What is the origin of the word "smithereens" as in the saying, "blasted to smithereens"?

"Smithereens" is a great word meaning "small fragments" or "tiny bits," and is usually found in the phrases "blown to smithereens" or the alliterative "smashed to smithereens." A typical use of the word can be found in a Time magazine story about cosmology from 1976: "The result is another kind of supernova, a fantastic explosion that blows the star to smithereens, dispersing into space most of the remaining elements that it had manufactured during its lifetime."

"Smithereens" first appeared in English in 1829 in the form "smiddereens," and most likely was borrowed from the Irish "smidirin," meaning "small bit or fragment."

A typical use of the word can be found in a Time magazine story about cosmology from 1976: "The result is another kind of supernova, a fantastic explosion that blows the star to smithereens, dispersing into space most of the remaining elements that it had manufactured during its lifetime."

I would hazard a guess that the success of "smithereens" as a popular word derives at least in part from the "echoic" sound of the word itself. It's easy to imagine, for example, a waiter dropping a tray of plates and the bits of china making a ringing "een" sound as they scatter across the floor and bounce off nearby diners (who might make "een" sounds themselves). Incidentally, one of the things I miss about New York is that when such an incident would take place, the restaurant patrons would almost always applaud.