“When Irish Eyes Are Smiling”

“When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” is the song the band strikes up again inside as Rusty and Lipranzer examine papers from a court file in the street. Its brief return turns an uncertain discovery into an audible sign of political defeat: Rusty takes the roar from within and the music as evidence that Raymond Horgan has conceded, though he cautions Lipranzer that they cannot yet be sure.

Appearance in the Scene

Rusty and Lipranzer have just found a copy of a motion to dismiss the case without prejudice. The form names Raymond Horgan as prosecuting attorney, and its blank signature line bears the name Molto. As the two men look over the papers beneath the street lamps, a great roar rises from inside; then the band begins the song again. The sequence links the document’s legal significance to a sound coming from beyond the men’s immediate view.

Narrative Function

The song’s reprise lends a public, almost celebratory sound to Rusty’s interpretation of the papers: Raymond has, as Rusty puts it to himself, admitted defeat. But the evidence remains circumstantial even in this moment. Rusty tells Lipranzer to hang tight because they are not sure of anything, so the music reinforces the apparent meaning of the discovery without making it conclusive. The song marks a turn from examining a document to sensing the political consequence it may carry.