Internet debates the 'true' meaning of the Irish flag and its colors

Reddit group r/Ireland shared an image of the Irish flag , known as the tricolor. The post pointed out the colors and what they are thought to represent , sparking a humorous debate.

The jocular image claimed that green "represents the people of Ireland", white "represents peace" and orange "represents the Dutch football team".

The image, shared around the time of England's Euros match between the Netherlands, was a joking nod to the stereotype that Irish people would want any team rather than the English team to win .

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But, the silly meme did actually have some historical truth to it, although not in relation to soccer.

The orange in the flag was intended to represent the Protestant Irish , who were supporters of William III, the King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until he died in 1702.

King William III was also known as William of Orange, as he was also the sovereign Prince of Orange. Orange was a principality in France.

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Reddit users chimed in to explain the meaning of the orange on the Irish flag. One wrote: "The Orange itself originates from the Principality of Orange in what is now modern France."

Another joked: "The principality is of course named after the telecom company."

Another responded: "And the telecom company was named after former Take That member, Jason. So swings and roundabouts."

"I thought it was Irish people's love of Lucozade," one joked.

As for the other colors on the Irish flag, green represents Roman Catholics and white does, as the meme tates, represent peace.

The first known version of this flag is dated March 1848. However, it gained widespread popularity in 1917, long after King William III's death.