Origins of the Harp

Legend has it that the harp originated as the Leinster Symbol in the 1600s when Eoghan Ruadh O’Neill flew a green flag with a golden harp from his ship, the St. Francis as she was anchored at Dunkirk. The Leinster connection came when he returned to Ireland to help the Irish Confederation, which was headquartered in Kilkenny.

Naturally when the first Interprovincial rugby match took place between Leinster and Ulster, the Leinster team sported Jerseys that carried the traditional logo of the province. While the colour of the Jersey changed from Green to Blue, the logo remained on the Leinster Jersey up to the professional era.

The modern Leinster Rugby Harp

In 2005 Leinster Rugby re-branded which saw the introduction of a new stylised harp logo. With the old logo, which Leinster Rugby had no copyright on, Leinster’s brand, intellectual property, and merchandise was largely unprotected. The new logo incorporates the traditional harp which represents the province with a rugby ball which makes it specific to Leinster Rugby and it is used in various formats and colours. It is fully copyright protected and is popular among supporters and can be seen on the wide range of Leinster merchandise which is available.