When Swift posted some black-and-white photos of herself on a beach to mark a year since the release of her surprise album Folklore, it didn’t take long for eagle-eyed fans to realise she’d been in Portsalon in Donegal – it was the distinctive footbridge in the background that gave it away. In her caption, she waxed lyrical about the “tall, tall trees and salt air” and dreamed of a place “where you’re allowed to wear lace nightgowns that make you look like a Victorian ghost every day and no one will side eye you cause no one is around.”  

To recreate the moment yourself, head to Portsalon Beach (also known as Ballymastocker Bay) and take a long walk along the wide stretch of shoreline on Lough Swilly. And as she was holding two cups of coffee in her second picture, you can go the whole hog and pick up a couple of flat whites from Latte Love Coffee, too.  

While we don’t know where Taylor stayed while she was in Donegal, there are plenty of options nearby that are fit for a megastar. At Portsalon Luxury Camping, you can sleep in swish yurts decked out with king size beds and wood burning stoves, or daydream on the hammock outside. Drive less than 20 minutes down the coast and you’ll reach Rathmullan House Hotel, a period property with rooms overlooking the sea and direct access to the beach through sand dunes much like the ones in Swift’s photo.   

An Instagram post is one thing, but you know a place made an impact when it gets a namecheck in a song. In 'Sweet Nothing', Swift sings, “A pebble that we picked up last July, down deep inside your pocket, we almost forgot it, does it ever miss Wicklow sometimes?”  

Now, we can’t be sure exactly where she visited while in the Garden of Ireland, but we’ll assume that she was in Wicklow with her then boyfriend Joe Alwyn, who was filming Conversations with Friends, the series based on the Sally Rooney novel. As they shot in Bray, perhaps it was that beach she’s reminiscing about, after a long walk on the prom? Or maybe the more secluded Silver Strand, where rocky cliffs curve around the sandy bay? 

Photo credit: @dankielyphoto

Wicklow Head Lighthouse would be the perfect place for her to stay. This Irish Landmark Trust property is one of the few lighthouses where you can sleep in the tower itself, and the ocean views from the 18th century octagonal building could inspire an entire album, let alone a song.  

Back in 2018, Swift and Alwyn spent Christmas in Glin Castle, the luxurious country manor on the edge of the Shannon Estuary. The castle is the ancestral home of Catherine Fitzgerald, who runs the historic pile with her husband, the actor Dominic West.  

Photo credit: @glin_castle

Once again, it was an Instagram post that tipped off followers, who identified the backdrop of Alwyn’s photo as the Knight’s Walk, a 3km loop that weaves through the grounds to the highest point of the Glin Demesne, with great views of the water and the castle itself along the way. And the good news is you don’t need to stay at the castle to do the walk yourself, as it’s open to the public. It’s also worth keeping an eye out for the occasional open days held at Glin Castle, so you can have a look around the impressive 18th century features in the house where they stayed.   

Photo credit: @glin_castle

Swift and Alwyn also reportedly stopped for a pint in O'Shaughnessy's, where she bought a raffle ticket for the local GAA team. This charming country pub was a good choice – it’s just outside the walls of the castle, with antique whiskey jugs on the shelves, a roaring open fire and cosy armchairs.  

We never knew for sure what Swift was doing in Cavan, but there were a flurry of sightings of the star in the county back in 2021. Many believed she was staying in Farnham Estate, a 1,300 acre demesne with some rooms in the original Georgian house and an expansive spa with an outdoor infinity pool.  

As Swift did write a song called 'The Lakes', the nearby Cabu by the Lakes would be a perfect place for her to hide away for a few days. With private cabins dotted around Killykeen Forest Park on the edge of Lough Oughter, Cabu is the kind of place that was made for a Swift album cover – you can spend your days walking through the woodland, kayaking to castles on tiny islands and soaking in a wood-fired hot tub underneath the trees. Head an hour north to explore even more romantic walks in Cavan Burren Park, where trails will take you by glacial boulders and spectacular dolmens.

It was a closely guarded secret while she was there, but Swift stayed in a 200-year-old coach house in Ranelagh on a previous visit to Dublin. A walk around this handsome residential neighbourhood makes it clear why she would have opted to stay here. Pick up a picnic in the local’s favourite Morton’s and take it to Dartmouth Square, or wander up the main street and stop into In The Company of Books to browse the latest titles. When you’re feeling peckish, sit down for brunch in Brother Hubbard or have dinner and cocktails with a view at the rooftop bar in The Devlin.  

During another visit, Swift stayed at what was then the Four Seasons but is now the InterContinental Dublin, which has the biggest presidential suite in the city. If you’re in town, why not pay a visit to the Windmill Lane Recording Studios? Swift may not have recorded there, but U2, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen have, and a tour of the studios is a must for any music fan.  

When Swift wore an Aran-style jumper in the promotional images for Folklore, she put this classic piece of Irish clothing back in the spotlight. Since then, the fashion world has gone mad for the Aran knit, and Fáilte Ireland collaborated with artist Gabrielle Malone to create a bespoke cardigan for Swift, featuring nods to the places she’s visited in the past. There’s a honeycomb stitch inspired by Donegal beekeepers, a seed stitch for Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, a brick stitch for Ireland’s Ancient East and a hurdle stitch for the cobblestones of Dublin. There are even little odes to Swift herself, with 1989 stitched into the collar, her lucky number 13 on one cuff and her initials on the other. The best news? If you want one just like it, you can download the pattern for free and knit your very own Taylor cardie. 

Even better, why not plan a trip to the source and head out to the Aran Islands? You can get a boat (or a plane) out to Inis Mór (Inishmore), Inis Meáin (Inishmaan) and Inis Oírr (Inisheer) and spend the day walking around these desolate isles. If you want to pick up an Aran jumper of your own, head to the Aran Sweater Market in Inishmore or the Inis Meáin Knitting Company. 

Swift’s huge Rhode Island beach house is the stuff of coastal property fantasy, and the inspiration for the song 'The Last Great American Dynasty'. If she fancies a similar break in Ireland, Lissadell on the Sea would fit the bill, a house set right on the sands of the beach with the Atlantic at the doorstep. Inside, there are open fireplaces, a huge rolltop bath and antiques aplenty. She’d likely enjoy a tour of Lissadell House itself – after all, it was the home of Constance Markievicz and Eva Gore-Booth, and occasional summer house of WB Yeats, so there’s a long history of poetry within the walls. And Leonard Cohen played there in 2010, so there’s some musical kudos, too.  

Download our knitwear pattern and knit your own version of the Taylor cardie.