The Nova Scotia Gaelic flag
In Nova Scotia, you might have noticed that we have a Gaelic flag. The Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia, in cooperation with the Nova Scotia Office of Gaelic Affairs, developed and presented a new Gaelic symbol and flag on behalf of the Gaelic community in 2008.
The Nova Scotia Gaelic Flag
In the design of the flag,
The salmon represents the gift of knowledge in the Gaelic storytelling traditions of Nova Scotia, Scotland and Ireland and the Isle of Man.
The “G” represents the Gaelic language and the ripples are the manifestations of the language through its rich culture of song, story, music, dance and custom and belief system.
—”The Gaelic Image,” The Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia
The blue colour is the same as the blue in the Nova Scotia provincial flag and coat of arms. I remember hearing that Celtic revival-style knotwork designs were deliberately eschewed in favour of a more modern look.
Whatever the design, a flag for the Gaelic community might seem odd from an “old world” Scottish perspective. The pan-Celtic flag incorporating flags of the “six Celtic nations” uses the Scottish saltire. So why does it make sense to have a separate Gaelic flag here in Nova Scotia?
At our local Acadian French-medium school, the flags of all the nations of la francophonie hang from the ceiling in the cafeteria:
Flags of Canadian francophonie in a French-medium school cafeteria
In addition to those flags, there is another set of special flags: the flags of the Canadian Francophonie — the French-speaking communities of each Canadian province. In the case of Québec (officially French) and New Brunswick (officially bilingual), it is the provincial flag itself. In the case of the other provinces of Canada which have Francophone populations of smaller proportions, the Francophone community in each province developed a flag which is based on the design of the provincial flag.
The flag of Nova Scotia francophonie is the Acadian flag, which was adopted in 1884 (pictured just to the right of the Canadian flag in the photo above). The Acadian flag has been incorporated into folk art all over the Maritimes:
Acadian flag folk art in the Maritimes
The Mi’kmaq people also have multiple flags. This is the Santéé Mawióómi or Grand Council flag of the Mi’kmaq Nation, which can be displayed vertically or horizontally:
Grand Council flag of the Mi’kmaq Nation
So, it’s normal Canadian cultural logic for a national or provincial language group to have its own flag.
Of course a Gaelic flag is not “traditional” and so there were some folks who didn’t like it at first. Someone called it “bradan ’sa phàn”— salmon in the frying pan. But most of us like our Gaelic flag a great deal and display it daily.
We fly it at our homes, businesses, and institutions…
Flag raising at Province House for Gaelic Awareness Month, May 2013
We drive around with it on our cars…
Nova Scotia Gaelic decorative license plates (front license plates not required in NS)
…even when we have to shovel our cars out of the snow first.
An Gearran dhà rìribh
We use the design in arts and crafts:
Fused glass suncatchers created by Mary Lou Beaton, NSCC (not for sale)
We even take it on trips around the world!
The Nova Scotia Gaelic flag displayed by Nova Scotian travelers at the Canadian Pavilion, Expo 2010, in Shanghai, China
UPDATE: Some folks have asked where these flags can be obtained. When Comhairle na Gàidhlig (The Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia) attends Gaelic events in the province, they often have free flag swag. Comhairle na Gàidhlig has also sold fundraising items in the past. At this time it seems that the best thing to do is to contact either the Gaelic Council or Gaelic Affairs (see links in comments below) to ask about availability.
Gaelic Council promotional Gaelic flag materials
Adding a postscript to my blog post to explain a bit more about why the flag features a salmon: The tales of Fionn MacCumhail and his warrior band were transmitted in oral tradition by Gaels in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin). These tales were brought to Nova Scotia by Gaelic settlers in the 18th-19th centuries and were transmitted orally there as well. This was documented by John Shaw in his book _The Blue Mountains and Other Gaelic Stories from Cape Breton/Na Beanntaichean Gorma agus Sgeulachdan Eile à Ceap Breatainn_: http://www.mqup.ca/blue-mountains-and-other-gaelic-stories-from-cape-breton–the-products-9780773532571.php
I still have two of these flags from junior year at Pitt (the first time I’d heard the word “swag”). One is visible from my apartment window. Right now it’s hanging out with an early-spring hyacinth, an embroidered bag from my Croatian grandmother, and a ceramic sign made by my artistic sister.
In a way, it feels like posing to keep the flags up — I haven’t studied Gaelic at all since high school — but it feels really important to keep the image visible. And if someone asks (so far no one has), I can direct them to people who know more than I do.
Where can one purchase the Gaelic Flag?
Deagh cheist! Good question! I don’t actually know right now. The best groups to contact with that question would be:
1) The Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia (a voluntary organization), http://www.gaelic.ca/contact.html
2) Gaelic Affairs (a NS provincial government office), https://gaelic.novascotia.ca/contact-us
It’s now August when many people in Nova Scotia go on vacation, so it’s possible that getting an answer to your question might take a while. 🙂
Starting in 2008 the Gaelic Affairs government office had flags which were distributed as promotional materials in the province — there were full-size flags, tabletop flags with little plastic stands, enamel pins, and window stickers.
As far as I know, the rights to the flag design rest with the Gaelic Council and/or Gaelic Affairs, and any reproductions of the flag that are for sale, rather than for individual personal use, should not be carried out without their express permission.
AUGUST 2020 UPDATE:
Nova Scotia’s Gaelic Affairs office has just announced that Nova Scotia Gaelic flags will be for sale at The Flag Shop in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia! Details here:
https://www.facebook.com/dremilymcewan/posts/2680111222088817
AUGUST 2020 UPDATE:
Nova Scotia’s Gaelic Affairs office has just announced that Nova Scotia Gaelic flags will be for sale at The Flag Shop in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia! Details here:
https://www.facebook.com/dremilymcewan/posts/2680111222088817