It’s been a long time coming… but Lifford girl Aisling Connolly is on her way to see her all-time favourite popstar after the best birthday surprise ever.

The Taylor Swift superfan turned 11 in May and when she blew out the candles on her cake, her one wish was for tickets for the star’s sold-out Dublin run.

Little did Aisling know that there were tickets with her name on them, tucked away as a secret present from her loving family.

The reveal was pure Swiftie magic. Knowing friendship bracelets are a cornerstone of the fandom, Aisling’s family crafted three special ones, each hinting at the incredible surprise.

The moment Aisling cracked the code and her stunned reaction has been melting hearts on TikTok, with more than 50,000 views so far.

Watch the moment here:

@georginaconnolly5 Surprising superfan Aisling with Taylor Swift tickets #taylorswift #taylorswifterastour #swiftie #22hat #erastour @Taylor Swift @Taylor Nation @ ⸆⸉ ♬ original sound – spedx8

The tickets are a dream come true for a deserving fan, says her mum Georgina.

Georgina said: “Aisling is obsessed with Taylor Swift and spends her entire time either watching Taylor Swift on YouTube on the TV from the minute she gets up while getting ready for school or watching TikToks about her at the weekends.

“If she’s not watching Taylor Swift, she’s talking about her. She got a record player for Christmas and saves all her money to buy Taylor Swift or her other favourite singer Olivia Rodrigo’s vinyls.”

Aisling had been looking for tickets since Christmas but unfortunately, they are like gold dust. She wished on every dandelion and even had her outfit ideas saved online.

By chance, her cousin Megan had managed to get tickets and very kindly offered them up, so Aisling’s parents Georgina and Sean decided to make it a birthday surprise.

Keeping the secret was the hardest part, Georgina admits.

“That was nearly impossible considering all she did was talk about getting them, checking Ticketmaster every day for resales and making us apply for every competition she came across in the hope of getting tickets not knowing we already had them.”

The happy tears flowed at Aisling’s party for more than one reason.

“Her granny who she was extremely close to passed away suddenly in November, so, it was nice to gather the family and have a nice reason to celebrate. Everyone knew how much it would mean to her so that made it extra special,” Georgina said.