The Irish Flag Arrives in Seattle
The steamship Knockfierna marks a historic maritime moment by becoming the first vessel to sail into the port of Seattle flying the Irish flag.
With the green, white and yellow vertical stripes of the dependency of Ireland flying from the forepeak, and the Union Jack of Great Britain at her stern, the steamship Knockfierna, Captain Maurice Strymans commanding, arrived in port recently, the first vessel to fly the flag of Ireland to enter this port. The Knockfierna is owned by the Limerick Steamship Company, Ltd., of Limerick, Ireland, and comes to load cargo for Japan. As the big vessel pulled into the Ames terminal the strange flag at the forepeak created considerable comment, and it remained for Customs Inspector Edward Diller, a veteran in the service, to identify the flag.
“As the big vessel pulled into the Ames terminal the strange flag at the forepeak created considerable comment.”
This event captures the shifting geopolitical identity of Ireland in the early 1920s following the Irish War of Independence. It serves as a reminder of how maritime trade connected Seattle to the global political changes of the early 20th century.
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