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Red Hand redirects here.For the event see Red Hand Day.

The Red Hand of Ulster is a symbol, used in heraldry, which is used to denote the Irish province of Ulster. Its origins are uncertain but attributed to mythical tales passed down from generation to generation in the oral tradition. Some versions of the image have the thumb open from the rest of the hand such as Tyrone GAA's crest. The symbol is strongly rooted to Irish Gaelic culture and in particular, the Irish Gaels of Ulster such as the 'O'Neills' and associated Ulster Gaelic clans pre-17th Century.

According to one famous myth, Ulster had at one time no rightful heir. Because of this it was agreed that a boat race should take place (possibly in Strangford Lough) and that "whosoever's hand is the first to touch the shore of Ulster, so shall he be made the king".

One potential king so loved and desired Ulster that, upon seeing that he was losing the race, he cut off his hand and threw it to the shore — thus winning the kingship. The hand is most likely red to represent the fact that it would have been covered in blood.

Another story concerns two giants engaged in battle, one of whom had his hand cut off by the other, and a red imprint of the hand was left on the rocks. Yet another myth tells that the hand came along when a citizen dipped his hand in hot red wax to protest tax in Belfast.^{[citation needed]} Each of these stories are likely to be retrospective fabrications, most particularly the one about the giants.

The Red Hand is used in the flag of Northern Ireland, the Ulster Flag and on the shields of counties Cavan, Tyrone, Londonderry, Antrim and Monaghan. It is also used by many other official and non-official organisations throughout the province of Ulster. Some Loyalist organisations in Northern Ireland prominently display the Red Hand in their insignia and paraphernalia and G.A.A clubs that would normally be affiliated with the Nationalist community use the Red Hand widely also. It is also the badge of baronets other than those of Scotland or Nova Scotia. In the flags, the red hand is a right hand; for baronets, it is a left hand.

"The Red Hand of Ulster's a paradox quite,
To Baronets 'tis said to belong;
If they use the left hand, they're sure to be right,
And to use the right hand would be wrong.
For the Province, a different custom applies,
And just the reverse is the rule;
If you use the right hand you'll be right, safe and wise,
If you use the left hand you're a fool."

The flag of the province of Ulster

A variant myth, recounts how Uí Néill and a man named Dermott both wished to be king of Ulster. The High King suggested a horse race across the land. As the two came in sight of the ending point, it seemed that Dermott would win, so Uí Néill cut his hand off and threw it. It reached the goal ahead of Dermott's horse, winning for Uí Néill the crown of Ulster.

Coats of arms used by individuals bearing surnames of families of Uí Néill descent - Ó Cathain (now Keane), Ó Maelsechlainn (now McLoughlin), Ó Catharnaigh of Donegal (now Kearney) and Ó Neill/O'Neill, to name just a few - all feature the Red Hand in some manner, recalling their common descent.

Due to the domination of Ulster by the northern O'Neills, the symbol they used came to represent the province itself. To this day, the symbol is found in the Ulster flag and the former Flag of the Parliament of Northern Ireland the Ulster Banner.

In 2005 former Miss Northern Ireland, Zöe Salmon, caused controversy when she selected the Red Hand as a symbol to represent Northern Ireland for a "Best of British" logo for a fictitious airline in a competition for Blue Peter. David Miller, a sociology professor from Strathclyde University in Scotland, complained to the BBC, saying that like the swastika the Red Hand had been misappropriated, and that it was a symbol of the unionists.^[1]

The Red Hand of Ulster can be regarded as one of the few cross-traditional symbols that is used in Northern Ireland; however it can be more often associated with Unionist and Loyalists.^[2] In Nationalist perspectives, due to its strong attachment to Irish culture, it is also used widely by Ulster GAA affiliated clubs and in their crests and emblems.

1. ^ "Here’s a gaffe I made earlier" timesonline.co.uk
2. ^ CAIN website.

• Culture Northern Ireland article
• Red Hand
• Red Hand O'Neill
• Red hand (Sir David Roche, Bt)
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