Ulster Banner globetrotter says idea of replacing flag with a logo at Commonwealth Games is 'scandalous' and would make Northern Ireland 'a laughing stock'
A man whose life's mission is to fly the Ulster Banner in as many countries as possible has described the idea of ditching the flag at the Commonwealth Games as "scandalous".
Professional travel writer Jonny Blair said that if the Province's athletes were to compete instead under the Team NI logo, as had been suggested, it would have made Northern Ireland "a laughing stock" on the international stage.
The 45-year-old – who has photographed himself with the Ulster Banner in places as far flung as North Korea and Antarctica – was speaking to the News Letter following a furore this week surrounding the use of the flag at the upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Conal Heatley, the boss of Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland Ltd (the organising body behind team NI) had argued that the flag was not "inclusive", and suggested that it be dropped at this summer's event.
The idea was floated that it could be replaced with a flag bearing the Team NI emblem (an etching of a red hand with the country's name beneath).
After the sports minister Gordon Lyons issued "guidance" insisting that the Ulster Banner remain, Mr Heatley dropped his plan to replace it.
Mr Blair has now added his voice to the chorus of disapproval that the proposal generated, saying: "It's scandalous in my opinion.
"The fact is we come from a small country of six counties, and have sports people who are brilliant and doing us proud...
"The fact that we're not focusing on sport in the news about the Commonwealth Games is ridiculous."
He said neither the Union flag nor the tricolour would be appropriate, therefore "we have to use what is the most representative flag" - the Ulster Banner.
In response to the idea that the flag is not "inclusive," Mr Blair said: "It's the most inclusive we can get."
The argument that the flag's crown makes it British is "a fair point" he said, but "if we remove that, it'd still be a problem".
He added: "There is a monarch in Northern Ireland, which is King Charles III. Whether we like that or not, he is officially the monarch.
"So what can we do – remove Charles III?"
The idea of using a logo instead of a "real flag" would be "stupid", he said, adding: "We'd be a laughing stock if we had a logo instead of a flag - every country has a flag."
Mr Blair originally comes from Newtownards but grew up in Bangor.
He lived for a time in England and now resides in Poland, where he teaches English for business use in between travelling and writing, which is his main way of earning money (largely through advertising and sponsored posts).
He first became fascinated with the Ulster Banner aged six, after looking at the flags in a sticker book for Northern Ireland's 1986 World Cup entry.
He started carrying the flag with him when he began travelling in his late teens, taking it to Spain, Germany, and Poland and posing for snaps with it (often while wearing a Northern Ireland team strip).
Mr Blair has now amassed about 10,000 such photographs from over 200 countries (some of which are "unrecognised" ones like Catalonia or Somaliland - the latter of which he visited this month).
Others include Iran (2013), Iraq (also 2013), and Afghanistan (2016).
He comes from a mixed family, he said, attends both Protestant and Catholic churches, and does not describe himself as a unionist; instead, he is a "Northern Ireland nationalist" (but not in the pro-united Ireland sense).
On this week’s decision to back down on changing the flag, he said: "This is common sense prevailing…
"I'm going to be very proud this year that we've got the flag reinstated.
"It should never have been a debate.
"And the athletes I hope will be really proud of it as well."