Into The Frayed, Dear Friends

Having arrived in Greystones on June 28th last year as part of the 1916 Remembrance Garden, the Irish flag has been flying high in Burnaby Park for over a year now.

And flapping about in the four seasons has certainly taken its toll.

There have been a few cries of anguish on social media in recent weeks about the tattered state of Greystones’ Irish flag, with some arguing that, given the political shenanigans of the last 12 months, perhaps it was now an art installation addressing the state of the nation.

We decided the best thing to do would be to get in touch with those ever-helpful boys and girls down at the Greystones Municipal District Council. A simple email enquiring if there are any plans to replace the frayed and frazzled flag garnered this witty and insightful reply.

The District Engineer is making arrangements to have the flag taken down and disposed of in accordance with the National Flag protocol document.  The flag will only be put up again also in accordance with the guidance given in the national protocol document.

Having been sick the day our school covered the National Flag protocol document, we dared send another query. Namely, ‘huh?’. Within minutes came the frankly flirtatious reply…

Link to the guidelines is http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/The_National_Flag/The_National_Flag.pdf

Boom!

So, there you have it. If anyone out there has a few hours to spare, and wants to read through the 30-page National Flag protocol document, do let us know when, exactly, the flag is due to come down the pole. And when the flag – preferably a new one – is due to go back up the pole. We’re beginning to think the Greystones Municipal District kids haven’t actually read it either.

In the meantime, you can check out last year’s Garden of Remembrance unveiling ceremony, when the great Lalli de Buitléar did the honours.