When Irish Eyes Are Smiling was written in America, not Ireland. Chauncey Olcott and George Graff Jr wrote the words and Ernest R. Ball wrote the music. It was published in 1912 for Olcott’s show The Isle o’ Dreams. It is an Irish-American Tin Pan Alley song that became a St Patrick’s Day standard. Here is its story, the famous recordings and where to find the words legally.
Ask a room of Irish Americans to name an Irish song and this one comes up fast. Yet it was written by three Americans and published in New York.
This page used to print the full words. I have taken them down, and I explain why below.
Who wrote When Irish Eyes Are Smiling?
Three men wrote it. Chauncey Olcott and George Graff Jr wrote the words. Ernest R. Ball wrote the music. M. Witmark & Sons published it in New York in 1912.
Ball was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1878. He also wrote the music for “Mother Machree” and “A Little Bit of Heaven”. Graff was born in New York City in 1886 and lived until 1973. In 1960 he appeared on the TV show I’ve Got a Secret. His secret was that he had co-written this very song.
Olcott and Ball were both inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
The Cork connection: Chauncey Olcott
Olcott was born in Buffalo, New York, on 21 July 1858. His mother, Margaret Doyle, came from Killeagh in County Cork. As a Cork man myself, I love that detail.
He started out in minstrel shows and later studied singing in London. From 1893 he played Irish roles for the rest of his career. Between 1894 and 1920 he starred in about 20 Irish musicals. “My Wild Irish Rose” was one of his too.
Olcott died in Monte Carlo on 18 March 1932. That was the day after St Patrick’s Day. In 1947 Warner Bros made a film of his life called My Wild Irish Rose, with Dennis Morgan playing him.
The Isle o’ Dreams
The song was written for Olcott’s show The Isle o’ Dreams, and he sang it himself on stage. The sheet music is dated 1912. The library catalogue entry for the scan linked below says it was added to the show in 1913.
Is it a traditional Irish song?
No. It is an Irish-American song from Tin Pan Alley, the New York music trade of the time. Songs about a dreamy, romantic Ireland were hugely popular in America and Britain then. Writers turned them out for Irish emigrants and their children.
It is not a folk song from home. But for many families abroad it became their Irish song all the same.
What the song is about
It is a happy, gentle love song. It is about a smile winning out over a tear, and about enjoying the good days of youth while they last. There is no real story, just warm praise for Irish smiles and laughter.
The chorus ends with the line everyone knows: “Sure, they steal your heart away” (Chauncey Olcott and George Graff Jr, 1912).
Famous recordings
- Chauncey Olcott. Olcott recorded it himself for Columbia in New York on 25 February 1913.
- John McCormack. The great Irish tenor recorded it for Victor in Camden, New Jersey, on 20 September 1916.
- Bing Crosby. Bing recorded it for Decca with John Scott Trotter and his orchestra on 7 May 1946. It later gave its name to his Irish album on Decca. He also sang it in the 1949 film Top o’ the Morning.
- Connie Francis and Roger Whittaker. Both recorded it for later generations of fans.
It was also the opening song of the American radio comedy Duffy’s Tavern.
Here is Bing’s lovely version, labelled 1939 on YouTube, though his Decca recording is dated 1946.
Why it’s sung on St Patrick’s Day
It has a big chorus that a whole room can sing. It says being Irish means being happy, and that is the mood of the day.
It made the news in March 1985 too. At the so-called Shamrock Summit in Quebec City, which opened on St Patrick’s Day, Ronald Reagan and Brian Mulroney sang it with their wives at a televised gala.
Where to find the words legally
In the United States the song is out of copyright, because it was published in 1912. In Ireland and the EU, copyright on song words can last 70 years after the last writer dies. George Graff Jr died in 1973, so the words may be protected here until the end of 2043. The rules for old American songs are tangled, so I am playing it safe.
My rule on this site is simple: I don’t print song lyrics. Sheet music shops and licensed lyric sites carry the full words. If you are in the US, you can also view a scan of a later Witmark printing of the sheet music. It comes from Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library.
FAQ
Who wrote When Irish Eyes Are Smiling?
Chauncey Olcott and George Graff Jr wrote the words, and Ernest R. Ball wrote the music. It was published in New York in 1912.
Is When Irish Eyes Are Smiling an Irish song?
It is an Irish-American song, not a traditional Irish one. It was written in America by Americans, though Olcott’s mother came from County Cork.
What musical is it from?
It comes from Chauncey Olcott’s show The Isle o’ Dreams. Olcott sang it himself on stage.
Is it a St Patrick’s Day song?
It was not written for St Patrick’s Day. But its easy chorus and happy mood made it a favourite for the day, especially in America.
More St Patrick’s Day reading
- Danny Boy for St Patrick’s Day
- The best St Patrick’s Day music
- The real story behind St Patrick’s Day
- Top 10 Irish toasts
- Irish sayings and what they mean
Featured photo: Chauncey Olcott , 1860-1932 LCCN2006677774 by Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congres, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Bridget M. Brennan
Tuesday 14th of March 2023
Thanks for your free information, but here are two items that you might want to correct in order to be correct and accurate in what you have published on-line:
1. There is an error in the last line of the lyrics in the Refrain Section: (it should read)
And When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, sure, they’ll steal your heart away.
2. I've included a little more information to invalidate your statement above that Bing Crosby wasn't really Irish...in a few words, that is a Bunch of Blarney. Here is his entire family lineage taken from his on-line Biography:
Ethnicity: 1/2 English, 1/2 Irish
Bing Crosby was an American singer and actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Going My Way (1944).
His father, Harry Lincoln/Lowe/Louis Crosby, was of English descent, including Colonial American ancestors in New England. His mother, Catherine/Katie Cordelia (Harrigan), was born in Stillwater, Washington, Minnesota, to Canadian parents, who were of Irish descent. Bing was raised Catholic.
Among his siblings were publicity director Larry Crosby and jazz singer and bandleader Bob Crosby. Bing was married to actress and nightclub singer Dixie Lee, until her death, and then to actress Kathryn Grant, until his death. He had four children with Dixie; and three, including actor and businessperson Harry Crosby, with Kathryn. Actress Denise Crosby is his granddaughter.
Bing’s patrilineal line can be traced to Anthony Crosby, who was born, c. 1545, in Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, Yorkshire, England.
Bing’s paternal grandfather was Nathaniel Crosby (the son of Nathaniel Crosby and Mary Lincoln). Bing’s grandfather Nathaniel was born in Wiscasset, Lincoln, Maine, to parents from Brewster, Barnstable, Massachusetts; and was of English descent, from a family resident in New England since the 1600s. Bing’s great-grandfather Nathaniel was the son of Nathaniel Crosby and Ruby Foster. Mary was the daughter of Isaac Lincoln and Mary Foster.
Bing’s paternal grandmother was Cordelia Jane Smith (the daughter of Jacob Smith and Priscilla Fearnley). Cordelia was born in Covington, Fountain, Indiana. Priscilla was born in England.
Bing’s maternal grandfather was Dennis Harrigan (the son of Dennis Harrigan and Catherine Driscoll/Driscol). Bing’s grandfather Dennis was born in Williamstown, Northumberland County, New Brunswick, Canada, and was of Irish descent. Catherine was the daughter of Daniel O’Driscoll/Driscoll and Catherine Mahoney, who were from County Cork.
Bing’s maternal grandmother was Catherine Ahearn (the daughter of John Ahearn and Ann Meighan). Catherine was born in New Brunswick, to Irish parents.
Thanks for the weekly updates, I look forward to receiving them!!!