British Tattoo Designs

The British have always been very proud of who they are and where they come from. We will take you through the different countries of the British Isles and show you some of their favourite tattoo designs.  Remember Ireland and Scotland are a Celtic nations and so if none of these ideas grab your imagination then you may wish to go for Celtic Tattoo Designs.

English Tattoo Designs

There are many things that English people are proud of that can be turned into creative tattoo designs. If you want to go more classic, the presence of the St George's flag either on its own or as a background of something else that means something to you, why not an original design of fish and chips, English bulldog or even the Queen?

The English flag has a white background with a red cross running over the whole of the flag. It comes from another important figure from English folklore, and where the flag gets it's name comes from: St George. The story goes, he was a knight of the realm in the Medieval era when a dragon was terrorising the land. The king was forced to sacrifice maidens every month to the beast to keep it from eating all the live stock and anyone else. One month the king's own daughter was chosen to be sent to her death. The king asked St George to go and rescue his daughter and slay the beast where others had failed before. So St George set off and found the dragon, overpowered the beast and saved the girl. Following his heroic efforts, he was made the patron saint of England. It is not known how much of this story is true; however, this version of events is told to all English school children.

Irish Tattoo Designs

The Irish have a very strong culture in their own right. Lepricorns and shamrocks (four leaf clover) are internationally known for luck but find their roots in Ireland. These figures joined with the country's flag (vertical stripes of green, white and orange) are very popular.

Irish dancing is another important part of Ireland's history. Michael Flatly made it famous through 'River Dance' and 'Lord of the Dance'. The dance is fiendishly difficult, as the top half of your body has to stay completely still and without emotion, while your legs and feet are enacting complex dance routines. Traditionally, it is mainly young girls who perform the dances wearing the brightly coloured Irish national dress.

Historically, many of the Irish moved over to the states when times got tough around the turn of the 20th century.  This means that many Americans can trace their heritage to Ireland and chose to express their family history through Irish tattoo designs. 

It is also why, on the 17th March, St Patrick's Day is celebrated transaltantically.  Unlike St George we know more about St Patrick as a real person, he lived in the 6th Century and was taken from him family by British raiders.  When he grew up he became a very important and influential bishop in the Church and was made the patron saint of Ireland in his later years.

Scottish Tattoo Designs

Scotland is a ferociously patriotic nation. They are the country that invented shortbread, haggis (a sheep's skin filled with offal), and bagpipes. All of these national symbols can be made into unique tattoo designs, especially if joined with a Scottish flag (a dark blue background with a white cross going from corner to corner, picture by Alistair Williamson).

The kilt is a major part of Scottish heritage. Historically, each family clan has their own pattern of colours and stripes called tartan. So if you can trace your family heritage back to Scotland, then the chances are that you will have your very own tartan. If this is the case and you want to include a kilt in your tattoo design, using your family's own pattern would make your tattoo unique and personal to you.

Many Scots will have thistles as part of their tattoo design either on their own on with a Scottish flag.  Many Scottish ladies like the use of twisting vine and flower tattoo designs but instead of using generic flowers they use thistles.

Another primary feature of Scotland is their national poet, Robert Burns. On the 25th January 'Burns Night' is celebrated throughout the country. It is a night of singing, drinking whiskey and reciting Burns' poetry to each other. Only a true Scot would be able to have Robert Burns poetry incorporated into his patriotic tattoo design.

Welsh Tattoo Designs

Wales is an independent nation who is tireless in trying to keep their national identity. There are known for their beautiful countryside, red welsh dragons and daffodils. These feature in many welsh tattoo designs along with the Welsh flag, which is made up for two horizontal stripes, with white at the top and green at the bottom, with a red dragon superimposed on the stripes.

In recent years, the Welsh people continue to keep their independence by keeping the Welsh language alive. All across Wales sign posts and menus are written in Welsh and English. This has led to more and more welsh tattoos using the national dialect in the designs.