Lucky Charms

Come St. Patrick's Day, we are, of course, regaled with stories about Leprechauns, those snakes, and that old Blarney Stone as we down green beer at the nearest Irish pub. But there's a story we don't hear as often that is equally enchanting, and that's the one about the Irish poet and singer Thomas Moore (1779-1852) and his wife. The story goes that Moore's wife, Elizabeth (or Bessie), who had been an actress when they met, contracted small pox, a notoriously disfiguring disease. She was left so scarred that she locked herself in her room, refusing to see anyone, even her husband, for fear that he would stop loving her. To convince her of his undying love, Moore wrote the lyrics to an Irish folk song, now known by its first line, "Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms." The story goes that he sang it to her through the bedroom door (video): http://yhoo.it/1AQLlWX

   And if the opening strains sound familiar, it's because they're also the beginning of (one of my all-time favorite songs ~ that fiddle! that banjo!!) "Come On Eileen," by Dexy's Midnight Runners (video): http://yhoo.it/1x9X6wC