Taylor Swift 'still smiling' after Dublin shows

James Cox

Taylor Swift has said she is "still smiling" after a "wild weekend in Dublin" saw her play to a record 150,000 fans over three nights at the Aviva Stadium.

Reflecting on the Irish leg of her Eras Tour, Swift said: "I knew as soon as I saw the first Dublin crowd on Friday night that we were in for a wild weekend."

Alongside a picture of her wearing and outfit with green and orange in a nod to the Irish flag, she added: "The spirit of those 3 glorious crowds embodied fun and joy and exuberance, and we just felt so lucky to be there. The Irish fans made us feel so at home, so welcome in every way. Still smiling thinking about it now. 🇮🇪 See you soon, Amsterdam!!"

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Thousands of Irish fans flocked to Lansdowne Road to see the 34-year-old perform, while many who missed out on tickets gathered around the stadium to hear her perform.

The VIP tent included names like Stevie Nicks, Julia Roberts and Swift's boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.

She paid tribute to Nicks by playing her song 'Clara Bow', which mentions the Fleetwood Mac singer, as a surprise song.

Irish celebrities who attended the Dublin leg of The Eras Tour over the three nights included the likes of Ryan Tubridy, Graham Norton, Brian O'Driscoll, Amy Huberman and Johnny Sexton.

Swift delighted fans in Dublin, and appeared overwhelmed at Friday night's gig as she received a three-minute ovation after one of the songs in her concert, which is over three hours longs.

There was also a nod to Ireland during a rendition of her chart-topper We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, when her dancer Kameron N Saunders jumped in to quip “bleedin eejit”.

On Friday night, Saunders said “Pog mo thoin” – a cheeky Irish-language phrase meaning “kiss my ass”, and on Saturday he said “The Neck of Ye”, where Swift would usually say “Like Ever” in the recorded edition of the hit.

Swift later in the concert pondered which of her Eras was the “most Irish”, continuing the she believes it is her album Folklore.

She recalled starting to write the song “two days into the pandemic”; when she created an imaginary world “living in a cabin in a really green and mossy landscape, very Irish”, adding the album is “all about story telling and you guys are gifted story tellers”.

She is next heading to Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff Arena for her next three shows, running from Thursday to Saturday. Swift will then plays dates in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria before returning to the UK in August for five nights at Wembley Stadium in London. - Additional reporting from Press Association