When Irish Eyes are Smiling

Today I want to share with you the marriage certificate of Thomas (Edward) Caddy and Ellen Ryan. They were married on October 8, 1856, at St Nicholas Church in the town of Galway, County Galway.

In 1998, Bob and I had the good fortune of being able to spend a day in Galway city when we were on a coach tour of Ireland. We hopped off the coach and were about to follow the sign pointing to St Nicholas church when I had a strong urge to ask the coach driver if this was the right direction. Well, as with all things Irish, the sign was pointing in the wrong direction!!!

Previous to our trip to Ireland, I had been in contact with the Galway Family History Society West and they were able to give me a map with the layout of the graveyard at the church.

On leaving the church and making our way to a pub to have some lunch, I discovered that my credit card was missing. Well, my heart was in my mouth for the rest of the day. Fortunately we were spending another night at the same hotel we’d stayed at the night before and I remembered the last time I’d used the card was to buy a souvenir at a medieval banquet we’d attended, so we rang the castle and as Irish luck would have it or was it a Caddy angel, the lady at the other end of the telephone knew straight away what I was ringing for and she very kindly offered to drop it off at our hotel on her way home from work later that night. I was so grateful to that lovely lady and we gave her a little memento of an Australian kangaroo badge and something to cover her fuel.  How lucky was I?

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Here’s a song to get you in the mood. When Irish Eyes are Smiling by the The Irish Tenors

Chorus:

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, sure ‘ like a morn in spring
In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing
When Irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay
And When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, sure, they steal your heart away.

Verse 1:
There’s a tear in your eye and I’m wondering why
For it never should be there at all
With such power in your smile, sure a stone you’d beguile
So there’s never a teardrop should fall
When your sweet lilting laughter’s like some fairy eyes twinkle bright as can be
You should laugh all the while and all other times smile
And now smile a smile for me.

Chorus:

Verse 2:
For your smile is a part of the love in your heart
And it makes even sunshine more bright
Like the linnet’s sweet song, crooning all the day long
Comes your laughter so tender and light
For the springtime of life is the sweetest of all
There is ne’er a real care or regret
And while springtime is ours, throughout all of youth’s hours
Let us smile each chance we get.