Touching surprise for Irish grandparents
It was a touching video that would strike a chord with any ex-pat separated from the ones they love.
Sitting in their living room in Cork, Irish couple Martin and Mary O'Regan thought they were watching a slide show of their 11-week-old grandson, Niall, born 17,000 kilometres away in Brisbane.
Little did they know their first grandson was waiting just outside their front door.
At first the video features only scenes from Brisbane, but eventually sights much more familiar scenes started flitting up on the couple's living room wall.
The O'Regans weren't expecting a visit from their son John, his wife Claire, and their baby boy Niall for another week.
But John had planned a touching ruse to the surprise the new grandparents.
Images of Niall's first weeks alive gave way to other scenes: first a car driving to Brisbane airport's international terminal, a plane flying into Dublin, driving along the M8 to Cork, and pulling into Martin and Mary's driveway.
Another two cameras captured the grandparent's reactions as they took it all in. Mary held back her tears, and Martin laughed with delight.
When Mary realised what was about to happen she jumped up clapping and threw back the curtains at the back door. Her son John was already standing behind her, with Niall in his arms.
"We were absolutely flabbergasted — speechless really," Martin O'Regan told the Irish Examiner.
"That moment, when you get to hold a new baby, especially your first-born grandchild for the first time, well, it's just very, very special," Martin O'Regan said.
"It was a bit surreal when they walked in, especially when it was a week earlier than planned," Mary O'Regan said.
"We hadn't gone through the process of anticipation of their visit and Niall was in our arms before we even had time to think."
The video posted to Youtube by John's brother Dave O'Regan has notched up almost 1 million views since it was published on July 6.
In the video John explains that he had moved to Australia over a decade earlier, had met and married Claire, and had their first child Niall.
The couple planned to take Niall to visit Claire's family in Tipperary before flying back to Australia August 13.
"Now we have a great reason to visit them," said Mary, who has never been to Australia.
First appeared on Stuff.co.nz
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