Flag of Montserrat

The flag of Montserrat consists of a Blue Ensign with the British overseas territory's coat of arms. Adopted in 1960 to supplement the Union Jack after the dissolution of the British Leeward Islands the year before, it has been the flag of Montserrat since the territory was granted self-government that year. The design of the present flag entailed enlarging the coat of arms and outlining it with a white trim. Montserrat's flag is similar to the flags of eight other British Overseas Territories, which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective coats of arms.

The colours and symbols of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The woman donning a green dress portrays Erin, the national personification of Ireland. The Celtic harp she is grasping is another representation of that nation. Both these symbols pay tribute to the Irish settlers who moved to Montserrat from 1632 onwards. The inaugural census conducted in the British Leeward Islands in 1678 found that 70% of the island's inhabitants who were Caucasian claimed Irish ancestry, representing the highest concentration of Irish residents in the federation. The cross alludes to the Christian heritage of the island, while the woman's hold of it signifies the Montserratians' love of Christ. The Blue Ensign is also employed on the flags of eight of the thirteen other British Overseas Territories, with their coats of arms in the fly being the only distinguishing feature between them. These are, specifically, the flags of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.