It must also be noted that the left hand version of the symbol has been used by the Irish National Foresters, the Irish republican Irish Citizen Army and the Federated Workers Union of Ireland.
Baronets of Nova Scotia, unlike other baronets, do not use the Red Hand of Ulster, but have their own badge showing the Saltire of St Andrew. Such baronets may also display the Red Hand of Ulster on its own as a badge, suspended by a ribbon below the shield of arms. “for the plantation and protection of the whole Kingdom of Ireland, but more especially for the defence and security of the Province of Ulster, and therefore for their distinction those of this order and their descendants may bear (the Red Hand of Ulster) in their coats of arms either in a canton or an escutcheon at their election” King James I of England established the hereditary Order of Baronets in England on, in the words of Collins (1741): The form used on a canton or escutcheon within the coat of arms of a baronet of England, Ireland, Great Britain or the United Kingdom, is blazoned as follows: A hand sinister couped at the wrist extended in pale gules. The form in common use in Ulster today is an open right hand coloured red, with the fingers pointing upwards, the thumb held parallel to the fingers, and the palm facing forward. The symbol is rooted in Irish Gaelic culture and is particularly associated with the Uí Néill clan of Ulster Dexter hand
Its origins are said to be attributed to the mythical Irish figure Labraid Lámh Dhearg of the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology (Red Hand Labraid), and appear in other mythical tales passed down from generation to generation in the oral tradition. It is less commonly known as the Red Hand of O’Neill. It is an open hand coloured red, with the fingers pointing upwards, the thumb held parallel to the fingers, and the palm facing forward. It is shown in two forms, as a dexter (right) hand (used as a symbol in Ulster) and a hand baring a blue or red sinister looking cross (used in the coats of arms of baronets). The Red Hand of Ulster ( Irish: Lámh Dhearg Uladh) is an Irish Gaelic symbol used in heraldry to denote the Irish province of Ulster.