Taylor Swift has visited Ireland and mentioned the country in her lyrics, and also has some genealogical links.
The US singer-songwriter (34) will play three dates in Dublin from Friday as she takes her record-breaking Eras Tour to the capital.
Swift went on holiday to Co Wicklow in July 2021 with her former partner, British actor Joe Alwyn, who was filming Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends in Ireland that year.
She referred to their trip in Sweet Nothing, which was on the 2022 Midnights album.
The romantic piece recalls a pebble she picked up from the beach and how she finds herself “running home to your sweet nothings”.
The lyrics also say: “We almost forgot it (the pebble). Does it ever miss Wicklow sometimes?”
Later that month, Swift shared photographs of herself on a well-known Co Donegal beach.
Posting on Instagram and Twitter, the pop star was seen on the sands of Ballymastocker Bay in Portsalon.
It’s been 1 year since we escaped the real world together and imagined ourselves someplace simpler. With tall trees & salt air. Where you can wear lace nightgowns that make you look like a Victorian ghost & no one will side eye you cause no one is around https://t.co/4Gfmh9hXDs pic.twitter.com/MmsujVaV83
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 24, 2021
Advertisement
Eagle-eyed Donegal locals spotted the beach's distinctive footbridge in the background of one of the images.
The beauty spot on the Fanad peninsula was named by travel publisher Lonely Planet as one Ireland's best beaches to visit, while it was also voted the second most beautiful beach in the world by Observer newspaper readers (pipped only by the Seychelles).
Also in 2021, Swift went to Belfast’s The Tipsy Bird, and the bar had a photograph of the Bad Blood singer looking relaxed and smiling with some of the staff.
Musician Tiernan Heffron, who was playing a gig at the venue, also shared a photo with Swift, saying: “Its not everyday @taylorswift walks into your gig and stays for your whole three-hour set.
“She was the most lovely person! She asked how she could follow what I was doing and gave me a tip! Dreams do come true, ready and excited for what’s to come .”
Swift, currently dating American football player Travis Kelce, and Alwyn had been together from 2016 until their break-up in 2023.
The couple had also visited Co Limerick’s Glin Castle, which is owned by The Crown actor Dominic West and his wife Catherine FitzGerald, in December 2018.
Alwyn posted a photo of him walking in Glin, the day after Christmas, as the couple spent the festive season together.
Other connections include her links to the city of Derry.
The Irish Emigration Museum says this is through Susan Davis, a dressmaker, and Francis Gwynn a weaver, who emigrated from the city in 1836 to Philadelphia, in the US, where they married.
One of their six children, Mary, became Swift’s great-great-grandmother, according to the museum.
The museum’s chief executive Aileesh Carew said: “In tracing Taylor Swift’s roots back to 1836, (the museum) Epic exemplifies its vital role in preserving the rich tapestry of our past, ensuring that each individual thread contributes to the vibrant narrative of our collective history.
“As audiences prepare to witness Taylor’s performances in Ireland, we invite visitors to visit and experience the moving and unforgettable stories of those who left the island of Ireland, and how they influenced and shaped the world.”
Derry mayor Lilian Seenoi-Bar invited Swift to the city, but has not yet received a response.
The museum also said her great-great-grandfather, George Findlay, hailed from Dublin.
The museum is running a Swift tour, which will end on Thursday, and says it will showcase her roots, with references to William Butler Yeats’ poems in her music.
It also says it will look at how the Aran wool jumper, worn by Swift, has been used by other musicians who have Irish roots, like British singer Ed Sheeran and Barbadian star Rihanna.
Sheeran has links to Co Wexford, and is a friend of Swift, having collaborated on the song Everything Has Changed, while Rihanna and Calvin Harris’s song This Is What You Came For was written by the US singer.
