Scottish island of Barra raises the green and white Nordic cross flag

The Scottish island of Barra (Scottish Gaelic: Barraigh, Eilean Bharraigh), is an island in the Outer Hebrides (Na h-Eileanan Siar). The area of Barra is approximately 23 sq ml (60 square kilometres), 11 miles long and 6 miles wide. The main village is Castlebay (Bàgh a' Chaisteil). Now Barra has joined many other places in Scotland with its own flag. Although the island has used the the green and white Nordic cross for many years, now after a community campaign the flag of Barra has secured official recognition. It was granted the seal of approval by heraldic authority, the Court of the Lyon Court, which is the standing court of law which regulates heraldry in Scotland.

The Barra flag, as with a number of flags in Scotland, such as that of Shetland, Orkney, Caithness and South Uist, has a Nordic cross symbolising the ancient ties these places have to the Vikings and Norway. The national flag of Scotland as a whole (Scottish Gaelic: Bratach na h-Alba) is a white cross against a blue background. It is known as the Saltire and legend dates its origins back to King  Óengus mac Fergusa (Óengus II) who defeated a force of invading Angles in the ninth century. The legend is that in 832 AD the Scottish King prayed to St Andrew for help to defeat the English.  Against the blue sky the diagonal white cross appeared and it was on such a cross that St Andrew had been martyred.