Painted our town a wearing greenridinghued

• paint the town red: to go on a boisterous spree, to have a night out of fun and partying

• Red Riding Hood

• Red white and blue: the colors of the Union Jack

• "The Wearing of the Green": Irish patriotic song

• When Ireland became independent in 1922, the new government retained the British postboxes; however, they painted them green, over the bright red that the British used. In this phrase, Joyce similarly replaces the word "red" with "green."

• "Irish Free State": 1922 Irish song -

I'm teaching them Irish and painting their letterboxes

All over with green, sure, what more can I do?

Yet they tell me they want just an Irish Republic

Without any trimmings of Red, White and Blue!