63 Comments

• cillowen | Mar 09, 2013, 11:28 PM EST

  easy to handle - simply hand out hand held tricolor flags and/or dress in tricolor costume - staff and customers.

• EphraimKibbey | Mar 09, 2013, 07:02 PM EST

  anglo-norman - The IRISH did more than assimilate into America, they found out how BE America! Look at the abundance of Irish names in history's list of America's greatest political leaders, generals, writers, doctors, lawyers, builders, inventors, etc., etc.. And of the non-Irish names on the list, how many had Irish mothers, grandmothers, etc.? America is what it is because of Irish leadership not assimilation. And the Irish learned quickly here that the law is only the law until YOU change it! Changing it always starts right here and right now! While America can be proud of its flag (and I am,) it should always remember to HONOR ITS MOTHERS AND FATHERS many of whom answered to Irish names.

• STEVENSTAR | Mar 09, 2013, 05:00 PM EST

  @@@ANGLO NORMAN ... UUUUU ANGLO NORMAN YOUR SUCH A BIT*H HAHA!!!

• anglo-norman | Mar 09, 2013, 01:44 PM EST

  I personally like that law..if you live in America then respect the American Flag & assimilate into American Society. The Irish don't assimilate.

• MrBoire | Mar 09, 2013, 11:13 AM EST

  It's real simple. The Mayor Pro-Tem has said it was an oversight, and will be changed, right, if this is true then they just need to instruct the flag police to not enforce the law. Just like many other stupid laws still on the books all over the country, that are no longer enforced.

• Brnmar1 | Mar 09, 2013, 08:42 AM EST

  Florida has been taken over by village idiots. Next they will make it mandatory that everyone display the American flag on their houses and also wear a flag emblem on their clothes.

• mrgrady | Mar 09, 2013, 08:19 AM EST

  It cant be discriminatory, they're banning all flags except the U.S. flag. Its also probably not unconstitutional. And in a way, I kind of like the support for the American flag, which is what this law was probably supposed to do. But common sense needs to prevail at some point. There really needs to be an exception to the law on national holidays and such. After all the gals are from Ireland, and are contributing to the American dream by building and succeeding in a great business. Wake up Atlantic Beach and permit the flag while you amend the law. Slainte!!!

• AlunPalmer | Mar 09, 2013, 02:50 AM EST

  The law isn't always the law. Not when it's unconstitutional. That's denying their first amendment rights. Erin Go Bragh!

• bobby | Mar 08, 2013, 09:30 PM EST

  So much for "FREEDOM" what a load of crap

• anglo-norman | Mar 08, 2013, 07:12 PM EST

  The law is the law

• falconflash | Mar 08, 2013, 06:07 PM EST

  Jacob: Could be. Do you have the time and money to fight it?

• branagh | Mar 08, 2013, 05:49 PM EST

  Those sisters are hot ladies for sure! Hopefully,the flag flap will help business.

• Jacob | Mar 08, 2013, 05:17 PM EST

  First Amendment?

• merefalow | Mar 08, 2013, 05:13 PM EST

  when in rome,having said that something about this suck,s,flying the flag outside a bar on st patricks day is hardly subversive or an insult in any way to the usa.especially as has been pointed out all nations flags are flown outside hotels,is this a little bit of belfast nastiness washed up in florida,also considering whats going on in the world of media control,murdochs world wide web,the sinister levenson inqisition,quantomino bay,torture,imprisonment without trial,in direct contravention of the usa constitution,closing of a national investigative newspaper in the uk,the imprisonment,sacking investigations into editors,sub editors,journalists,harrassing of wickileaks,julian assange imprisoned in a friendly embassy,police arrested for passing information(how else can news papers gain info.the inbedding of reporters in war zones to prevent any knowledge of whats happening,biased and slanted or non reporting,targeting of news agencies considered hostile,RT,Al jazeera,the proposed removal (contrary to the constitution of autamatic weapons)dont be caught with a weapon in uk,but its ok for the establishment and rich land owners,PUNATIVE SENTENCING FOR WHISTLEBLOWERS WHO OUT MURDER AND CORRUPTION,on and on,we should be very afraid of whats happening right now in our so called democracies.And more afraid of our own apathy.

• Stiofain | Mar 08, 2013, 04:33 PM EST

  Flash Mob!With flag's and "The Jolly Plow Boy" in front of the Pub on St Patrick's Day. Florida has a lot of high end hotels, most fly foreign flags, especially depending on who is staying there.

• alisaann | Mar 08, 2013, 04:31 PM EST

  this is just WRONG....that's DISCRIMINATION...and that should be ILLEGAL. alisa

• jacersagain | Mar 08, 2013, 04:14 PM EST

  Couldn't they just fly a Shamrock flag? It's not a national flag.

• dublinthomas | Mar 08, 2013, 03:55 PM EST

  That's ironic for the so called land of freedom where you haven't the freedom to fly a flag in an Irish orientated business. Maybe we should return the favour by taking down all the American flags in Dublin the west coast and other towns and city's . We had no problem with it or any other flag . It seems that Ireland is freer than America and yet it is ironic that the stars and strips were based on a piece by Turlough O'Carolan and there white house was designed by an Irish man who based it on our own government buildings ..

• Redneck56 | Mar 08, 2013, 03:54 PM EST

  I think they should sue the city for inhibiting their right of free expression.

• Ron | Mar 08, 2013, 03:07 PM EST

  What an act of pettiness and xenophobia! The Yank flag and the Confederacy flag are OK though. Sack this mayor!

• Stiofain | Mar 08, 2013, 03:02 PM EST

  Bet it would have been different if it was a Confederate flag!

• Stiofain | Mar 08, 2013, 02:59 PM EST

  The Confederacy!

• ellenred | Mar 08, 2013, 02:49 PM EST

  I will be in and around Culhanes on Saint Patrick's Day. I might even be carrying my Irish flag

• irishbob | Mar 08, 2013, 02:28 PM EST

  Only in Florida would something like this happen. If they can't display flags other than the American flag, then they should outlaw the display of the Florida state flag too.

• IrelandNorth | Mar 08, 2013, 02:03 PM EST

  Well whady'a know. Belfast City Council comes to Atlantic Beach, Florida. Is Willie Frazer and Jamie Bryson behind this, or wha'? Or has the flags controversy in Belfast been brough over on the breeze? I reckon that loyalist lady from east Belfast who succeeded in head-butting the double glazing in tha back door of Belfat City Hall is behind this. The one who was banging-on about having no suspenders - or something?

• AengusOg | Mar 08, 2013, 01:45 PM EST

  I always preferred the gold harp on the field of green. As for Atlantic Beach, did the anonymous hack who penned this piece enquire as to the basis of the ordinance. It may not have been aimed at the tricolor at all.

• katieherk | Mar 08, 2013, 01:31 PM EST

  See what's happening to our beloved country? When will it end.... where are our freedoms going? (downhill like America with our anointed one?)

• chicksooze | Mar 08, 2013, 12:56 PM EST

  They'll most likely fly it at some point, and so they should. I see some "fleggers" are upset because their "fleg" was taken down in NI, boo hoo...and it's not ever going back up. Get used to it.

• EphraimKibbey | Mar 08, 2013, 12:46 PM EST

  Proud Canadian2 - I believe that Tim Severin showed us in the seventies that it was on Canada's shores that St. Brendan found his "Promised Land" and L'anse Aux Meadows where the Vikings followed centuries later is also part of your great nation I believe. I also understand that the French lived for centuries in mutually good relationship with native peoples in your home land. More recently, your land has become the promised land for American Seniors seeking reasonable prescription drug prices. I also understand that Vancouver has the highest property values of any city on our shared continent. And then there is the natural beauty, the skiing and other sports. You can send my promotional travelog fee to my address at ... Seriously, the ACLU would probably take the Irish Flag case for free. This is right up their alley. I agree that the bar owners should take down the flag, pay the fine and then sue for whatever decline in business they can document from previous years as well as damages for loss of future business. Ron and Rand Paul might even file an Amicus Curiae brief on the part of the Libritarian Party. Whatever the outcome, the free publicity would be worth a fortune!

• zalzan | Mar 08, 2013, 12:30 PM EST

  This is not as bad as it appears...there are many towns with ordinances prohibiting banners, signs and flags along roadsides or along business district paths because it results in alot of clutter and even foot and vehicle traffic problems, including visibility. They could hang this in their window, etc. It may be that there is some ordinance about American flags, but the only law I really know of is that the American flag has to be above any other when flown together.

• anglo-norman | Mar 08, 2013, 12:29 PM EST

  Obey the law.

• Beaux013 | Mar 08, 2013, 12:19 PM EST

  Looks like the "PC" crowd is at it again. Irelands national flag is considered a "banner"? Give us all a break already and take your anti Irish views back to jolly old England or where ever it is this loon of a mayor comes from. The pub should hand out mini tri colors and Tee shirts to every patron coming through the door on St. Pat's.Bigotry comes in many disguises and should be fought against at every level.

• ePHraimAg | Mar 08, 2013, 12:11 PM EST

  et Thru to NaNTHuels' letter per se.... 'Burns THe flags that keep His Banners'

• Proud Canadian2 | Mar 08, 2013, 11:52 AM EST

  So the Irish think that the US is such a great place to live and start a business, what a joke. Come to Canada and enjoy the flying whatever flag you want and really see what true freedom is all about. All nationalities and cultures are appreciated here. Canada is the true land of the free.

• CourtneysDad | Mar 08, 2013, 11:51 AM EST

  I am not from the South... I have lived in the North and the South and I am white. I do not find the flags of the Confederacy offensive at all - just the opposite.What is offensive is the restrictive action against freedom of speech and expression.

• Mr. Boston99 | Mar 08, 2013, 11:50 AM EST

  Israeli flags are the only foreing ones allowed to be flown in many paces in the USA today. Look into who is making sure the Irish flag is not flown and it will almost certainly be a Jewish group or a Jewish person. The same group that will be labeling you an anti-semite if you objected to their temple flying that banner supporting Israel's "quest for peace" every time that Israel is attacking Gaza or one of Israel's neighbors. They do this because they can and to show us they can

• seamus60 | Mar 08, 2013, 11:34 AM EST

  Paradigm. Why do you persist in letting yourself and your fleg down. All the parties mentioned are at ease with standards presently equating to the flying of the British fleg as per in Britian.

• antoman | Mar 08, 2013, 11:07 AM EST

  There should be a full and thorough investigation. Followed by a tribunal lasting no less than five years and costing the exchequer half a billion euro's. Oh wait, this was in America.

• Joe Kelsall | Mar 08, 2013, 10:57 AM EST

  Judging by its abundance, this law does NOT apply to'rainbow flags'?

• FrPeteOFeely | Mar 08, 2013, 10:57 AM EST

  Here at the Communist Party Headquarters in Atlantic Beach, Florida, we were hoping that Culhane's Irish Pub, down the street near us, would be allowed to fly their Irish Tricolor. Last week we were told to take down our red Soviet flag with the white Hammer and Sickle, and we were hoping that if the Irish got to fly their flag, we could demand equality and put our Hammer and Sickle back up on the storefront. Has anyone noticed if they're still flying the Confederate flag over the Florida State Capitol Building?

• AlanFrost | Mar 08, 2013, 10:45 AM EST

  So, there's good news and bad news. The bar can't hang a flag outside (unless it is a US flag), but I'm sure they could hang it in their front window. In any case, they've gotten $$$ worth of free publicity. The free speech question is a good one, even though every municipality in the US has sign laws. Fly the flag, fight the law, and take it to the Supreme Court! I agree with jamieLM. The bad news is strictly for jackinnj. There is only one state with a flag containing the Union Jack: Hawaii. It was the flag of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 200 years ago.

• jamieLM | Mar 08, 2013, 10:42 AM EST

  For now, can they fly the flag inside and paint the walls outside like an Irish flag? Maybe a LONG time ago there was a valid reason for passing this ordinance. There are lots of very out-dated local ordinances on the books all over the U.S. - many that people are unaware of because they're not enforced. The bar owners should challenge the flag ordinance legally in court.

• Paradigm | Mar 08, 2013, 10:34 AM EST

  Send some of these sensible lawmakers to Belfast where, without public consultation or agreement the three Irish nationalist parties - Alliance, SDLP and Sinn Fein want to constrain public buildings from flying our British flag.

• billynolan | Mar 08, 2013, 10:24 AM EST

  PAINT THE BUILDING; GREEN, WHITE & GOLD

• CitizenWhy | Mar 08, 2013, 10:24 AM EST

  The intent of the ordinance is probably good, possibly to prevent the flying of the Confederate flag, a sight offensive to many back people and white northerners and even many white southerners.

• Mousemess | Mar 08, 2013, 10:13 AM EST

  Culhane = O Cathalain in the Irish language

• Mousemess | Mar 08, 2013, 10:09 AM EST

  Irish tricolour flag= Brat tri dath in the Irish language or flag of three colors

• slainte9 | Mar 08, 2013, 10:01 AM EST

  Boycott Atlantic Beach!

• slainte9 | Mar 08, 2013, 09:58 AM EST

  This is cleary a violation of the United States Constitution. I'm very surprised that the local ordinance exists and that it hasn't already be struck down by the courts. This Florida town must be little more than a speedtrap that no one noticed.

• DanS | Mar 08, 2013, 09:54 AM EST

  Our grandchildren will roll their eyes when we repeat the "fairy tale" that America was once a free country.

• johnshiel | Mar 08, 2013, 09:51 AM EST

  this one horse small minded town does its business community no favors by announcing its xenophobia to the world... better left unvisited, most will conclude...

• Helen Ferone | Mar 08, 2013, 09:51 AM EST

  Fly the flag, and take the fine. It's worth it. The government has turned the US into states where we just don't have freedom anymore only if the gov't agrees. It's ridiculous. Shame on Florida.

• Helen Ferone | Mar 08, 2013, 09:43 AM EST

  Just paint the outside of your bar a Tricolour

• Seanmor | Mar 08, 2013, 09:43 AM EST

  By preventing the display of the Tri-Color, the authorities in Atlantic Beach are rejecting the contiibutions made by Irish natives to the U.S. in every conflict beginning with the Revolutionary War, when over 30% of Washintton's army were said to be of Irish birth. Thank God that no such laws apply where I live upstate. Most of the year I PROUDLY fly the Green, White and Orange flag from my garage on the same level as the Marine Corps banner, having HONORABLY served 4 years as a marine whil still an Irish citizen. However, I display the Stars & Stripes 3 feet higher that the other two flags because my first loyality in the the U.S.A., also because I'm now the Commander of the local American Legion post, and my wife is iRegent of her D.A.R. chapter. Go mbeannai Dia na Stáit Aontaighte ang go sabháile Dia náisiúin na hÉireann.

• Frosty38 | Mar 08, 2013, 09:39 AM EST

  This is really unheard of. Like the Union Jack they were flying in Marion Co

• geneq | Mar 08, 2013, 09:37 AM EST

  According to the city’s law, “Chapter 17 of the city of Atlantic Beach ordinances, the American flag is the only one that can be displayed, no exceptions.” Does this also prohibit flying Florida state or city, military (including POW), and church flags?

• ballyhip | Mar 08, 2013, 09:31 AM EST

  Petty. Some of the defenses of the ordinance are ridiculous. A pennant or a banner? That response is actually insulting. As for Eireannach, if you were in Dublin, as I was during World Cup season, you might be the sole objector to the Croatian flag being flown outside a pub.

• jackinnj | Mar 08, 2013, 09:17 AM EST

  Hmm, I would suggest flag with orange and white stripes, and 26 stars on a field of green. Seriously, there are some First Amendment issues here and I would challenge the law, take the fine and get somebody from the local law school to chew up the city's legal budget by contesting it. i wonder if they would consider the Union Jack, the basis of several state flags to be similarly objectionable.

• travelmpq | Mar 08, 2013, 09:03 AM EST

  Hmm. Protesters are entitled to burn the American flag because it's a legally protected expression of free speech. But an Irish American can't fly the Irish flag?

• haasny007 | Mar 08, 2013, 08:55 AM EST

  This is the work of nationalistic American xenophobes. Idiotic teabaggers.

• stukafaust | Mar 08, 2013, 08:55 AM EST

  The might object to the odd Union Jack though if I opened a British pub in the 26 counties.

• Liam3494 | Mar 08, 2013, 08:28 AM EST

  Ummm, no, in Ireland nobody would be so stupid and petty as to object to such a thing in this way.

• Eireannach | Mar 08, 2013, 07:58 AM EST

  It is America after all, and if it was Ireland many people might object to a multitude of flags from other nations. BTW 'it's 'flak' not 'flack' (I'm not a teacher for nuthin!