Wearing of the Blue for St Patrick’s Day?

March 17, 2022 at 2:07 am · Filed under Holiday

Actually, blue was the color originally associated with St Patrick. In fact, the Statues and Ordinances of the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick (1831 edition) mandate the attire for this group include “sky-blue sattin” and “sky-blue ribband”. If you look at the flag of the President of Ireland, you will see that is consists of a harp and a field of blue:

So why the change? As with many topics dealing with St Patrick, there are multiple answers,and which one is the most reliable is debatable. Here is an unoffical Irish flag flown on merchant vessels; it dates back to the 18th century at least, and as you caan see, there is a lot of green in the background.

Another explanation is that when King Henry VIII declared himself King of Ireland in 1541, he designed the first coat of arms that you see above. And as the years of protest and violence went on, the Irish rejected the blue for the green.

And yet another version has the United Irishmen in the 1790s adopting green as their color. And during this same time period, another narrative is that the Irish wore green to counter the red uniforms of the British.

Here are some readings: Should We Be Wearing Blue on St. Patrick’s Day?; St. Patrick’s Day Traditions ; and 5 St. Patrick’s Day Symbols and What They Mean.

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