“When Irish eyes are smiling . . .”
Actually, the gentleman was Polish. But his eyes were a bright electric blue and his wit was equally bright. As we chatted after my monthly program, out of the blue this slipped in among his jokes. “My wife died last November. She loved hearing you play.”
I am only 1/16 Irish, on my mother’s side, so I didn’t get the Irish eyes. But whether by blood or by transfusion, I do have the love of Irish music.
In “the merry month of March” I break out all my Celtic melodies in honor of St. Patrick’s day. Those attending my monthly programs were treated to such favorites as “Morris Jig,” “Marie’s Wedding,” and, of course, “O Danny Boy.”
Two of my favorites are “Molly Malone” and “She Moved Through the Faire,” which have a particularly magical sound on my Celtic harp, Sigi. They also perfectly fit the gentleman’s situation. Both songs talk about a man whose fiancee has died and his dreams about her. In reality, these songs are very, very sad.
G.K. Chesterton wrote:
“For the great Gaels of Ireland
Are the men that God made mad,
For all their wars are merry,
And all their songs are sad.”
Its very true. But broken hearts and lost loved ones are not only the luck of the Irish. The only way to keep a heart safe is to follow the advice of another Irish song, the hymn Be Thou My Vision
“Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art . . .
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.”
Because whether your eyes are Irish, Polish or you have a broken heart, when Christ is in your sights you have reason to smile.