Wearing Orange on St. Patrick’s Day (An Irishman’s Guide)

Wearing orange on St. Patrick’s Day isn’t overly common practice at most parades or celebrations.

While the vast majority of people wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, some may wear orange to symbolise Protestant heritage or solidarity with Northern Ireland.

However, if you’d like to know why some people wear orange on St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland and elsewhere, you’ll find all you need to know below.

Wearing orange on St Patrick’s Day

Before we get into is it OK to wear orange on St. Patrick’s Day, lets get you up-to-speed quickly:

1. It’s a tradition that dates back to the 17th century

When the Protestant William of Orange conquered the Catholic James II at the Battle of the Boyne, his colour, orange, would be immortalised for centuries.

2. It all boils down to religion

The colour orange is symbolic of the Protestant community and their heritage while the colour green on the Irish flag represents the Catholic community.

3. Is it offensive?

Wearing orange on St. Patrick’s Day isn’t inherently offensive, but in Ireland and Northern Ireland, it can be seen as a political or religious statement. While green represents St. Patrick and Irish nationalism, orange is tied to Protestant heritage and unionism. Outside Ireland, it’s rarely an issue, but in some areas, it may not be well received.

Why some people wear orange on St. Patrick’s Day

The colour orange has been linked to Ireland’s Protestant community since William of Orange’s victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. After Ireland’s partition in 1921, it became further associated with Northern Ireland. Today, wearing orange on St. Patrick’s Day can symbolise Protestant heritage or solidarity with Northern Ireland.

It all begins with William of Orange

The colour orange has been closely tied to Ireland’s Protestant community since way back in 1690.

It was then that William of Orange (the King of England, Scotland and Ireland) defeated the Roman Catholic King James II in what is known as the Battle of the Boyne.

The ‘Orange’ in his name is actually a reference to the ‘Principality of Orange’ a feudal state in the South of France.

Since his victory in the Battle of the Boyne, William of Orange has been an iconic figure within Protestant culture, as has the colour orange.

It continues with the partition of Ireland

If you’ve read our guide to the differences between Ireland vs Northern Ireland, you’ll be aware that they are two countries on the one island.

The partition has been in place since May of 1921 when the UK’s Government of Ireland Act 1920 came into play.

The six counties of the newly formed Northern Ireland had a unionist majority who wanted to remain in the United Kingdom.

Those that wished to remain were also generally from the Protestant descendants of colonists from Britain. 

The Irish flag shows both colours

A vertical tricolour of green (at the hoist), white and orange, the Irish flag was created in 1848 and was intended to symbolise the inclusion and hoped-for union between Roman Catholics (symbolised by green) and Protestants (symbolised by orange).

When presented to him, Irish nationalist Thomas Francis Meagher said “The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between Orange and Green and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics may be clasped in generous and heroic brotherhood”.

St Patrick himself wore blue, so you can wear what you want

Funnily enough, when St. Patrick’s Day was first recognised in Ireland the original colour associated with the festivities was the patron saint’s signature shade of blue. It wouldn’t change to green until years later. 

But don’t forget that when St Patrick was born in the 4th century, there was no Catholic/Protestant divide. Hence why St Patrick is able to be celebrated, no matter what colour you wear. 

FAQs

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘Is wearing orange on St. Patrick’s Day offensive?’ to ‘Where does blue come into it?’.

In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below. Here are some related reads you should find interesting:

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