Irish men are not generally known for being the most romantic, but not even a grand, 'soft' Irish day could ruin this magical wedding proposal between two childhood sweethearts.

James Barry has been with his girlfriend Orla Gallagher for 13 years and decided he had to pull out all the stops when popping the question.

Barry enlisted the help of sand artist Seán Corcoran, who had expertly drawn a massive love heart across the beach at Stradbally Cove in Co. Waterford with the words “Orla, will you marry me?” perfectly spelled out across the middle.

Just in case Orla failed to notice the gigantic message spread across the sands for her, the City of Waterford band paced along the edges of the heart playing Gilbert O'Sullivan's “Matrimony” to grab her attention.

Despite the pouring rain, the proposal, which took four weeks to plan, went off without a hitch, although James was given a scare, claiming he “just got her up the pathway without seeing the writing”.

Thankfully, a photographer was right on hand to capture the moment when she did take it all in and thankfully, she said “yes.”

“I’m still in shock. My hands are shaking,” Orla told the Irish Independent.

Long gone are the days of simply getting down on one knee, it seems!

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