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IF YOU’VE BEEN in Dublin recently, you might have spotted a prominent Irish flag adorning some Dublin Buses.
“The Flag of All of Us” is an advertising campaign that is being run on Dublin Bus routes until 23 March.
It’s part of an initiative by the Thomas F Meagher Foundation to promote “pride in and respect for the Irish flag and its meaning for peace and inclusion”.
The ad campaign was launched in unison with the organisation’s 12th annual ‘Flag Day’ in which schools celebrate the Irish flag and all national flags of students in the run-up to St Patrick’s Day.
The Flag of All of Us campaign was launched with the help of Charlie O’Leary, the 102-year-old former kit man for the Irish soccer team.
The Thomas F Meagher Foundation was founded in 2013 by Church of Ireland Reverend Michael Cavanaugh.
Thomas F Meagher first raised what would later become the national flag at the Wolfe Tone Confederate Club at 33 The Mall in Waterford city in 1848.
In April of that year, he stated: “The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between Orange and Green and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics may be clasped in generous brotherhood.”
Reverend Cavanaugh remarked that “flag’s message now embraces all who call Ireland home”.
Speaking to The Journal, Reverend Cavanaugh said the Foundation’s role is “threefold – information, inclusion, and involvement”.
“We are strictly non-political and that is important in what we’re trying to do.
“We really do see the message of the flag as totally inclusive and not in any sense going away from what Thomas Meagher said in the first place.”
But while Reverend Cavanagh is promoting the Irish flag as a symbol of inclusion, there has been concern in recent months that the flag has been “hijacked”.
Last September, Tánaiste Simon Harris warned that society must not allow the far-right to “hijack” the Irish national flag.
Some councillors on Dublin City Council also hit out at the “weaponisation” of the national flag as a means to “mark territory” in the capital.
When asked about concerns of far-right groups “hijacking” the flag, Reverend Cavanaugh said: “This is one of the reasons why we emphasise that we are strictly non-political.
“People will take their own view but if you look at the original purpose of the flag, the white in the centre signifies lasting peace between the Irish Catholic and the Irish Protestant.
“That was in 1848 when there was political division in those areas but that didn’t stop Thomas Meagher putting out a flag which was for everybody.
“I can’t comment on the motivation of different people, all I can do is promote the meaning of the flag as we see it, particularly among young people.”
Meanwhile, some people argue that should there ever be a United Ireland, the Irish flag might have to be one of the first things to go given that many unionists would never accept it as their flag.
When this was put to Reverend Cavanaugh, he replied: “Our aspiration is to get people to understand the meaning of the flag.
“Once they understand that, then I don’t think there’s any reason why people should not support it.
“I know there are people of very different opinions – all I would ask is that those people share those opinions in a constructive manner and I trust that people of good will can do that.
“This a flag for all of us and I hope that people can understand that the message of 1848 is as relevant in 2026 as it ever was.”
He added that the ‘Flag of All of Us’ campaign is about stating that “we welcome people of all colours, all cultures”.
“We want people to see that the white panel in the middle of the flag says, ‘welcome, you’re included, join with us’.”
Meanwhile, Reverend Cavanaugh expressed hope that Flag Day, which nearly 300 schools have signed up for, will get bigger and better.
“When people understand the meaning of what the flag says, I think our support will continue to grow.”
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