Taylor Swift announces during a show in Dublin that the album “Folklore” takes place in Ireland

Taylor Swift reveals some of the inspirations for her 2020 album Folklore.

During her Eras tour stop in Dublin on Saturday, June 29, Swift, 34, talked about how she developed the fictional story of her fantasy-inspired pandemic-era album – and revealed that Ireland plays a big role in the story’s setting.

“folklore “In general, it’s just part of Ireland,” she told the crowd after finishing her rendition of “Cardigan” on her second night at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

“I imagined the world of the album as being like Ireland. Storytelling with lots of different characters,” Swift continued, referring to the stories on the record. “You guys have that too. It’s very Irish, the storytelling.”

According to the singer of “August”, folklore was an opportunity for her to try out a “different” style of songwriting that she hadn’t explored before, one that involved more linear stories and characters “falling in love and getting their hearts broken.” Swift added that for once, she got to act as a narrator rather than sharing her own personal feelings and experiences.

“When I made this album, I started two days after the pandemic began folkloreI wasn’t in Ireland. So I had to make an album where the fantasy world that I pretended to travel to every day while I was writing it… I have to be honest, felt kind of like Ireland,” the Grammy winner told the audience.

“So we’re back where we belong!” Swift added before getting ready to start her song “Betty” – another character from her story-driven album. “folklore is yours, boys.”

The singer’s first night in Dublin on Friday was also full of Irish pride – during her performance of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” her backing dancer Kameron Saunders, 31, spoke a little Irish (a continuation of Swift’s tradition of mentioning each host country of the Eras Tour in their native language). During part of the song, the dancer said shouted the Irish phrase “póg mo thóin” — which means “kiss my ass” in English.

During another part of yesterday’s show, Swift wore a shimmery orange crop top and a green ombre skirt in reference to the colors of the Irish flag.

When tickets for the “Cruel Summer” singer’s Irish shows first went on sale in July 2023, The Irish period.

Swift’s three Dublin performances are her first since her two nights at Croke Park for the Reputation Stadium Tour – which marked her Irish stadium debut. At those 2018 dates, the superstar affectionately called the crowd “so loving” and “incredible” – and posted a bouquet of flowers she received from Irish band U2, who signed the accompanying note, “Your Irish fan club.”

But Swift has visited the country at least once between her two major tours. When she was in town in 2021 to support her then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn as he finished filming Conversations with friendsThe singer took photos with several waiters in restaurants in Belfast.

Fans have speculated that the trip will be immortalized in Swift’s 2022 song “Sweet Nothing.” midnightwhich also includes the text “Does it ever miss Wicklow sometimes?” (Some of the filming for Conversations with friends occurred in Bray, a town in County Wicklow, Ireland.)

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The pop star’s Ireland tour dates follow a busy weekend in London last week. Swift snapped selfies with royals and invited boyfriend and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce on stage to join the ranks of her backing dancers – not to mention playing host to a host of celebrities who made it to the English capital to see her global hit concerts.

Following her three nights in Dublin, Swift will next take the Eras Tour to Amsterdam and then several other cities across Europe. She will conclude the European leg of the tour with five more shows in London in August.