To the skirl of pipes, a New York fireman - on bended knee at the edge of the Cliffs of Moher - proposed marriage to his surprised girlfriend yesterday. Surrounded by members of the New York Fire Department Pipe Band, members of the Emerald Society, and curious tourists, Mr Timmy Grant (29) placed a diamond solitaire ring on the finger of Ms Tara Beadle (32).
Applauding onlookers presented her with a bunch of red roses. With a dramatic 700-foot cliff drop behind the couple, it's fortunate neither lost their composure.
Timmy, whose grandparents came from Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, plays the bagpipes and lives in Putnam County, New York. He has a shamrock tattooed on his left leg. Tara, an office manager in a New York hospital, lives in Woodside, Queens.
Wiping away tears, Tara said: "I can't believe it. I am shaking right now. I am shocked. I thought I was coming to see the cliffs."
The couple met 18 months ago and it was Timmy's dream to propose in Ireland. He selected the Cliffs of Moher after he heard Tara, who also has Irish roots, "raving" about how she would love to see the cliffs after seeing them on television.