Why is the symbol of Ulster a red hand?

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Why is the symbol of Ulster a red hand?

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Hey Markus,

In the Middle Ages a ship carried Scottish chieftains towards Ireland. They agreed that the first chief to lay their hand on the shore would own all of Ulster. Chieftain O'Neill chopped off his own hand and threw it on to the shore. You've got to hand it to him. It was a brave thing to do. To this day that hand is the symbol of Ulster.
Others

Legend has it that in 1015 b.c., 2 rival chieftains, who were in exile, decided that, rather than fight a war over who should be the ruler of Ireland, they would both race to Ireland in their ships, and victory would go to the first man to lay his hand on Irish soil.

One of the chieftains, Heremon O'Neill, was a clever little boyo and, as the ships approached land, he cut off his own right hand and threw it on to the shore, thereby becoming the first to lay his hand on Ireland.

Heremon didn't gain control of the whole country but became the first King of Ulster, and thereafter, the red hand became the symbol of that province.

The red hand is particularly associated with the county Tyrone, where the O'Neills had their seat, and is very much associated with the Tyrone Gaelic football team.

Sadly, in recent years, the red hand symbol was also adopted by a loyalist terrorist group who attempted to claim it as their own.

But now peace has broken out in Ireland (hopefully) after over 800 years of conflict with Britain, and conflict within the country itself.

Long may it last!
Some people think the same story as above but with Vikings instead.