The Irish flag, also known to many as the Irish tricolor flag, was made the country's official flag when Ireland became a free nation in 1921. In honor of St. Patricks Day, here are some interesting facts that you might not have known about their flag, culture, and histories.

1. The Tricolor is a Symbol of Peace

The Irish flag can be recognized by its 3 vertical stripes of green, white, and orange. However, what does each color mean? In simplistic terms green (always at the hoist) represents Irish Nationalists/Catholics, orange represents people from a Protestant/Unionist background, and white in the middle signifies peace between the two. The two are held together in a lasting truce represented by the color white. The flag is used by nationalists on both sides of the border.

2. The Irish Flag Used to Not be Allowed to Fly at Night

Did you know it was widely believed to be bad luck for a national flag to be flown after dark in Ireland? Up until 2016 the protocol for flying the Irish flag was strictly limited between sunrise and sunset, even if there was a proper light source.

However, on January 1, 2016, the tricolor was proudly raised at Dublin Castle and was left to fly all night under illumination to commemorate the Easter Rising. The National Flag guidelines have since been changed to allow it to fly at night as long as it remains visible under a light source at all times.

3. The Tricolor Predecessor

The Irish flag underwent a few transformations before settling on the tricolor flag we all know today.

The original banner dated back to the 1640s and had just a simple golden harp. In the 1800s the flag was modified to include the Maid of Erin was added to the golden harp with "Erin Go Bragh" inscribed below the harp and is now referred to as the Erin Go Bragh flag.

The words "Erin Go Bragh" translates to "Ireland forever," or more literally to "Ireland until the end of time”.

4. Dublin is Closer Than You Think!

There are actually 19 cities in the United States whose namesakes are all the capital city of Ireland.

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia all have cities called Dublin.

5. Nine Irishmen Declared for the United States

Of the 56 men who signed the American Declaration of Independence, nine of them were Irish. By comparison, only eight were British.

The nine men were Thomas McKean, Charles Caroll, James Smith, George Taylor, Matthew Thornton, Edward Rutledge, Thomas Lynch Jr., George Read, and John Dunlap.

6. The Irish Are Quite the Honorable Servicemen

The Medal of Honor is the United States of America's most prestigious personal military decoration. In the history of the United States military, Irish-Americans have been awarded this medal more than any other ethnicity.

Over 2,000 Irish-American servicemen of the United States military have been awarded a Medal of Honor for their acts of valor during military operations.