Orla Mac Connell: Taylor Swift helps me deal with challenges and I am thankful for the joy she creates

Everyone around me knows my appreciation of and admiration for Taylor Swift. Taylor means so much to me: it comes down to how happy she makes me feel: she brings me a sense of peace. And she motivates me – there’s a devotion in her work that shows me that I can achieve anything if I work hard enough.

This year, that has been particularly important, because it’s my Leaving Cert year. I’m in sixth year in Salerno Secondary School in Salthill, Galway and I’m planning to study fashion next year. During moments when I have felt stressed or overwhelmed, I’ve put on Taylor Swift on my record player and just stopped, taken a moment, and listened.

Taylor helps me to deal with challenges. I’m the oldest of three girls. I have two little sisters, Lucy (16) and Annie (10). Lucy has a rare bone condition called osteogenesis imperfecta. This means her bones are fragile and break easily. She uses a wheelchair and is of short stature (or “fun-sized” as she prefers!).

Lucy has had many hospital appointments and surgeries. She usually has to go to the UK for these, including for her scoliosis surgery in the summer of 2022. This was a surgery that involved my mom and dad staying with her in England for ten days. I was very anxious during this time. I knew that Lucy was in a lot of pain after her full spinal fusion. I felt scared and lonely and I really missed them.

I watched Taylor’s documentaries Miss Americana and Folklore – The Long Pond Studio Sessions. I must have watched them at least three times each over the ten days. They were a great distraction and an amazing source of comfort.

Along with this, my youngest sister Annie has autism and she is non-verbal. She is very energetic and active. She can get overwhelmed due to her various sensory needs. Something that helps to regulate her senses is music. I started playing Annie some of Taylor’s music when she got upset. It is amazing to see how it can instantly settle and connect her back to those around her.

It allows us to bond through her barriers of communication.

When Taylor announced the European dates of The Eras Tour, my mom Niamh, who is also a huge Taylor fan, and I were ecstatic. Mom and I both received the “Midnights Presale” emails. We qualified for codes for the presale. I couldn’t believe it when we managed to secure tickets.

We jumped up and danced around the room. Going to this concert together is a dream come true. Incredibly, with our other presale code we were able to buy two more tickets. We had a special plan for these.

[ Taylor Swift and the Eras Tour at the Aviva Stadium: Ticket information, what she’ll play, how to get there and more ]

The idea was for a very important and unique place called Barretstown. They are an incredible charity that hosts amazing camps for children with disabilities and serious illnesses. Lucy has been to many camps at Barretstown. I have also attended their camps that provide respite for the siblings of the campers. I believe it is the happiest place in the world. It is full of music, laughter and friendship. It is a place where you can dance like nobody’s watching, because everyone is dancing with you too.

Last summer we decided to organise a fundraiser to raise money and awareness for Barretstown. Everyone who donated was entered into a draw to win our two VIP tickets to see Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour in Dublin. We raised over €7,000 for Barretstown. It felt extremely rewarding to give back to the organisation that has done so much for families like mine.

Like Barretstown, Taylor helps me. The power of her music provides a personal oasis to escape to. Each “era” of her albums depicts various emotions and atmospheres. Whether that be the fairytales of Fearless, the pastels of Lover or the chronicles of The Tortured Poets Department, you can go anywhere and feel anything with Taylor’s music. It is boundless and mighty.

I am so thankful for Taylor and the joy she creates.