Irish tunes transported 87-year-old Bernie Scheidt back in time, to the days when her name was still Bernadine Curry and she waltzed to "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" and "Sweet Molly Malone."

"I kissed the Blarney Stone once, and I'm telling the truth about that," said Scheidt Monday as she sat in her wheelchair and listened to Laura and Jim Collins perform an assortment of Irish songs at Morningstar Assisted Living, where she lives. By the time Jim Collins turned his rich tenor voice to "Danny Boy," he had Scheidt and the rest of the facility's residents singing along with him.

The Collinses perform as the music ministry The Travelers at area nursing homes, retirement communities and other places. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, they've added an assortment of Irish melodies this month, including their own original song, "The Witness of Shamrock," a folk tune with a country flair that combines their love of Irish history with their deep Christian faith.

"I've always enjoyed St. Patrick's Day - for two reasons," said Laura. "I am proud of my Irish heritage and I love church history."

She wrote "The Witness of Shamrock," which her husband set to music, because she wants people to understand the real intent of the holiday and to know more about "the courageous and tenacious man" who was responsible for Ireland's evangelization and conversion to Christianity.

She worries that the spiritual lessons of St. Patrick - the shamrock as metaphor for the Holy Trinity and his powerful prayer, "The Lorica," written in 433 - are being lost in an age where the holiday celebrates all things Irish, and many not-so Irish.

"There's everything right and absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating one's heritage, however, I fear that as the years go by, I'm hearing less and less about the original institution of this day and the man whom it was intended to honor, and more and more about Irish life and traditions - and many not-quite Irish traditions - like green beer," Collins said.

The Witness of the Shamrock

The Lowly little shamrock

In Ireland, loved so well

The lowly little shamrock

Has a special tale to tell

When people could not understand

The wondrous Trinity

A missionary to their land

explained the mystery.

He plucked the little shamrock,

three leaves upon one stem

As Father Son & Spirit are one,

He made it clear to them.

God, through His creation

In every land and clime

For us to come to know him

Has fashioned many signs

This Missionary's gesture

Survived down through the years

And, the grateful Irish people

The shamrock now revere.