Taylor Swift surprises Belfast singer-songwriter Tiernán Heffron by attending his gig

Taylor Swift gave a young fan in Belfast the surprise of his life last week when she stopped by a bar to watch the 22-year-old singer-songwriter’s set.

The Grammy Award-winning folklore musician was reportedly in the Northern Ireland capital alongside boyfriend Joe Alwyn while he wrapped up filming for the BBC adaptation of the Sally Rooney novel Conversations With Friends.

Local singer-songwriter Tiernán Heffron shared photos of himself and Swift on Twitter yesterday (September 13), tweeting that she tipped him for his show and asked if she could follow his music.

It’s not everyday Taylor Swift 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 #22 pic.twitter.com/uBbjTPfRQO

— Tiernán Heffron (@TiernanHeffron_) September 13, 2021

“It’s not everyday Taylor Swift walks into your gig and stays for your whole three hour set,” he wrote. “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.”

Speaking to BBC News, Heffron claims no one knew that the singer was attending the show.

"I was getting set up and someone came over to tell me Taylor Swift had just walked in. The back of my knees just dropped. I was excited because any other singer-songwriter would dream of this moment – so I just thought ‘let’s do it’.

“My heart was beating so fast. I just went for it and I had her up singing and dancing to ‘Tell My Ma’ – she was having a blast.”

Heffron was playing a set at the Tipsy Bird bar in Belfast city centre, and the venue’s Facebook page shared a photo of Swift with staff members.

"The one and only Taylor Swift graced us with her presence last Friday night,” they wrote. “Taylor was here to support her boyfriend Joe who has just wrapped up filming the TV series Conversations with Friends.

“We can confirm she is just as lovely as you would expect and was kind enough to take a picture with our team.”