Some of you will be familiar with efforts that I and a number of colleagues in Ireland are making with regard to an American Civil War trail in Ireland, hopefully to be accompanied by some form of all-island memorial. For any of you interested in reading a little more about this project check out our dedicated site here. We decided that we should come up with a logo to give the plans a visual identity, and with this in mind we were fortunate to secure the services of Sara Nylund, who designed and created an image for us.

Irish American Civil War Trail Logo

It was important for us that the logo represented Irish who were based in both the Northern and Southern States, and we wanted to avoid the traditional stars and stripes/stars and bars approach. The result sees as its central theme the Maid of Erin harp, a motif common among Irish communities in the mid-nineteenth century, and one that was utilised on the banners of both Union and Confederate Irish units. The harp has 32 strings, one for each of the counties on the island of Ireland. A laurel of shamrocks is another contemporary device, and on the logo is used to wreath the harp; rather than green the shamrock is blue for the Union on one side and grey for the Confederacy on the other.

We are hopeful that people will respond positively to the logo, and that it will provide us with a further tool to enhance knowledge of Irish involvement in the American Civil War in Ireland. Let us know what you think, and make sure to check out www.irishacwtrail.com to find out more about what we are up to!