The red hand
To be honest, far too many pubs nowadays are a real disappointment, filled with lager, pilsner and the same rather boring European beers. I am always looking for top-fermented beer, and with a CAMRA, Campaign for Real Ale, state of mind, I tend to study the pumps rather carefully.
So in Chelsea I was genuinely stunned, almost overwhelmed, to suddenly see the magic Red Hand.
There it was on a pump of Allsopp’s Best Bitter. The Red Hand has been associated with Allsopp’s of Burton upon Trent since the nineteenth century, a reminder of the days when Burton was one of the great brewing centres of the world and Allsopp was one of the names that helped make English ale internationally famous. The brand has now been revived, together with beers inspired by its historic brewing tradition.
But a red hand in these islands immediately opens another, much older story.
The Red Hand of Ulster is one of the ancient symbols of the province. Long before modern Northern Ireland existed, Ulster was associated with the Gaelic kingdom of Ulaid, and in later centuries the Red Hand became closely connected with the powerful O’Neill dynasty, who came to dominate much of Gaelic Ulster and claimed the title of king of Ulster. Medieval and later traditions linked the hand with kingship, warriors and the old Gaelic north.
