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St. Patrick's Blue, not green, was the colour long-associated with St. Patrick. Green, the colour now most widely associated with Ireland, with Irish people, and with St. Patrick's Day, may have gained its prominence through the phrase "the wearing of the green" meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing. At many times in Irish history, to do so was seen as a sign of Irish nationalism or loyalty to the Roman Catholic faith. St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish. The wearing of and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the saint's holiday. The change to Ireland's association with green rather than blue probably began around the 1750s
A Plastic Paddy is term used to describe non-Irish people who harbour a nostalgic claim of Irishness due to having some degree of Irish heritage. The term is also applied to Irish-themed pubs in countries outside of Ireland — especially if those pubs feature the most stereotypical characteristics of Irish culture, and do not accurately resemble actual pubs in Ireland.
The term usually concerns perceived cultural appropriation of Irish customs and identity by members of the Irish diaspora or even those with no ancestral connection to Ireland. A 'Plastic Paddy' allegedly knows little of actual Irish culture, but asserts their identity, claiming it to be Irish. Another example is the celebration of Saint Patrick's Day, or 'Paddy's Day', which is sometimes viewed as being a vehicle for promoting stereotypes of Irish culture.