There was nothing ironic about a Donegal woman’s once in a lifetime moment onstage at Alanis Morissette’s Dublin gig last weekend!
Gráinne Gillespie from Ballyshannon was having the time of her life at the Canadian singer’s concert at Malahide Castle on Sunday.
Singing and dancing along to the songs, she never dreamed the evening would end with her sharing the stage with the 90s icon herself.
Morissette, famous for hits like Ironic and You Oughta Know, has a tradition of inviting one lucky fan to join her on stage to perform her signature song.
Gráinne, unaware of the ritual, didn’t believe it at first when a member of Morissette’s team approached her and invited her up.
“I thought it was a random joke at first and said no!,” Grainne said.
It took some convincing from her boyfriend to seize the moment. Before she knew it, she was being ushered backstage to prepare to sing a verse of ‘Ironic’.
“I was in the wings for three songs and the crew were lovely,” Gráinne said. “One of the production guys told me to just try and go out and experience it fully, so walking out I kept reminding myself to enjoy it.”
When the moment came to step into the lights beside Morissette, the experience became a blur.
Gráinne admits that if it weren’t for the video footage, she wouldn’t have believed it actually happened!
Alanis Morissette and Grainne Gillespie on stage at Malahide Castle
While Gráinne usually reserves her singing for the shower, on that night she sang out for thousands as she shared in Morissette’s incredible stage presence.
“Alanis’ energy is infectious. I was blown away by her. She is really with you,” Gráinne said.
Gráinne walked off stage with more than just a story: “I got two big hugs and the memories forever.”