When sports teams fly the flag for Ireland, they should do it under the same banner – and here’s my design

In rugby, hockey and cricket we compete on an all-Ireland basis, but we don’t have a common flag

‘Simple and distinctive’: The proposed flag for Irish sport. Design: Shane Mc Intyre

Shane Mc Intyre

Ireland’s Six Nations triumph over France. The women’s international rugby sevens team taking gold in the final against the hosts Down Under. Our men’s hockey team qualifying for the Olympics; their female counterparts narrowly missing out. Both the men’s and women’s cricket teams recording series wins in Zimbabwe.

In all these recent games, the Irish teams differed from their competitors in that they represent two jurisdictions but compete as a single team. Despite this, they do not play under a common flag. The tricolour is there in the crowd, as it should be, but it doesn’t accurately represent these teams’ unique position.