The Color Green

Ireland, a land lush in foliage, is said to have “40 shades of green.” It is often referred to as the “Emerald Isle.” Since the 19th century, green has been Ireland’s national color.

Green is one of the three broad stripes in Ireland’s flag. Green is said to represent the Gaelics and the Catholics (the majority of Ireland’s population). Orange is said to represent Protestants. White, the middle color of the flag, symbolizes the desire for peace between the two.

See more about the color green and it’s associaton with St. Patrick’s Day on a short video at History.com.

This page was created by:

Back to main St. Patrick’s Day Symbols page.

We welcome your ideas! If you have suggestions on how to improve this page, please contact us.

You may freely use this content if you cite the source and/or link back to this page.

Image Credit for Photo of Ireland (Color Green): bassnroll via photopin cc