 4 alternating parallelograms, white and black.
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 24 February 2006


British & Ireland Steam Packet Co. Ltd

[British & Ireland houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, based on the British National Maritime Museum

The website of the National Maritime Museum describes the house flag of "the house flag of the British and Irish Steam Packet Co. Ltd, Dublin. On a white field, there is a red cross with a green border. The flag is made of nylon fabric, with a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. It has a rope and toggle attached.

Started in 1836, the British and Irish Steam Packet Co. Ltd was a Dublin based company running services to London via Falmouth and Plymouth. It merged with Coast Lines in 1938 and was taken over by the Irish Government in 1965."
Jarig Bakker, 6 August 2004

British & Irish Steam Packet Co. (Coast Lines Ltd): Liverpool, Southampton, Plymouth - Dublin. Dublin-Preston; Manchester.
Houseflag: White, with Red St. George's Cross over Green St. George's Cross.
Phil Nelson, 12 October 2003

Some sources show the green a lot narrower but this seems to be the generally accepted version.
Neale Rosanoski, 17 June 2004

[British & Irish Steam Packet Co. houseflag] image by Rob Raeside

Around 1967 a blue flag with a white Gaelic "e" was produced in line with a funnel change but it was never actually used as a houseflag although it was used briefly by the "Leinster" as a stem jack [Loughran (1979)]. In the late 1980s the name changed to B&I Line plc and then in the latter 1990s it became part of the Irish Continental Group having been owned by the Irish Government since 1966.
Neale Rosanoski, 22 March 2004


City of Cork S.P. Co. Ltd.

[Dundalk, Newry, S.P., Co., Ltd. houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker

City of Cork S.P. Co. Ltd., Cork - white swallowtail, red cross; in center white oval disk charged with the city arms.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies [Wedge 1926].
Jarig Bakker, 18 January 2005


Dublin Shipping, Ltd.

[Dublin Shipping Ltd. houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, 24 February 2006

Dublin Shipping, Ltd., Dublin - white flag with the firm's logo incorporating a large green wave and smaller blue waves above and below.
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 24 February 2006


Dundalk, Newry, S.P., Co., Ltd.

[Dundalk, Newry, S.P., Co., Ltd. houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker

Dundalk, Newry, S.P., Co., Ltd., Dundalk (Dundalk is in the Republic of Ireland, Newry (now) in Northern Ireland) - blue flag, white disk with D&N in red.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies [Wedge 1926].
Jarig Bakker, 18 January 2005


Guinness Co.

[Guinness Co. houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, based on the British National Maritime Museum

The website of the National Maritime Museum describes the house flag of "the house flag of Guinness Co., Dublin. A red swallow-tailed burgee with a black 'G' in the centre. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn."
Jarig Bakker, 14 August 2004


Holland Ireland Line (Palgrave, Murphy (S) Ltd.)

[Irish Ferries houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker

From the flagchart "Vlaggen in de haven van Amsterdam" (flags in the harbour of Amsterdam), no date: the Holland Ireland Line (Palgrave, Murphy (S) Ltd., - ship
City of Waterford.
Horizontal triband of red-white-red with on white P.M.(S) LTD.
More on http://www.irishships.com/palgrave.htm.
Jarig Bakker, 5 July 2004


Irish Ferries (Irish Continental Line Ltd.)

[Irish Ferries houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, 24 February 2006

Irish Continental Line Ltd., Dublin - three horizontal stripes of bright blue - green - blue, separated by narrow white stripes; over all white shamrock.
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 24 February 2006

EuCon uses same flag.
Al Fisher, 09 Feb 1999

[Irish Ferries houseflag] image by Neale Rosanoski

Irish Ferries. Formed in 1973 as the Irish Continental Line Ltd. with a service between Rosslare and Le Havre with the original flag combining emblems of the two countries being white with a red saltire surmounted by a black and white fleur-de-lis.

[Irish Ferries houseflag] image by Rob Raeside

In 1978 the Irish connection was stressed by the  adoption of a green flag bearing a white shamrock. In 1988 the name was changed to the Irish Continental Group plc and at some stage the flag shown here was adopted.
Neale Rosanoski, 17 June 2003


Irish Shipping

[Irish Shipping houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, based on the British National Maritime Museum

The website of the National Maritime Museum describes the house flag of the Irish Shipping Ltd, Dublin. A white rectangular flag with a red St Patrick's saltire. The arms of the four Irish provinces Leinster, Connacht, Ulster and Munster, are placed in the quarters. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. The four shields are printed on cotton appliqués. A rope and toggle is attached.

The shipping company was established in the early 1940s with the Irish government as a major shareholder. It was the first Irish flag operator of deep sea vessels. Initially, the house flag had the company initials in the quarters, but these were replaced with the arms of the four provinces in 1947."
Jarig Bakker, 17 August 2004


Limerick Steamship Company, Limited

[Limerick Steamship Company, Limited houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker

Limerick Steamship Company, Limited, Limerick; white flag, red cross; in all quarters "LSSCo".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies [Wedge 1926].
Jarig Bakker, 18 January 2005


Michael Murphy, Limited

[Michael Murphy, Limited houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker

Michael Murphy, Limited, Dublin - red flag, two white lozenges, both charged with black "M".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies [Wedge 1926].
Jarig Bakker, 18 January 2005


J. Weathergill & Sons

[J. Weathergill & Sons houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker

J. Weathergill & Sons, Dublin - blue swallowtail, yellow disk, red "W".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies [Wedge 1926].
Jarig Bakker, 18 January 2005