St. Patrick never wore green according to most accounts, but he did use the Irish Shamrock to explain christian symbols and ideas like the Holy Trinity to his followers.
The shamrock itself held meaning long before Catholicism made its way to Ireland, even in Druid rituals and stories. The significance was the three prongs, as three is a number with significance in Pagan traditions. Green was a colour associated with the shamrock and certain groups in Ireland, and in the mid-1700s it fell out of fashion.
Replaced by blue, the colour then most commonly associated with St. Patrick, it wasn’t until another group of Irish Protestants rebelled against the British and reclaimed green as their symbol. “Wearing the Green” came from a popular theme song for the rebellion and has been synonymous with Irish nationalism ever since.
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