Á flaggdagshaldi í Norðurlandahúsinum í Reykjavík, 29. apríl, bar Sirið Stenberg, landsstýriskvinna í uttanríkis- og vinnumálum fram røðu.
Kæru gestir, kæru frændir, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.
Today we gather to celebrate the 85th anniversary of our Flag Day, which was on April 25th.
I will deliver this speech in Faroese and in English.
Góðu føroyingar. Tað er so umráðandi fyri meg at vera saman við tykkum og hátíðarhalda okkara kæra Merki. Tað er okkara allra. Ongi landamørk skilja okkum føroyingar at. Og ongi landamørk skilja ein føroying frá Merkinum.
Sum alt annað, so er okkara flaggsøga tekin um, at onki kemur av sær sjálvum. Tað hevur søgan prógvað. Eisini okkara flaggsøga.
Niels Juul Arge greiðir í flaggsøgu síni frá søguligu gongdini heilt frá hugsjónunum um eitt føroyskt flagg fram til vunnin rættindi at brúka Merkið sum okkara flagg.
Øll kenna vit søguna um ungu føroysku studentarnar í Keypmannahavn, við Jens Olivuri Lisberg, Thomas Paula Dahl og Janusi Øssursyni á odda, sum fingu tilevnað fyrsta føroyska flaggið, eitt borðflagg, sum Ninna Jacobsen seymaði. Seinni fingu teir gjørt tað flaggið, sum nú hongur í Fámjins kirkju, og tað var 22. juni í 1919, at hetta fyrsta Føroya flagg veittraði fyrstu ferð í Føroyum. Nógv ár, áðrenn Merkið var endaliga viðurkent.
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It was in the aftermath of the German occupation of Denmark, during the Second World War and the subsequent British occupation of the Faroe Islands, that the British Admiralty deemed it unsafe for Faroese vessels to fly the Danish flag. As a result, they issued orders to Faroese smacks in Aberdeen to fly a different flag than the Dannebrog.
When asked for an alternative flag that could be copied and flown on all Faroese vessels, one of the Faroese skippers presented Merkið, which he had onboard. Unknown to the Admiralty, this was the flag used by the Faroese independence movement and not recognised by the Danish authorities.
However, when the smacks returned to the Faroes a few days later flying Merkið, the British consul in the Faroes realised that there was no other option but to recognise and uphold the order issued by the Admiralty for Merkið to be flown by Faroese vessels.
The decision was officially enacted in the Faroes on April 25th, which is why April 25th is celebrated as Flag Day.
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Árini frá 1919 og frameftir vaks tørvurin á at hava egið tjóðmerki millum fólk, men ikki fyrr enn seinni heimsbardagi brast á, hendi veruliga nakað. Tað skuldi eitt heimskríggj til.
Tá ið Danmark bleiv hersett av Týsklandi 9. apríl 1940, var sambandið millum Føroyar og Danmark kvett, og fáar dagar eftir at Danmark var hersett, blivu Føroyar hersettar av bretum. Bretar vóru ikki fegnir um, at føroysk skip hildu áfram at sigla við donskum flaggi, nú Danmark var hersett av Týsklandi, sum var at meta sum fíggindi Bretlands. Úrslitið var, at føroyski skipaflotin fór at sigla við føroyskum flaggi, og FØROYAR var málað á síðuna á hvørjum skipi.
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Í flaggsøguni Merkið lýsir Niels Juul Arge eisini væl unga mannin Jens Olivur Lisberg, við orðunum hjá Thomas Paula Dahl.
”Tann høgi, herðabreiði og ljóshærdi unglingin, sáttligur, fryntligur, og skemtingarsamur var sálin í studentalívi teirra, hin kveikjandi og eggjandi. Skulu føroyingar einaferð koma so langt, at teir allir vilja draga somu línu, og rógva í sama báti, má báturin hava eitt merki. Soleiðis tók tann ungi studenturin til, sum eigur høvuðsheiðurin fyri, at vit í dag hava okkara føroyska flagg”.
Andin í hesum orðunum um at draga somu línu og at rógva í sama báti hevur kanska ongantíð verið týdningarmeiri enn í dag.
Tíverri doyði Jens Olivur Lisberg ungur, bert 23 ára gamal, í 1920. At hugsa sær til, hvat hann í sínum stutta lívi avrikaði. Tað er ikki mongdin av árum, sum siga nakað um lívsavrikið, men avrikini í sær sjálvum, og tey hjá Jens Olivuri Lisberg tala fyri seg. Tey eru nú okkara søga, okkara samleiki, okkara stoltleiki og ímyndin av savningarmegini av sálini í samfelagnum.
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Although the Faroe Islands are Iceland’s closest neighbour, our two nations share much more than just geography. We are united by language, culture, and a common history. We are North Atlantic neighbours, yes — but more than that, we are kin.
Our roots trace back to the same Norse heritage. Our ancestors braved the open seas, settled these rugged islands, and forged societies that have endured through isolation, storms, and the passage of time. Icelandic and Faroese are closely related within the Nordic language family — and so are our peoples. We recognise ourselves in each other — in our traditions, in our resilience, and in our view of the world.
Over the years, our friendship has deepened. We collaborate in education, trade, culture, and fisheries — pillars of our economies and identities. We understand what it means to live in close harmony with nature. We know the value of small communities, of self-reliance, and of cooperation beyond borders.
In recent years, our relationship has become even more significant. As small nations in a rapidly changing world — politically, economically, environmentally — we face challenges that demand not only strength, but solidarity. And in each other, Iceland and the Faroe Islands have found a reliable partner.
Our ties go beyond official agreements. We cheer for each other’s athletes. We sing each other’s songs. There is a quiet familiarity between us — a sense of home when we visit one another. As the Icelandic poet Hannes Pétursson put it:
‘Hvergi er Íslendingur minni útlendingur en í Færeyjum’
Nowhere is an Icelander less of a stranger than in the Faroe Islands.
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In 2023, following the news here in Iceland that the Faroese were raising funds to support the people of Grindavík, our representation was approached by a reporter who asked: “Why is it that you Faroese are always ready to help us Icelanders?” The question took us by surprise, because for us, it’s never a matter of ‘why’; it’s simply a matter of course: you are our kin. We are not just neighbours, we are family.
This is the same reason why both nations have always been ready to help one another during natural disasters and times of crisis.
It’s the same reason why the Faroese turned out in droves in Vágsbotn Square in Tórshavn to cheer for the Icelandic football team during Euro 2016, and why RÚV had to adjust its programming to show the Faroese team’s match at Euro 2024 in Berlin.
And speaking of handball; last year, when I spoke here as the Minister of Social Affairs and Culture, we were still riding high from our men’s first-ever appearance at Euro 2024 in Berlin and our women’s team qualifying for the European Championship for the first time ever. They qualified in a match against Iceland, where, despite Iceland winning, the result was enough for both teams to qualify for Euro 2025, and both teams celebrated together as winners.
Just a few weeks ago, our women’s team repeated their success by qualifying for the World Championship — the first Faroese team ever to do so. The support from Faroese fans has been incredible. The fact that nearly a tenth of the Faroese population travelled to Berlin to support the men’s team astonished the handball world.
And central to that support was our flag, Merkið – the white background symbolising the clear skies and waves breaking on the shore, with the red cross and blue border.
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Merkið rørir djúpar kenslur í fólki. Vit hava tað við okkum úr vøggu í grøv. Vit vísa gleði við Merkinum og vit vísa á okkara sorg við Merkinum. Tá ið flaggað verður í hálvari stong, gerast vit aloftast stúrin og hugsa um, hvør nú hevur mist ein av sínum. Krossurin í flagginum ímyndar eina kristna tjóð og kann geva teimum syrgjandi og okkum øllum vón um trygga framtíð.
Vit kenna eisini øll, hvussu glað vit verða, tá ið vit til dømis hava vunnið og Merkið veittrar. Ella tá ið vit uttanlands kunnu síggja føroyska flaggið veittra millum hini fløggini, ja tá kenna vit okkum virðismett sum eitt fólk.
At kenna seg sæddan, hoyrdan og virdan er eins týdningarmikið fyri eina tjóð sum fyri hvønn einstakan av okkum. Tí verða vit eisini so vónbrotin, tá ið Merkið ikki er umboðað. Tá kenna vit okkum rakt á samleikan og tað særir. Stríðið í dag er, at Merkið fær ta viðurkenning, tað hevur uppiborið, og kann flagga frítt millum øll heimsins fløgg.
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Tað verður sagt, at virðið í einhvørjum liggur í, hvussu stórt arbeiði tað hevur verið at fáa tað til vegar.
Flaggstríðið var hart, men tað er jú nakað um, at jú harðari stríðið, jú søtari sigurin. So kunnu vit seta spurningin, um Merkið hevði verið okkara tjóðmerki, um kríggið ikki hevði brostið á? Jú, tí ivist eg onga løtu í, tað vísir søgan okkum við teimum tøkum, tjóðskaparrørslan tók frá 1920unum og øll árini frameftir.
Ein rørsla, sum er grundað á brennandi frælsishugsjónir og framburð fyri fólkið – henni ber ikki til at steðga. Tann rørslan fer eisini loksins at vinna Føroyum og Merkinum full rættindi.
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The history of Merkið is closely intertwined with that of Iceland.
Inspired by President Woodrow Wilson’s vision after World War I, when he spoke of a world order where all nations were free to determine their own fate, and inspired also by the patriotism of their Icelandic fellow students, a Faroese patriotic movement began among Faroese students in Copenhagen.
The Faroese students also took part in the celebrations when Iceland gained its independence on December 1st, 1918. Just a year later, in 1919, a flag featuring a red cross with blue border on a white background was created by Faroese students in Copenhagen. Later that same year, it was flown for the first time in the Faroes, in the village of Fámjin, the hometown of one of the students, Jens Olivur Lisberg.
Merkið became the symbol of the Faroese independence movement, which led to it being banned by the Danish administration in the Faroes.
However, before Merkið was officially acknowledged, there was a significant moment that marked its recognition as the symbol of the Faroes. This occurred during the 1000th anniversary of Alþingið on þingvellir in 1930. In honour of the speaker of the Faroese Parliament, Løgtingið, who was giving a speech, Icelanders hoisted Merkið. This act was not appreciated by the Danish delegation, and the Danish Prime Minister demanded that “the rag” be taken down. But we will always remember the Icelanders for showing us this respect, as the first country ever to do so.
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Góðu landsmenn, sum hava búsett tykkum í Íslandi. Tit eru við til at styrkja bondini millum Føroyar og Ísland. Og góð sambond fólk og landanna millum eru neyðug. Vit fegnast um at vera saman við tykkum í dag og at tit framhaldandi hava Føroyar við tykkum í tí, tit gera og eru. Sanniliga hava vit tykkum við okkum. Hóast búgvandi her, so eru tit eisini partur av Føroyum og øllum tí, tað inniber. Eg ynski tykkum av hjarta eydnuríka framtíð.
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Lær meg fram um alt at gloyma meg og mítt,
tá tað ræður um at verja teg og títt,
lat meg teljast millum teir, ið berjast tá,
aldri víkja tínum fagra merki frá.
Soleiðis sigur Hans Andreas Djurhuus. Og soleiðis mugu vit eisini hugsa í dag.
Nú er tann stundin komin, at føroyingar gera sum íslendingar og skipa seg sum eitt sjálvstøðugt land, so okkara Merki kann veittra frítt millum øll onnur heimsins fløgg.
Heimurin er í broyting. Tað krevur av okkum, at vit sjálvi taka avgerðir okkara vegna.
Sum Bob Dylan so væl segði tað: ”you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone. For the times they are a-changin’.
Góðan flaggdag, øll somul!