Taylor Swift is making her triumphant return to Dublin this weekend, with her Eras tour set to captivate over 150,000 spellbound audiences at Aviva Stadium during a series of three concerts. Among these fervent Swifties will be Kayleigh Bealin, a family history expert from the Irish Family History Centre. She is also part of the research team at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. Bealin has been exploring Swift’s ancestry and discovered Irish links on both her maternal and paternal sides.
Describing the project, Bealin said, “It was an intriguing journey, examining her lyrics, personal life and family roots. Indeed, the resemblance between moments in Taylor’s life and those in her ancestral history, including their entrepreneurial drive, was startling. We realised that her ability to adapt and face life’s curveballs was not something she just developed out of nowhere – it was in her bloodline.”
Swift isn’t the only international celeb that Bealin and her team have been delving into. They have also been hard at work tracing the Irish lineage of Shania Twain, the renowned singer. They plan to share her genealogical findings with her ahead of her performance at Malahide Castle on the upcoming Friday, June 28th.
Bealin commented, “She leads a hectic life but has a keen interest in family history. We look forward to sharing our findings with her.”
In the future, could we see dedicated ‘Taylor Swift and Shania Twain plazas’? Louise Bruton, a writer and DJ, pondered upon this while attending the day’s Swiftie panel. Bealin replied jovially, “That would be wonderful and if I have any say, their music will play constantly at such venues.”
Lastly, we received insights from Ella Conneff, a creative writing student and University of Galway’s Swiftie Society member, who elaborated on the unifying power of Swift’s music.