Public Displays of Flags and Emblems in Northern Ireland: Survey 2010

This research and report was commissioned by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and was undertaken by the Institute of Irish Studies, Queen’s University, Belfast. The aim of the research was to understand the practice of publically displaying large numbers of flags and other emblems in public spaces in Northern Ireland. The research was commissioned, in part, to evaluate A Shared Future (2005) and The Joint Protocol in Relation to Flags Flown in Public Areas (2005). These two policy documents identified the problem of large numbers of flags flying on lampposts for long durations of time. It was felt that this created a demarcation of public space that was not beneficial to the economic and social development in Northern Ireland.