Unto the good gentles of the Crown Principality of Tir Mara, greetings!
My name is Lord Conn mac Branain and I am the chair of the Tir Mara Populace Badge Committee. Tir Mara has been without a populace badge for far too long and it’s time something was done to rectify that. The committee formed in June as the end product of a discussion on the Tir Mara Facebook group. We spent the time since then in discussion as to how best go about the process. We now have a process in place and with the approval of the Tir Mara Seneschal and Their Royal Highnesses, we are ready to move forward. The committee includes people from all three Baronies and every Shire in the Principality; some are heralds, some are not.
Because this badge will be the populace badge for Tir Mara, we feel that involving the populace is key. To that end, we are inviting submissions from the populace. Anyone living in Tir Mara can submit their idea for a badge. After a reasonable period for accepting submissions has passed, the committee will vet all the submissions, and those that pass the vetting process will then be subjected to a poll of the populace to narrow the field down to the one badge that will be submitted to the College of Arms.
Here is the process in detail:
From today, 16 October 2017, until 30th November 2017, anyone living within Tir Mara may submit their design for a badge. All submissions are to be sent to the Tir Mara Submissions Herald, Blue Alaunt (address here http://bth.eastkingdom.org/#subs ). Submissions may be in electronic format or sent by snail mail. All electronic submissions for the populace badge MUST have ‘Tir Mara Populace Badge’ in the subject line or they will be ignored. All snail mail submissions for the populace badge MUST have ‘Tir Mara Populace Badge’ on the submission itself or they will be ignored. The regular submission forms are not required, either in electronic or snail mail format – we just need to be able to easily make out what design it is you are sending us. SEND NO MONIES.
From 1st December – 31st December, submissions will be vetted by the committee.
From 1st January – 31st January, the populace will be polled as to which design they would like to have as a populace badge.
It is important to note that this is a poll and not a vote. The Crown has the final say in what is adopted as a badge; just like a poll for a Baronial coronet, or one of the Orders of High Merit, the decision rests with the Crown. It is much easier for the Crown to make a proper decision if they have information. That’s why we’re polling the populace, to present the Crown with data showing the desires of their people.
In February, the numbers will be tallied, the results announced, and the paperwork submitted to the College. Once that happens, we wait until the badge has gone through the normal process for commentary and decision as with all other heraldric submissions.