St. Patrick’s Blue is a name often misapplied to various shades of blue associated with Ireland. The official color of Ireland in heraldic terms is blue. The color blue’s association with Saint Patrick dates back to 1780, when it was adopted as the color of the Anglo-Irish Order of Saint Patrick. The term refers to a sky blue used by the Order of St Patrick, often confused with a darker, richer blue in Ireland. There is no de jure national color in Ireland, the only reference to one or more colors appearing in Article 7 of the Irish constitution in relation to the national flag. However, while green is the de facto national color of Ireland and represents Ireland in many sporting, cultural and commercial events, blue is still found in state and island symbols.