Monday, 4 July 2016

National Colour

This week's challenge from The Diva is going to be very interesting. I am looking forward to seeing what everyone does for their response. The challenge is to represent the national colours of our country.

Now I bet you are all thinking I am going to do green for Ireland, but you would be wrong :-) A lot of people don't realise that in fact blue is the national colour of Ireland - St Patrick's blue. This is why the printed edition of the Constitution of Ireland has a blue cover, why the President's Chair is blue with a Celtic harp on it and why the carpets in the Dail and Seanad (Irish Parliament) are a deep blue.

No-one really knows why people started to think green was the Irish Colour. Of course the national flag of the Republic does have green on one third of it, that was to represent the older Gaelic tradition while the orange represents the supporters of William of Orange. The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between the 'orange' and the 'green'.

This is a picture of St. Patrick's Hall where the Irish Presidents are inaugurated, not a hint of green anywhere lol.   :-
For my tile this week I drew a string of the Celtic Harp and used the new tangle pattern Interlude around it. I surrounded the harp with Oh Well in blue. The only pen the right colour was three thicknesses thicker than I usually use and it felt very clumsy when drawing with it.

Here is my St Patrick's Blue tile done today for The Diva:-
A couple of weeks ago I did a travelling tangle with Saffy from Great Britain. As it happens I sent her a tile with the corner done in the colours of the Irish National Flag and Sh'rock tangled on it. Saffy tangled the rest with the British colours of red white and blue. What a coincidence it coming up as a challenge from the Diva now!



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19 comments:

  1. HeidiSue5 July 2016 at 00:27

    This is so cool. It is funny, I've known for a while about St Patrick Blue, but never realized it was the national color of Ireland. And I'm of Irish descent, no less. McSharry...my grandfather. This is a pretty tile. Love the combination, and even the Well tangle is Celtic looking. Love it.

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  2. Melena5 July 2016 at 00:38

    Wonderful tiles. I didn't know about the Irish blue either. Although I did know about the Orange Men I didn't know about the flag. Wonderful serendipity on that 2nd tile. Who would have known. LOL. And I really like the first one with the Celtic Harp and the Blue Well around it. Now I know about the Irish and blue. Good to learn something new.

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  3. jeanchaneyaz5 July 2016 at 03:35

    I just loving learning new things like this, YT! Thanks for sharing it. Nice tile with the blue and yellow as well. That heavier blue pen really looks nice. Now, I think I have to try some heavier pens too!

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  4. Suzanne Fluhr5 July 2016 at 05:11

    I think the Interlude around your harp done in Irish deep blue with a thicker pen works really well. It is bold and delicate at the same time---which sounds contradictory until one looks at what you accomplished. The Irish blue thing is new to me too and I visited Ireland. I think out in the world, we think of green shamrocks and green elves and how green the countryside is and there's green (but no blue) on the flag and that's how most of us remain ignorant. We don't know what we don't know. What Donald Rumsfeld (GWB's Secretary of Defense) called "unknown unknowns". ;-)

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  5. CharKat5 July 2016 at 05:13

    Both tiles are awesome. I did not know about the blue! I learned something today!

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  6. Anne's tangle blog5 July 2016 at 06:47

    Very original and well done!!!

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    1. Joanne Faherty5 July 2016 at 14:32

      I love the harp tile. I didn't know about the Irish blue either or what the colours on the flag represented after living in Ireland for about 8years you think I would have known /guessed?! Now to quiz my Irish hubby when he gets home to see if he knows 😂

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    2. The Yorkshire Tortoise5 July 2016 at 19:48

      Yes it will be interesting to see what he says. When I ask my Irish friends about it 50% know and 50% don't lol.

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  7. ria matheussen5 July 2016 at 15:59

    I've also learned today a bit more about the colours on your Flag. You have used Interlude in a very nice way and I love the harp in the middle. I visited Ireland years ago and when I was at the cliffs of Moher, there was someone playing the harp. It was beatiful and I will never forget. Very nice travelingtile too!

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  8. Brenda5 July 2016 at 17:21

    I did not know that blue was the national color of Ireland! It's a lovely shade of blue, and I really like your tile.

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  9. Pat Mathes5 July 2016 at 23:18

    Ok. I like learning about other cultures - blue, huh? I really like your tile. And thanks for the lesson too.

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  10. mariejo6 July 2016 at 09:36

    bravo!!!for the tile the celt harp and the blue!!! very good lesson!!

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  11. Michele Wynne6 July 2016 at 17:16

    I love your harp! Thank you for that gem of knowledge. I had no clue and I descend from a Doherty.

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  12. Anja8 July 2016 at 18:29

    Beautiful work!

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  13. Melissa9 July 2016 at 08:39

    I love your tile(s). What a clever way to create your harp. I saw the "original" at Trinity College library a few years ago.

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  14. Bine9 July 2016 at 16:45

    I love your tile for the Diva.

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  15. Bine9 July 2016 at 16:45

    I love your tile for the Diva.

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  16. DEMen9 July 2016 at 18:10

    And what a beautiful shade of blue it is too! I really think you made your heavier pen work for you. Well done.

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  17. Simone Menzel10 July 2016 at 16:53

    What a beautiful tile with the little harp! I knew that the harp is a symbol of ireland (I was lucky enouh to hear harp music in Ireland) but I also did not know theat blue is the national colour of Ireland! Now I know it and will never forget...
    Lovely tile!

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